When the titles have been stereotyped, and the plates ascertained to
be in perfect working order, they are to be arranged alphabetically,
and kept on sliding shelves, or shallow drawers, placed as near to
each other as possible. The catch-letters of the titles may be marked
upon the front of each shelf, so as to admit of alteration as the
changing of the plates may require. The ranges of shelves may be so
disposed as to form deep and narrow alcoves. A room of fifty feet by
forty would accommodate the plates of upwards of a million titles,
which may, in this manner, be kept in very compact and perfect order,
and, at the same time, be easily accessible.
It may not be amiss to add, that the material, which it is proposed
to employ in the stereotyping, is much less expensive than common
type metal; so cheap, indeed, that the whole expenditure on
this account, even for so large a collection, would be of small
importance. It is, besides, much lighter than type metal, more
convenient in handling, and requires fewer, and less expensive
fixtures. It is not at all affected by dampness, or by any ordinary
elevation of temperature.
The plates are mounted, for printing, upon blocks similar to those
ordinarily used for stereotype plates, but with continuous clamps
extending the whole length of the page. The breadth of page adopted
is such as is suitable for a work in octavo, or in double columns
in quarto or folio. The latter form (folio double columns) will
probably be found most convenient, as well as most economical, for
large catalogues. Presenting more titles upon a page, it enables a
student to examine and compare, with greater facility, the various
works of an author. It requires also less paper and press-work for
the same number of titles. These considerations have led to the
general adoption of the folio form for catalogues of large libraries.
To these it may be added, in the present case, that in folio pages it
would be practicable to avoid the division of titles between lines,
without occasioning observable irregularities in the length of the
pages.
METHOD OF USING THE STEREOTYPED TITLES IN THE FORMATION OF NEW
CATALOGUES.
In concluding these details of the system of stereotyping catalogues,
by separate titles, it now remains to say a few words upon the method
of employing the titles, in the construction of new catalogues.
Whenever, after the publication of one catalogue, upon this plan, it
should be proposed to form a catalogue of another library, the first
step would be to ascertain, which of the titles of such library have
been already stereotyped; for these need not again be transcribed.
This may be done in the following manner. A copy of the catalogue
already published, together with a copy of any titles which may have
been subsequently stereotyped, should be sent to the cataloguer, who
as he takes a book from the shelf should first seek for its title
among those already printed. If a title, strictly identical with that
of the book, be found, it should be marked in the margin.
When titles occur, which he does not find among those already
printed, they are to be written, each on a card or slip of paper,
according to the rules; and, as the work goes on, sent, in parcels,
to be stereotyped. When the cataloguer has gone through the library
in this manner, he is to return the printed catalogues, in the margin
of which he has marked the common titles. The printer will then be
able to select and combine the plates to be used for this particular
catalogue, impose them, print the requisite number of copies, and
distribute them to their places.
After the catalogues of several libraries shall have been thus
prepared and printed, they will be combined to form a general
catalogue of those libraries, and thus the labor of selecting common
titles will always be limited within narrow bounds.