COURSES IN BIBLIOGRAPHY OFFERED BY PROF. DZIATZKO AT THE UNIVERSITY OF
GÖTTINGEN.
The first and so far the only professorship in the auxiliary sciences of
librarianship in Prussia was founded in 1886 in Göttingen as a
consequence of the growing importance of libraries. This professorship
has been filled since its foundation by Professor Dr. Carl Dziatzko.
The courses of lectures given have so far been as follows:
Library administration.
The laws of authors and publishers in the history of bookselling.
Books in the Middle Ages.
(The above courses have not been given in later years.)
Books and writing in ancient times.
History of printing and bookselling:
(_a_) previous to the Reformation.
(_b_) since the Reformation.
History and development of modern librarianship.
The lectures are held three times a week and have the same strictly
scientific character as other university studies.
They demand therefore real co-operation between lecturer and students,
putting before the latter, as they do, a rich and critically sifted
material which gives them, in a way, a sharp outline only which they
will fill out more or less fully according to their diligence in
carrying on their studies. The lectures are made particularly attractive
and stimulating through the exhibition of important examples of
printing, if possible original works referred to or quoted in the
lectures, etc.
Beside these public lectures, Prof Dziatzko gives once a week a
bibliographical seminar for a smaller circle. The majority of the
members of this seminar are the library volunteers who naturally are
more numerous in Göttingen than at other Prussian university libraries.
If it is true of the public lectures that valuable results are gained
only by real co-operation of the students, these seminars directly
demand independent work of the members. A considerable part, in fact
half of the allotted time, is given to description of incunabula
according to the rules formulated by Prof. Dziatzko and published in no.
10 of his "Sammlung bibliothekswissenschaftlicher Arbeiten." Apart from
the importance of incunabula for the history of printing, they are
particularly suited to bring out questions of various kinds relating to
bibliography and librarianship. The remaining seminar hours are given up
to reviews and papers by the members. In most cases the subjects are
selected at the suggestion of Prof. Dziatzko, but it is preferred that
the members should select their own topics. The papers deal with the
most varied subjects: questions of a purely practical nature alternate
with scientific and historical investigations of bibliographical topics.
(Several of these papers have afterwards been prepared for publication
in Prof. Dziatzko's "Sammlung bibliothekswissenschaftlicher Arbeiten.")
The papers are followed by judicious criticism by Prof. Dziatzko and
discussion by the members of the seminar. Whatever time is left is
devoted to reading of old manuscripts, exhibition of bibliographical
rarities and curiosities, important new publications, etc.
In connection with the palæographical studies just mentioned it should
be noted that a special seminar in palæography, given by another
professor, Dr. Wilhelm Meyer, is attended by many as a supplement to
their bibliographical studies.
A. S. ROOT, librarian of Oberlin College, supplemented this letter with
a description of his work with Dr. Dziatzko, stating that the real
strength and power of the work consisted in the bibliographical seminar
and the work with incunabula. In this work each student has assigned to
him the work of a special city or a special press. He studies the books,
catalogs them, and submits his work to Prof. Dziatzko for review. These
papers are then discussed by the members of the seminar and sharply
criticised by Prof. Dziatzko. The new literature of bibliography added
to the library is periodically examined and discussed by the class.
G. W. HARRIS, librarian of Cornell University, gave in outline, the
substance of a course of 15 lectures on bibliography, delivered one each
week during a half year at Cornell. The nature of these lectures is
general because in each department more or less stress is based on the
use of special bibliographies, and each thesis for an advanced degree at
Cornell must be accompanied by a satisfactory bibliography of the
subject treated. The large collection of early imprints representing
many of the different presses affords excellent opportunity to inspect
and study examples of early printing. Mr. Harris was of the opinion that
work in the bibliography of special subjects should be given by the
heads of the departments concerned. Mr. Harris gave the following