CLASSIFICATION AND CATALOGING IN BUSINESS LIBRARIES
All books and pamphlets received by the business library should be
classified by subject, i. e., all material on a given subject should be
brought together under the same subject number. The most satisfactory
working scheme of subject classification which has yet been devised
and which is most generally used is the Dewey Decimal Classification,
Edition 9, 1915, which can be purchased from the Library Bureau, price
$6.00. No subject classification is perfect and the Dewey Decimal
Classification will not fit all business libraries equally well, but
its elasticity of form and its notation is such that any expansion
which may be required by the specialized character of the business
library may readily be made by the trained librarian. The following
list of extensions to the Dewey Decimal Classification may be of
interest to engineers:
"Extension of the Dewey Decimal System of Classification Applied
to the Engineering Industries," by L. B. Breckenridge and G. A.
Goodenough, published in University of Illinois Engineering Experiment
Station Bulletin 9, revised edition, 1912.
"Extension of Dewey Decimal System of Classification to Cover
Municipal Engineering," by R. De L. French, in Canadian Engineer, Nov.
12, 1914.
"Extension of the Dewey Decimal System of Classification to the Gas
Industry," by D. S. Knauss, American Gas Institute, October, 1914.
"Extension of the Dewey Decimal System of Classification Applied to
Metallurgy, Metallography and Assaying," by R. M. Keeny, Colorado
School of Mines Quarterly, Golden, Colo., April, 1911.
"Proposed Classification for an Engineering Library," by E. H. Frick
and Esther Raymond published by American Society of Civil Engineers,
1916.
It must be remembered that business libraries are small and the number
of books and pamphlets to be classified are few as compared with the
enormous collections in public libraries, so that the much discussed
question of new classifications which arises periodically is not of so
vital importance to the business library as might appear, especially
so when one recognizes the importance of making an exhaustive subject
catalog to all material, which relieves the business library from any
undue difficulties in classification. It will readily be seen that no
subject classification can bring together on the library shelves all
information on a subject, for the reason that some books and pamphlets
cover several well defined subjects and the book can stand on the
shelf in one subject position only. Such difficulties are met most
satisfactorily by a subject catalog in which subject entries are made
under the most specific subject heading and not under a broad term
which includes several well defined divisions of a general subject.
For example, a book on steam engines should be subject cataloged under
"Steam engines" and not under "Engines," while a book on various kinds
of engines should be subject cataloged under "Engines" and not under
"Mechanical engineering." The book on engines, if it treated of Marine
engines, Gas engines and various other types could also have cards
made under those subjects in addition to the card which was made under
"Engines."
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| Sa107 | Cameron, W. H. |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | The attitude of the employer towards |
| | accident prevention and workmen's compensation. |
| | 9 p. |
| | |
| | |
| | Safety movement |
| | Workmen's compensation |
| | |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
The pamphlet noted above is filed under "Safety movement" and an entry
is made under the author's name for the card index, showing upon its
face the subject names under which subject index cards have been made
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| Sa107 | Workmen's compensation |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | Cameron, W. H. |
| | The attitude of the employer towards |
| | accident prevention and workmen's compensation. |
| | 9 p. |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
If a pamphlet covers two or more subjects a subject card may be made
for each subject. The subject under which the pamphlet is filed is
shown by the Cutter book number. In this particular instance, the
pamphlet is placed in the file under "Safety movement."
This method permits of a book or pamphlet being entered under any
number of specific subjects on which it gives information and thus the
subject catalog brings together all the information in the library on a
specific subject, although it may not stand together on the shelves or
in a vertical file.
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| Sa107 | Safety movement |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
| | Cameron, W. H. |
| | The attitude of the employer towards |
| | accident prevention and workmen's compensation. |
| | 9 p. |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+-------+-------------------------------------------------+
Subject catalog card for Alphabetic-subject file
Alphabetic-subject File
All material put into vertical files need not be filed necessarily
by a numerical subject classification such as the Dewey Decimal
Classification; on the contrary a number of business libraries, which
use the Decimal Classification for material put on the shelves, have
organized most successful vertical files of miscellaneous material,
clippings, pamphlets, etc., by the alphabetic-subject method. This
simply means that the material is assigned, instead of a subject
number, a specific subject name similar to that put on a subject
catalog card and is filed alphabetically under that subject name
written out in full upon the folder, to which may be prefixed a Cutter
number assigned from the subject name of the material. The Cutter
number, primarily designed to alphabet authors, is the first letter
of a word combined with certain figures, designed to keep words in
alphabetic order by their initial letter and the figures following it.
The Cutter three figure alphabetic-order table, price $2.70, or the
Cutter-Sanborn alphabetic-order table, price $3.00, both for sale by
the Library Bureau, are equally good for use in the alphabetic-subject
file. The Cutter two figure table may be used for a small collection
of material. No business firm should attempt to install an
alphabetical-subject file unless the work is done under the direction
of a trained librarian who has had thorough training in cataloging and
in the assigning of subject headings. The best information in print
on the details of alphabetical-subject filing for business libraries
is to be found in a pamphlet entitled "Pamphlets and Clippings in the
Business Library" by Virginia Fairfax, published by the Journal of
Electricity, San Francisco.
The advantage in using a Cutter number is, that it makes a convenient
brief notation to use on the material to be filed and on the catalog
card to show where the material is placed in the file. For temporary
files of ephemeral material both the Cutter number and the card
cataloging may be omitted. The alphabetic-subject file obviates the
difficulties which arise when the business library finds it has
material on subjects for which the Dewey Decimal Classification has not
adequately provided.
Printed information on corporations collected by banking houses is most
satisfactorily filed alphabetically under the name of each corporation
with sub-divisions (i. e., mortgages, reports, etc.) under each
corporation name where necessary.
Cataloging
Business men as a whole do not understand what cataloging involves nor
its supreme importance. Most of them call it card indexing and think
they have provided amply for it when they have purchased a card catalog
cabinet and a supply of cards, without realizing what someone has
recently said in a business periodical, that "the number of employes
and the generosity of mechanical equipment are not the essentials of
high grade production. Brains and floor space are unrelated." A card
catalog to be a success, as a working tool, must be made according to a
code of standardized rules by some one who has been thoroughly taught
to use them. A code of catalog rules given to a novice who attempts
to catalog by them without previous instruction will yield about as
satisfactory results as an automobile does when it is operated by some
one who has never run one before, and whose only knowledge consists of
what he has read about it in a handbook. The truth of this contention
is apparent when one considers that strict uniformity and accuracy must
be maintained, not only in making author entries but particularly in
making what the trained librarian calls subject headings with "see"
and "see also" references which the business man is often heard to
call cross indexing. (See Hitchler, Cataloging for Small Libraries,
Chapters 5 and 6.) Cataloging must be as accurate as bookkeeping; a
wrong figure, a mis-filed card or the entry of information under an
incorrect subject, makes the catalog as useless as trying to unlock a
door with a key that does not fit. The American Library Association, 78
East Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois, has issued a valuable list
of suggestive "Subject Headings for Use in a Dictionary Catalog," third
edition, price $2.50, which indicates proper terminology with cross
references, and to which each business library will probably make many
subject additions to suit its specific needs. The subject headings used
in the "Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature" and the "Industrial
Arts Index," mentioned in a previous chapter, are also of help to the
business library in determining adequate subject headings for the card
catalog. The ability to assign subject headings and cross references
correctly requires both broad knowledge and a high degree of training
and is one of the important assets which the business librarian derives
from a library school education.
For the benefit of small offices which have a limited collection of
material and will need to do very little cataloging or indexing, the
sample author and subject cards are given to illustrate correct form.
Further helpful suggestions can be obtained from Hitchler's Cataloging
for Small Libraries, published by the American Library Association, 78
East Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois, price $1.25.
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| 627.38 | Wegmann, Edward |
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
| W42 | Design & construction of dams |
| | Ed. 4 N.Y. Wiley 1904. |
| | |
| | |
| | Dams |
| | |
| | |
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
Form of author card
The Library of Congress publishes catalog cards printed on the standard
3 by 5 inch card, one form of card only for each book, namely the
author or main entry card, with suggestive subject headings printed at
the bottom. To this card, if purchased, may be added the classification
number of the book in the particular business library, and additional
cards may be bought on which may be put the subject headings. Not many
business libraries have made use of these printed cards issued by the
Library of Congress, because business library material is so limited
and specialized in selection that not enough Library of Congress
catalog cards can be used to make it worth while to spend time in
checking up what cards the Library of Congress issues, which can be
used by the business library. The business library is always in a hurry
to have its material cataloged and put on the shelves at once, and
ordering and waiting for receipt of Library of Congress cards does not
generally permit of quick enough work.
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
| | |
| 627.38 | Dams |
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
| W42 | Wegmann, Edwards |
| | Design & construction of dams |
| | Ed. 4 N.Y. Wiley 1904. |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
+--------+------------------------------------------------+
Form of subject card
It is advisable that the card catalogs to material in the business
library should be, as far as possible, alphabeted together in a single
file, because information on a subject found in a book is cataloged
under a specific subject heading, information on the same subject found
in a periodical article is entered under the same subject heading as
that used for the information in the book, and the same subject heading
is used in the card catalog for the material which, because of its
form, is put into the vertical file. The filing of these three subject
cards together instead of in three separate card catalogs, namely, to
books, periodicals and vertical file material, will show at once what
the library has on that particular subject with a saving of time in
consultation, as well as eliminating the risk of forgetting to look in
three separate catalogs when investigating a subject, and avoiding the
danger of mis-filing a card in a wrong catalog. If desired, references
to periodical articles and vertical file material may be put on colored
cards to show more quickly the disposition of the material in the
library. Photographs, lantern slides, cuts and maps are best cared for
by a separate card catalog to each file.
REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL READING
=Colegrove, M. E. & McVety, M. A.=
List of subject headings for information file. Elm tree press,
Woodstock, Vt. (Modern American library economy series).
=Dana, J. C.=
Color and position filing. Elm tree press, Woodstock, Vt. (Modern
American library economy series).
=Dickey, P. A.=
Care of pamphlets and clippings in libraries. H. W. Wilson & Company,
New York City.
=Fairfax, Virginia=
Pamphlets and clippings in the business library; pamphlet printed by
Journal of Electricity, San Francisco.
=Krause, L. B.=
Engineers' technical file. Engineering record Dec. 18, 1915, p. 760-61.
=Krause, L. B.=
Indexing data on stream flow and rainfall. Engineering record Jan. 31,
1914, p. 140-41.
=McVety, M. A. & Colegrove, M. E.=
Vertical file. Elm tree press, Woodstock, Vt. (Modern American library
economy).
=Ovitz, D. G.=
The "Readers' Guide" and the vertical file. H. W. Wilson Company, New
York City.