The iron book-cases manufactured by Messrs. Lucy & Co. of Oxford are
very convenient, and in buildings designed as fire-proof, in basements,
or in certain cases where much weight is wanted to be carried, they
should be useful. They can be fitted up as continuous wall-cases, or
supplied as standards holding books on both sides. The size B, 7′ 6″
high × 4′ 1″ wide × 1′ 3″ deep, will hold about 640 demy 8vo books, and
the ironwork costs £4, shelves £1 4s. Other sizes are made, and the
continuous wall-shelving is charged per yard run—7 feet high, £3 3s.;
shelves of wood, 12 inches deep, 5s. each; if iron, felt covered, 4s. 6d.
each. The durability of these cases is beyond question, and the expense
is not great when their security, strength, and neatness are considered.
The arrangement for spacing the shelves is convenient and effective. The
sliding iron book-cases swung in the galleries of the British Museum,
and their prototype[3] at Bethnal Green Free Library, London, have been
so often and so fully described elsewhere[4] that it is needless to do
more here than to briefly refer to them. The British Museum pattern,
the invention of Mr. Jenner of the Printed Books Department, consists
of a double case suspended from strong runners, which can be pushed
against the permanent cases when not in use, or pulled out when books
are required. Only libraries with very wide passages between the cases
could use them, and only then by greatly strengthening the ordinary
wooden presses in existence.[5] The revolving wooden book-cases now so
extensively used for office purposes, and in clubs or private libraries,
can be bought for £3 and upwards. They should not be placed for public
use in ordinary libraries to which all persons have access, though there
is no reason why subscription libraries and kindred institutions should
not have them for the benefit of their members.
Other fittings connected with book-cases are press and shelf numbers,
contents or classification frames, blinds, and shelf-edging. The press
marks used in the fixed location are sometimes painted or written in gold
over the cases, but white enamelled copper tablets, with the numbers or
letters painted in black or blue, are much more clear and effective.
They cost only a few pence each. The numbering of shelves for the
movable location, or their lettering for the fixed location, is usually
done by means of printed labels. These are sold in sheets, gummed and
perforated, and can be supplied in various sizes in consecutive series
at prices ranging from 2s. 6d. per 1000 for numbers, and 1d. or 2d. each
for alphabets. Shelf numbers can also be stamped on in gold or written
with paint, and brass numbers are also made for the purpose, but the
cost is very great. The little frames used for indicating the contents
of a particular case or division are usually made of brass, and have
their edges folded over to hold the cards. Some are made like the sliding
_carte-de-visite_ frames, but the object in all is the same, namely—to
carry descriptive cards referring to the contents or classification of
book-cases. They are most often used in reference libraries where readers
are allowed direct access to the shelves, and are commonly screwed to the
uprights. A convenient form is that used with numbered presses, and the
card bears such particulars as these—
+------+----------------------+
|SHELF.| CASE 594. |
+------+----------------------+
| A |Buffon’s Nat. Hist. |
| B |Geological Rec. |
| C |Sach’s Bot.; Bot. Mag.|
| D |&c. |
| E |&c. |
| F |&c. |
+------+----------------------+
Others bear the book numbers, while some simply refer to the shelf
contents as part of a particular scheme of classification, viz.:—
941·1 Northern Scotland.
To keep these contents-cards clean it is usual to cover them with little
squares of glass.
Glazed book-cases are not recommended, wire-work being much better
in cases where it is necessary to have locked doors. The mesh of the
wire-work should be as fine as possible, because valuable bindings
are sometimes nail-marked and scratched by inquisitive persons poking
through at the books. It is only in very special circumstances that
locked presses are required, such as when they are placed in a public
reading-room or in a passage, and though glazed book-cases are a
tradition among house furnishers, no librarian will have them if it can
possibly be avoided. Their preservative value is very questionable, and
books do very well in the open, while there can be no two opinions as
to their being a source of considerable trouble. Blinds concealed in
the cornices of book-cases are sometimes used, their object being to
protect the books from dust during the night, but they do not seem to be
wanted in public libraries. In regard to the various shelf-edgings seen
in libraries, leather is only ornamental, certainly not durable; while
scalloped cloth, though much more effective, may also be dispensed with.
COUNTERS, CUPBOARDS, &c.
To the practical librarian a good counter is a source of perennial
joy. It is not only the theatre of war, and the centre to which every
piece of work undertaken by the library converges, but it is a barrier
over which are passed most of the suggestions and criticisms which
lead to good work, and from which can be gleaned the best idea of the
business accomplished. For these reasons alone a first-class counter
is very desirable. As in every other branch of library management,
local circumstances must govern the size and shape of the counter to be
provided. Lending libraries using indicators require a different kind
of counter than those which use ledgers or card-charging systems, and
reference libraries must have them according to the plan of arrangement
followed for the books. A lending library counter where no indicator
is used need not be a very formidable affair, but it ought to afford
accommodation for at least six persons standing abreast, and have space
for a screened desk and a flap giving access to the public side. On
the staff side should be plenty of shelves, cupboards, and drawers,
and it may be found desirable to place in it a locked till also for
the safe-keeping of money received for fines, catalogues, &c. All
counter-tops should project several inches beyond the front to keep back
the damage-working toes of the public, and on the staff side a space of
at least 3 inches should be left under the pot-board. A height of 3 feet
and a width of 2 feet will be found convenient dimensions for reference
and non-indicator lending library counters. Where indicators are used a
width of 18 inches and a height of 30 of 32 inches will be found best. If
the counter is made too high and wide neither readers nor assistants can
conveniently see or reach the top numbers. As regards length, everything
will depend on the indicator used and the size of the library. An idea
of the comparative size of some indicators may be got from the following
table:—
Counter space required for 12,000 numbers Cotgreave 15 feet.
” ” ” Elliot (small) 16 feet.
” ” ” Duplex (small) 22 feet.
” ” ” ” (full) 32 feet.
” ” ” Elliot (full) 36 feet.
Allowing 12 feet of counter space for service of readers, 2 feet for desk
space, and 2 feet for flap, a Cotgreave indicator for 12,000 numbers
would mean a counter 31 feet long, a small Elliot 32 feet, a small Duplex
38 feet, a full Duplex 48 feet, and a full Elliot 52 feet. For double the
quantity of numbers the smallest indicator would require a counter 46
feet long, and the largest one 88 feet. These are important points to
bear in mind when planning the counter; though it must be said generally
that, in nearly every instance where a Library Committee has proceeded
with the fitting of a new building before appointing a librarian, they
are over-looked, because the architect invariably provides a counter
about 6 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 3 feet high, with a carved front of
surpassing excellence! What has been already said respecting materials
applies with equal force to this class of fitting; but it should be
added that a good hard-wood counter will likely last for ever. Some
librarians who use card catalogues prefer to keep them in drawers opening
to the public side of the reference library counter. This point is worth
remembering in connection with the fitting of the reference department.
In addition to the store cupboards provided behind the counters there
should be plenty of wall or other presses fixed in convenient places for
holding stationery, supplies of forms, &c. Locked store presses are also
useful; and every large library should have a key-press, in which should
be hung every public key belonging to the building, properly numbered
and labelled to correspond with a list pasted inside the press itself.
These useful little cabinets are infinitely superior to the caretaker’s
pocket, and much inconvenience is avoided by their use. Desks for the
staff use should be made with a beading all round the top and at bottom
of slope to prevent papers, pens, and ink from falling or being pushed
over. Superintendents’ desks should be made large, and to stand on a
double pedestal of drawers, so that they may be high enough for useful
oversight and capacious enough for stationery or other supplies. There is
an admirable specimen of a superintendent’s desk in the Mitchell Library,
Glasgow.