You will readily see the elements of a dictionary catalog here, and it
is debatable whether to separate the entries in the three groups as
above, or to alphabet them together. Shall we double star the 100 best
and star the 500 next?
Are not these questions too perplexing, is not the labor of compilation
too arduous, and is not life too short for the reading and classifying
all these titles, for one person to attempt this task alone? It has
seemed so. Hence this question mark rampant, hence this interrogational
presentation, hence this request for co-operation. Without the subject
characterization one man could do it, but would not one of the most
valuable features be omitted?
With definite assignments, under an editor-in-chief, is not this index
possible? Is it not needed?
In the discussion it was brought out that the Chicago public library
had made a list of fairy tales, that the Cleveland public library had
begun a list of short stories not in periodicals, and that titles of
stories frequently occur in reference lists on subjects like, for
example, Hallowe'en.
After a discussion of Mr. Drury's paper, Mr. ROBERT KENDALL SHAW,
librarian of the Worcester (Mass.) free public library, spoke on the
subject