L 691 05 L3L u UC-NRLF UBRAR B 3 TEb 503 J • THE CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS IN LIBRARIES By PHILENA A. DICKEY Thesis presented for graduation Library School of the New York Public Library 1916 THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY WHITE PLAINS. N. Y. and NEW YORK CITY Library Problems THE CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS IN LIBRARIES By PHILENA A. DICKEY Thesis presented for graduation Library School of the New York Public Library 1916 THE H. W. WILSON COMPANY WHITE PLAINS. N, Y. and NEW YORK CITY ma^ THE CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS IN LIBRARIES About thirty years ago Mr. Cutter, when president of the American Library Association, said of the libra- rian's attitude toward the pamphlet: "A librarian ordi- narily collects pamphlets as unhesitatingly as a little dog runs out and barks at a buggy. The dog could not give any reason for it, but all his ancestors have done it, all the curs of his acquaintance do it, and he has done it himself from his earliest recollection." The dog's in- stinct must have some foundation, but he is not blessed with the librarian's facility of expression. At least his attitude argues a certain amount of alertness and readiness to act, however mistakenly, and the fact that a librarian collects pamphlets evinces the possession of an amount of zeal, which, if properly directed, is more likely to achieve results than a passive indifference to possibilities. It is the passive librarian who generally regards pamphlets as nuisances to be avoided, rather than as what Dr. Spofford calls "vehicles of thought and opinion, propagandists of new ideas . . . storehouses of facts, repositories of history, annals of biography, records of genealogy, treasuries of statistics, chronicles of invention and discovery/' No history of the pamphlet can be given in such a limited space; but in an account of the methods and devices employed in its care and for the enlargement of its usefulness, a word as to its historic dignity and its claim to consideration is not out of place. In this form first appeared all of Shakespeare's plays published in 348681 4 CAR£ OF TAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS his life; time; Miltcvxi's-'Areopagitica," which boasted but forty pages, Webster's "Reply to Hayne," Sumner's 'True Grandeur of Nations," and Patmore's translation of the Rubaiyat. The British Museum calls any printed publication of one hundred pages or less a pamphlet, and Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a book of a few sheets of printed What is a matter, or formerly of manuscript, com- Pamphlet? monly with a paper cover." Whatever the arbitrary definition, every librarian recognizes the reality, but for purposes of this discussion periodicals, of which files are kept, the development of the clipping practice known as the "picture collection," and the problems of the depository library, are not considered. These are so important as to require separate treatment. It is the purpose of this paper to describe and weigh the advantages of some of the means employed by dif- ferent libraries to deal with the flood of public docu- ments, reports of investigations by public and private commissions and societies, political speeches and prop- aganda, advertising matter, and treatises on technical and scientific subjects, which is rising on all sides and threatens to overpower those whose duty it is to cope with it. As has been already hinted, the value to the library of this mass of printed matter lies in the fact that it is the stuff of which reference books are made. Here one Value of the ^^^' ^^ ^^ speak, the advance sheets of Pamphlets many expensive reference books at practi- to the cally no cost for acquisition and little for Library preparation and maintenance, as compared with books. This material also gives valuable aid in supplementing the reference books — ^bringing them up CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 5 to date and correcting statistics. In the reference de- partment of the Newark Public Library it is claimed that as many questions are answered from the pamphlets and clippings of the vertical file, as from the encyclo- pedias. Here are the by-products of the library, the material retrieved from waste, for much of value can be reclaimed from discarded magazines and newspapers which have served their term of usefulness and are other- wise ready to be disposed of as trash. The special or large reference library probably need not allow for duplication of material already in bound magazines or incorporated in reference books, but in the Duplication average public library or branch such of Material duplication is at times a virtue. When a teacher advises a class to ask at the public library for material on the kind of food a laborer should eat, the distracted librarian will find that a goodly supply of Farmers' and Cornell bulletins is her salvation, when the available books are exhausted. Few teachers feel any obligation to cooperate with the library even to the extent of supplying a list of the subjects to be asked for, before the arrival of the students, thus giving the librarian an opportunity to conserve her resources for an emer- gency. As it is, the race is to the swift, for the first to arrive bear ofit* the books before the situation is realized. Aside from its reference use, the pamphlet collection, through the demands made in its up-building, may be used to create a spirit of proprietorship and cooperation Value to the ^^^^^"^ ^^^ library on the part of various Community classes in the community. Among those who may find it useful are: I. State or city officials. Through the knowledge of how other communities are dealing with similar prob- 6 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS lems, gained from state and municipal reports and from reports of investigations and surveys, many expensive mistakes may be avoided and many friends made. There are today legislative reference libraries in 32 out of the 48 states, and an ever increasing number of municipal reference libraries. 2. Business men. That the library was for any but women, children and bookworms, or at most could offer anything but amusement and recreation to the tired business man, is an idea of recent but rapid growth, as is seen in the increasing number of business branches and departments in public libraries and of special business li- braries, which form an important part of the organization of many large concerns. These special business libraries have been called into being by a need which the Dublic library feels that it cannot meet with its present organiza- tion. The knowledge required is too specialized, and the demand is not for "all the literature on the subject" but for an abstract of the information sought. Some one has expressed this difference thus, "the public library depends largely upon the past while the special library deals principally with the present and the future." It is a clearing house of live ideas and problems, or as Mr. W. P. Cutter phrases it, "The special library is one that serves the people who are doing things, while a reference library is one which serves the people who are thinking things." There is a marked tendency to modify this attitude on the part of the public library, even in a great reference collection like the New York Public Library, where the Economics Division is virtually a special library, doing a wonderful work along economic and political lines. The public library should, as its name implies, be supported by all the people for all the people, doers as well as thinkers. 3. Teachers and students. The library has always served this part of the community, but there is a great increase in the use of ephemeral material in schools caused by changes in the curriculum and methods of teaching. Especially is this true since the growth of CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 7 inter-class and inter-school debating. The pamphlet collection lends itself to this work, in which all sorts of subjects and sources of information are useful. 4, Clubs and social workers. The librarian, having a lively sense of responsibility to the community, will especially consider the needs of these two classes, when building up the library's hoard of ephemera. The pam- phlet collection should include, not only the reports and surveys of other places of like size and conditions, but also clippings from the local press, forming a social and reform history of the community. 5. Newspaper men. In a large city these patrons of the library are not so conspicuous, because, as in the case of large business organizations, their needs are in a great measure met by special libraries in their own plants. In regard to completeness of equipment and workableness of arrangement, many libraries could learn much from the New York Times' editorial files. Where newspapers do not have their own libraries, much good may result from the interdependence of the library and the newspaper staff. Since the pamphlet is no novelty in the library, the justification for this discussion of the subject must be found in the changed attitude toward it, caused by the phenomenal increase in printed matter of all kinds, especially in the publications of institutions and associa- tions of a public or semi-public nature. To index and bring pamphlet material quickly and easily, with a minimum of expense, to those who want or need it, is the librarian's problem. The feeling is New Creed spreading that the old reverence for any- for the thing in print must give way before a new Library creed, which has been tersely put into form by Mr. Dana. "Select a few of the best books and keep them as before, but also select from the vast flood of print the things your constituency will find helpful, 8 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS make them available with a minimum of expense and discard them as soon as their usefulness is past." Whether the pamphlet box or the pamphlet volume was the first step away from the disorderly piles, which served no purpose other than the accumulation of dust, Pamphlet ^^ immaterial. Both of these methods are Boxes and still in wide use, although their weak points Pamphlet are fully recognized. The relative virtues Volumes ^f ^^le open and closed top boxes and the entirely closed transfer case should be given careful con- sideration before deciding on the kind of pamphlet box to use. The box which is open only at the back gives better protection from dust but does not insure against loss as well as the open top variety. The transfer case answers both of these objections, as does a hinged top pamphlet box, but these cost more. Before the present war prices prevailed in the paper trade, a good practical box could be obtained from H. Schultz & Co., Roberts and Superior streets, Chicago, for about six dollars per hundred or from Clark & Gibby, 289 Fourth avenue, New York for about twelve dollars a hundred. The latter box is well reinforced and has the special advantage of a hinged cover. It may be ordered in almost any size. Andrus & Church of Ithaca, N. Y., carry in stock four sizes of a pamphlet case, which has proved satisfactory in makeup and price. Library Bureau prices are usually higher than those just quoted. In the case of either the box or the bound volume the original method seems to have been to arrange the pam- phlets in the sequence in which they came into the li- Arrange- brary. The disadvantage of this method, ment of especially in the case of the bound volumes. Pamphlet lay in the fact that an index to the volume olumes ^^g seldom included, and much time was CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 9 therefore lost in locating the desired pamphlet even after the volume was at hand. Also in throwing together a heterogeneous collection of from a dozen to twenty pamphlets by various authors and on widely different subjects, there was always the risk of keeping others waiting while one reader monopolized the volume. Another disadvantage of pamphlet volumes is that if a volume is lost, replacement is infinitely more difficult than in the case of the singly bound pamphlet or the vertical file material. The tendency, wherever pamphlet boxes and volumes are used, is to do away with the miscellaneous collection and by classifying closely keep only pamphlets on the same phase of a subject together, fitting them into the classification like books. This is the method followed by the New York Public Library in its large reference collection. In making up the volumes, experience teaches that the inclusion of the original covers of the pamphlets as well as an index to the whole volume, facilitates the location of a desired article by the reader. Each pam- phlet should be numbered consecutively and this number should be written on the cover and used in the index. An additional aid is found in the index tag or signal, attached to the top of each pamphlet, and bearing the number of that pamphlet. When arranging the pamphlets, an alphabetical, rather than a chronological sequence should be chosen, with a possible exception in the case of historical, or scientific material. But even in these classes, any attempt to carry the chronological arrangement beyond the confines of a single volume will sooner or later make it necessary to tear apart and rebind to allow for the insertion of tardily acquired treasures. This was the 10 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS case with forty volumes on ''Slavery" in the library of the University of IMichigan a few years ago. Where the chronological arrangement is limited to a single volume there is little point in employing it at all. Author entries, especially in the case of society re- ports, should be assigned by the catalog department before the index in the volume is made, in order that the entry in the index and that in the catalog may agree. In very large or well endowed libraries it is possible to catalog each bit of material as carefully as the weigh- tiest book, but ordinarily much uncataloged material must be dealt with. When this is kept in pam- a a ogmg pjijet boxes, a permanent card inserted in the catalog at the end of the subject reminds both the li- brarian and the public of further resources. Such a card may read : 335 Socialism. For uncataloged pamphlets on this subject, see pamphlet boxes marked 335 and shelved after the books in that class. Where a shelf list record of such material is considered necessary a simple and effective method is as follows : 335 Pamphlets on socialism p.b.i 6 pamphlets. the number of pamphlets being inserted lightly in pencil so that it may be easily changed, when another pamphlet is added to that box. In the average library, when the method of binding pamphlets on the same subject together is used, the catalog entr\' should be by subject unless the author's name carries such weight as to require especial notice, or local interest makes an author entry imperative. CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS ii Sample subject card for entire volume of pamphlets on socialism. 335 Socialism. p.v.7 Pamphlets on socialism Contents : 1. Socialism in Germany, by Karl Marx. 1895. 2. Socialism in Minnesota. 1915- Sample author card for one pamphlet in that volume. 335 Marx, Karl, P-V.7 Socialism in Germany. 1895. no. I Some libraries prefer to use pam. box and pam. v. (instead of p. b. and p. v.), because this is clearer to the public. With the disadvantage of the bound volume in mind, the obvious way out of the difficulty was to bind each pamphlet separately and catalog as a book. This is Bound undoubtedly the ideal method of treatment, Single especially in the reference or college li- Pamphlet brary. The British Museum, and the Li- brary of Congress still hold to this ideal, but the other libraries are rapidly finding it absolutely impractical. The scheme breaks down of its own weight and cost, in the case of the moderately sized or ordinarily financed library. The mere question of shelving also soon be- comes a problem. It was estimated by the Harvard li- brary a few years ago that pamphlets were received at an average rate of 16,500 a year for the five years pre- ceding the estimate, and the number showed an increase each year. Harvard College Library, Columbia Library, and John Crerar are among those which have had to own themselves beaten by the flood of printed matter, and 12 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS have found it necessary to provide for an increasingly large amount of uncataloged material. The rules governing treatment of the pamphlet material in the John Crerar Library are as follows : 1. Pamphlets, including reprints and other material Pamphlet °^ permanent value, which would classify Treatment exactly under any probable subdivision of in the the Decimal classification, may be proposed John Crerar |^y ^j^^ Reference Librarian to be bound rary together, Vvath the binder's title, 'Pamphlets on .' Only material of approxim.ately the same size is to be put in the same volume. The catalog entry is to follow the binder's title and is to have contents note with full collation added. Author entries may be made for individual pamphlets. Volumes of pamphlets already bound when received, if on the same subject or on allied subjects (e. g. the subdivisions of a section of the Decimal classification) may be treated in the same way, unless analytical entries are especially needed. 17 Dec, 1906. 2. Material intended to be cataloged and shelved permanently in boxes, is to be accessioned and to have proper lettering on the back of the box and accession numbers inside. 11 Feb., 1908. 3. Unbound pamphlets are to be kept in pamphlet boxes, no box to contain material classifying in two divisions of the Library's Statistics. A shelf list record is to be kept, with one card for each box, giving in a tally record the number of pamphlets therein. A general entry for the collection is to be made in the author cata- logue under Pamphlets. Author slips for all pamphlets of permanent value, including reprints, are to be filed in the official catalogue. 4 March, 1908. 4. Pamphlets, not reprints, which have 100 pages or more, or for which the Library expects to receive L. C. cards, are to be bound and catalogued. If it is found that L. C. cards can be procured for a pamphlet of less than 100 pages, the fact is to be reported to the Reference Librarians for their consideration. Any pamphlet may CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 13 be bound and catalogued on the recommendation of one of the heads of the staff. 8 December, 1908. 5. The Library is to make a collection of trade cata- logues ; and those not regarded as of sufficient importance for shelving as books are to be kept as a separate collec- tion and numbered in order of receipt, with card index by firm and subject. 13 May, 1915. From the foregoing directions it appears that the size of the pamphlet and the possibility of obtaining Library of Congress cards determine whether or not the pamphlet shall receive individual treatment. Those which are not to be bound separately are looked over by the cataloger and classifier, who writes the class number on the cover or first page of the pamphlet, and the face of the order slip. For those unsolicited gifts which have no order slip, one is written. The slips are filed under their author headings in the official catalog, and the pam- phlets put in boxes. Formerly the boxes were kept on the regular shelves with the books, but now they are kept all together in one place. The principle underlying this treatment is that un- important and ephemeral material, which is likely only to be called for as relating to a subject, is available in bulk, as in the vertical file. In the Harvard University Library there are five classes provided for pamphlet material. I. Those bound singly. In Harvard ^- ^^^ unbound but fully cataloged by University author and subject. Library -^_ Those having an author entry only. 4. Those entered only in the official catalog. 5. Those not cataloged at all. Pamphlets in this last class are sent to the head of the department, who assigns them to their boxes in the 14 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS classification, according to their subject matter. A box may contain both fully cataloged and entirely uncataloged material. Theoretically, the boxes are to serve as con- tainers until enough pamphlets have accumulated to bind. When a box full is bound the volume receives the number borne by the box, as — Phil. 2575. i, and a new box with number Phil. 2575. 2, is started. The question of binding for pamphlets has been much written about and discussed in library magazines and meetings, each library having its favorite method, which Binding for ^^ advocates with warmth. In the present Pamphlets chaotic state of the paper trade it is worse than useless to quote prices. Formerly binders ranged from three to fifty cents in price and from the manila cover for the single pamphlet to those designed for a series. Harvard University Library has given its name to a widely used binder, with light board sides, cloth back, and cloth stubs inside, which have only to be covered with glue and the pamphlet inserted. The Gaylord Brothers and the Library Bureau catalogs offer a range of prices to suit every purse. Some libraries find that lining the original cover with red manila rope and re- placing it on the pamphlet gives sufficient stiffening to make shelving easy and insure the life of the volume for an adequate period. Still others prefer pressboard, thinking that its superior stiffness compensates for its tendency to curl. Those desiring more variety of color than is aft'orded by red rope and pressboard, will find Cordova paper a pleasing substitute, although as it comes in sheets there is liable to be more waste than in cutting from the roll, as in the case of red rope. While a certain percentage of the pamphlets coming into the library each year have so much value from an economic, historical or intellectual standpoint, that they naturally find a place in the permanent book collection, CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 15 for the average library the question of dealing with the ephemeral material is becoming more pressing. In 1909, at the American Library Association meeting, all who took part in the discussion on pamphlets de- clared the problem of dealing satisfactorily with ephem- eral material was still unsolved. No claim can yet be made of a permanent solution, but those best qualified to speak with authority on the subject agree that, to date, the vertical file or such a variation as the box used in the Economics Division of the New York Public Library, best meets the requirements of the situation. The name vertical file is applied to envelopes or folders arranged in an upright position in a drawer or tray. Into these containers is dropped an in- Vertical File , r , • 1 creasmg amount of material, representmg the up-to-date information otherwise mostly unavailable. The form of vertical file used by the Economics Division of the New York Public Library is made up of cloth covered boxes 10 j4'' x 9" x 8", with covers, in which mounts 10^" x 7 J/" are used. These boxes are easily handled and fit ordinary shelves. The assis- tants of the Economics Division claim that for their work the smaller unit is more easily used and kept in order than the usual type of file. The average library however, finds the regular vertical file more satisfactory than boxes, which, though cheaper, take up more room and, in the opinion of most librarians, are more difficult to consult. The catalogs of dealers in library and office supplies are the best source of information for the prospective purchaser of vertical file cases ; but here experience Equipment teaches that an original outlay of a few for Vertical more dollars for a superior case will save File much time, temper -and muscular effort later on when filing material. For ease of manipulation i6 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS and beauty of finish, the files of the Library Bureau are to be reHed upon, and their two-drawer correspondence file units, with inside measurements of drawers lo" high, 12" wide and 2.2]/^' deep, fitted with roller slides, are most satisfactory, though some libraries, as the Library of the American Bankers' Association, prefer the legal size, as affording space for double rather than single filing. The Newark Free Public Library uses the first mentioned size and with it Library Bureau folder No. 5050, dimensions unfolded, 18^" x 11^", thus allowing an extension of Yi" on the back face for the subject heading and cross references. For thick pamphlets, or large groups of material. Library Bureau extension folder No. 5015 is used. Guide cards are of heavy gray press- board, Library Bureau No. 6050. One set of 250 alphabetical divisions, printed on thirds, are supple- mented by cards of the same quality, plain, cut in thirds, on which additional divisions are printed by hand as needed. In the Washington, D. C, Public Library, open top envelopes, of an extra heavy manila paper, are used instead of folders, and seem to have a slight advantage in regard to security of the material and ease of filing, although the cost is somewhat higher. However, their weight is such that replacement is not frequent. The subject is written in the upper left hand corner and the cross references on the right hand side, on the face nf the envelope. The use of containers, except for the most temporary matter, is obviated in the American Bankers' Association Library, by mounting all clippings on a light weight manila cardboard card 9^" x 7^^", punched for lacing together as needed, and by placing magazine excerpts or CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 17 very thin pamphlets in a folder of the same material as the card, unfolded, 13/4" x 9,^/2", secured by staples, with the subject heading, title of the article, the name of the magazine from which it is taken, and the date printed on the cover. Divisions are indicated by guide cards, on which a white typewritten slip in the upper left hand corner gives the subject and a system of colored type- written slips pasted in the upper right hand corner show the "see'' and "see also" references. Small red metal "vise signals,'' made by George B. Graff Co., 24 Wash- ington Street, Boston, Mass., are attached to the articles to which references are made from some general subject. For instance, a clipping on the issue of bank notes by state banks may be filed under "Bank notes." A red check-mark before that word on the cross reference guide card for "State banks" indicates that a related article will be found under "Bank notes" and the small signal avoids the necessity of hunting through all the articles on that subject for the desired one. Another similar device is the adjustable steel signal made by Charles C. Smith, Exeter, Nebraska. The question of method of arrangement is one that must be settled to suit the convenience and the material of each library, but the usual methods are: The Dewey Arrangement Decimal classification and the alphabetical of Vertical arrangement by subject. An investigation File. Decimal of the use and methods of handling and Classification fiji^jg newspaper clippings, conducted by a special committee of the Special Libraries Association in 191 3, developed the fact that of twenty-five libraries reporting a definite scheme of classification, ten used the Dewey decimal, ten an alphabetical arrangement by sub- ject, four their own special numeric scheme, and one a geographic arrangement. For the ordinary public library i8 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS the alphabetical subject arrangement is certainly less complicated and more in harmony with the methods already in use in the catalog, than the other schemes. The "morgue" of the Columbia University School of Journalism shows as a horrible example the results of trying to keep a close classification with the Dewey system. 949.6.08.324. 191 3 indicates the Macedonian war, 1913- The chief) argument against the use of the Decimal classification in a vertical file, is that an index to the numbers is required, and as the classification is not suffi- ciently expanded in some sections and does not cover others at all, the relative index is practically useless for this purpose. Then, too, new editions of the classification at frequent intervals necessitate many changes in the file. On the other hand the alphabetical arrangement by subject may be expanded indefinitely ; the subdivisions of the Arrangement same subject are all brought together, and Alphabetical cataloging and indexing are unnecessary, as the subject headings and cross references make the file self indexing. As the chief object of the file is to give a maximum of use for a minimum of labor and expense, this is an important consideration. When the alphabetical subject method is chosen, the next consideration is the matter of subject headings. Inasmuch as the material in the file is primarily con- Subject cerned with subjects not as yet in books, it Headings is evident that the A. L. A. list of subject headings is not sufficiently abreast of the times or de- tailed enough to give the best satisfaction. This is the source of the headings used by the Washington Public Library, where a clipping requiring a new heading to be made is sent to the catalog department by the head of the reference department, with a suggestion as to the heading desired. If this agrees with a heading already CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 19 in the catalog all is well, but if a new heading has to be made it is necessary to make it agree with the A. L. A. list ; and books or analytics of books have to be changed to accord. This is necessary, because no headings used only for pamphlet material are entered in the catalog. A multigraphed card, to which the heading is added in red, as on all subject cards, is placed in the catalog at the end of the subject, reading thus: Woman suffrage. For pamphlets and clippings on this subject, con- sult attendant in the reference room. The obvious advantage of this method is, that the public and assistants are both reminded that the books do not exhaust the resources of the library on a given sub- ject. It is an open question however whether this com- pensates for the effort to make the two classes of subject headings agree. In the Newark Public Library special subject headings have been assigned to vertical file material, as the need arose, until now it is necessary to have a printed list of these headings with blank pages interleaved for additions. The rules for this part of the preparation of the material as given in the recently published pamphlet on the "Vertical File," in the Modern American Library Economy series, are as follows : Printed headings of Vertical File are to be followed in all vertical files in every respect. The headings are to be written on the folders in the same place. Lists of societies, whether made in or for the vertical file or for other purposes, are to follow pre- cisely the rules made for like entries in the main library reference file, whether the societies thus listed are actually to be found in that file or not. Every department or branch which has a vertical file must at once check its headings by the printed list and make an accurate copy on sheets of all the entries that 20 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS are not found in the printed list or that vary from it in any respect. In making this list change as many headings as possible to conform to the printed list, in order that the list of variations may be as brief as possible. These additions and variations with the material to which they refer, must be submitted to the assistant in charge of the vertical file in the main library, for her changes and approval, at once. She will return these lists, revised, and her revision must be followed absolutely. After these lists have been sent to her, no entries other than those found in the printed list are to be added to any vertical file until those entries, with the material to which they refer, have been submitted to her for revision and approval. These sug- gestions can be sent on Wednesdays only. It is most essential that all vertical files be consistent with one another. They can thus be made consistent only by one person and that person must have knowledge of and skill in cataloging. Appeals from and arguments for changes in the de- cisions of the assistant in charge must be put in writing and addressed -to the librarian. Headings are assigned according to the following instructions : 1. Examine the subject matter of each piece. 2. Do not use a heading simply because it occurs in the title or headline. Rules for 3- Consult the official list of headings Assigning and if in doubt compare with the corres- Subject ponding folder in the file. Headings ^ jf ^j^^ selected heading appears in the title of the pamphlet or in the headlines of the clipping it is to be underscored in pencil. 5. To avoid ambiguity in case of inserted headings, the first word is to be twice underscored. 6. If the heading is supplied it is to be written in pencil in the upper left hand corner. 7. For new headings, after examination of subject matter, consult the Readers' Guide, and other lists of headings. CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 21 8. Avoid unnecessary subdivisions under subjects where there is little material. 9. In the application of the principles of subject headings, as stated in Cutter's Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue and in the preface of the A. L. A. subject headings, note the following variations : From the briefer and more temporary character of the material to be treated, it is often possible to give a more definite or 'catchy' heading than would describe or befit the dignity of a printed book. Few general references and more specific cross references between coordinate and nearly synonymous terms are required. Make "see" references for inverted headings and from any term never to be used as the heading chosen. Do not refer from a subject to its subheads. 10. The new headings are to be added to the Offi- cial List of Headings as soon as approved by the head of the department and the necessary cross references are made on this list and on the V. F. folders. For the average size library the Readers' Guide furnishes an excellent list of subject headings for the vertical file which includes new material and also all necessary cross references. As is emphasized in the rules for the use of the Newark Public Library vertical file, the direction of and responsibility for the file should be in the hands of one person, who should have the decision as to suitable ma- terial, subject headings, and weeding out of useless and superseded material. In the Newark Public Library great emphasis is placed on the weeding process. So much so in fact that at the time material is selected it is stamped with the Weeding probable date of discard. In such a large Process file as this, such precaution is probably necessary though ordinarily it seems unnecessary. It goes without saying that every piece of material added 22 CARE OF PAAiPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS to the file should bear the date of accession and with this as a guide the weeding at stated intervals is easily ac- complished. Much of the process is automatic anyway, as in the case of reports, the last one only being kept in the file. In the Washington Public Library no especial point is made of weeding, other than that which naturally occurs as the mass of material on a subject forces atten- tion. The pamphlet and clippings are then sorted for subdivision or for transfer to the shelves. In the latter case they are placed in Library Bureau transfer cases, such as are used in business offices for correspondence. These keep the material free from dust better than the ordinary pamphlet boxes, and are certainly more satis- factory in the case of unmounted clippings. When the material on a specified subject is, for reasons of bulk, removed from the vertical file, a guide card is inserted in its place referring to the shelves. This same method is used also in the case of a single pamphlet or set of pamphlets too bulky for filing in the case, but not of sufficient value to bind or prepare in any special way for the shelves. In this connection an explanation may be given of the color band system used in the Newark Public Library for material too bulky for the file and for such collec- Newark tions as trade catalogs, telephone direc- Color Band tories, and long series of reports and such System matter as is difficult to keep in proper alphabetic or geographic order. This explanation of the method was kindly furnished by Miss Ball of the Newark Business branch. The color band system is used to a limited extent for certain classes of cataloged material, such as music, where orderly arrangement is difficult to preserve. Its chief use, however, is for such classes as those listed below, CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 23 where the value is less than the cost of cataloging and the form and frequent use make the proper sequence on the shelf hard to maintain by the ordinary devices. 1. Telephone directories. Arranged alphabetically by states. 2. New Jersey reports. States and territories, 51. Arranged alphabetically by subject. 3. Census reports, States and territories, 51. Ar- ranged alphabetically by states and filed on shelves after bound census reports. 4. U. S. Geological Survey reports on spirit leveling, 41. Arranged on shelves alphabetically by states and filed on shelves after Gannatt's "Dictionary of Altitudes." 5. Manufacturers' catalogs of office appliances, 200. Arranged alphabetically by the name of the company. 6. State and city material; reports, pamphlets, rail- road circulars. Board of Trade publications etc., 1500. Arranged alphabetically by the name of the company. 7. Miscellaneous material too large for the vertical file, books, pamphlets, etc., 600. Arranged by subject. References are made from vertical file to this collection wherever necessary. 8. School reports and catalogs arranged alphabeti- cally by states, 300. 9. Price lists of U. S. Government publications for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, 61. Arranged alphabetically by subject. Bands of gummed paper of many colors, made by the Dennison Mfg. Company, price 30 cents per 1000, are pasted across the backs of books and pamphlets at different heights from the bottom. These determine the relative location of the books so marked on the shelves and serve as guides in keeping them in order. Pamphlets too small for designated guide are put in manila envelopes and the band is pasted on the envelope. Pamphlets too large for the shelf are put in an over- size box and a cardboard dummy is placed on the shelf with the band around the dummy. Seven different colors are used, dark blue, orange, 24 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS pink, green, light blue, red, and yellow. A guide card, 8x11 inches for each color is made. Gummed colored bands, three and a half inches long and quarter of an inch wide, are placed over one edge and pasted over both sides of these cards at intervals of a quarter of an inch. Be- side each strip, on one side of the card, is written that section of the alphabet which is represented by the color on that card at each of its given heights. By these seven guides of seven different colors the alphabet is divided into 112 parts. The divisions of tlie first guide, dark blue, for example, are as follows: Aa, Ae, Am, An, Ap, Ar, As, At, Au, B, Be, Bi, Bl, Bo, Br, Bu. Each guide reads from the bottom up, "Aa" being at the bottom and "Ba" at the top. To determine the colored band to be used on any pamphlet, select the guide which includes the first two letters of the subject of that pamphlet. A pamphlet on Bankruptcy would call for the first guide and would have a dark blue band across the back at the same height as the letters Ba on the guide. A pamphlet whose subject begins with C would call for another guide and a different color. The pamphlets and books, thus marked, are arranged on the shelves, first by colors, and second by the height of the strips they bear. One great advantage of this method of marking is that it enables one to tell at a glance when a pamphlet is out of place. A pamphlet with a blue band at a height of five inches, if placed among pamphlets whose bands are only three inches high, is quickly noticed as out of place. The same is true of a pamphlet with a green band placed with those of another color. Even when the band is on a thin cardboard dummy, it is easily detected if out of place. With this system it is possible to run the eye over a collection of a thousand pamphlets and tell in a few moments all that are out of order. The system is capable of almost indefinite expansion. By using a band of one color at the top, seven different colors mav be used to mark seven different collections. CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 25 Other combinations may be made by the use of two or more bands of the same color, and so on. For the arrangement of books and documents by states or countries the same bands are used ; but they represent places instead of subdivisions of the alphabet. This method brings together in one place all publications about a certain state, followed immediately by all pub- lications relating to parts of that state. The system here described has many advantages, chief of which are the following: Pamphlet material is placed on the shelves on the same day on which it is received. Pamphlets and books too thin' to bear call numbers are easily kept in order. Ephemeral material is cared for at a minimum cost. The chief value of the vertical file material is for quick reference use and its collection and arrangement is especially toward that end, but both in the Newark and Washington libraries much material is Pamphlet loaned. In Newark a second file of Material duplicate material is kept for this purpose and the material for this file is prepared in exactly the same way as that for the reference file, except that the pieces are stamped "lending" so that the material from the two files cannot be interchanged. In addition to the dupHcates, there is in the lending file a large amount of clipping material on subjects of interest to teachers, taken from educational periodicals. A number of poems are included in this file. Clippings are mounted and magazine excerpts are fastened into Rugby paper covers, folded to measure 8 x 11 inches. The subject headings are printed on these covers. This library finds that it is necessary to mount lending material and protect it by an outer cover on account of the system of charging, and still more to impress the borrower with the value of the clipping. Manila envelopes 2 x 9^ inches are pro- 26 CARE OF PAMPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS vided for the lending material; a multigraphed slip on each reads : The Free Public Library of Newark^ N. J. Clippings, poems and leaflets are lent for one month. For any lot not returned or renewed a fine of two cents a day for each lot will be charged. Please write your name on the package. J. C. Dana, Librarian. In charging a package of material a manila slip similar to the book slip is used, at the top of which V. F. is written, then the date and borrower's number, as in Charging ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ books, and below this the Vertical File number of articles on each subject taken. Material Each item is dated and has the borrower's number written on the back. After the items are placed in the envelope the date. is stamped on the "instruction legend" and on the reader's card, where it is followed by the letters V. F. In February, 19 16, 2,338 pamphlets and 1,793 poems were circulated. The process is much simpler in Washington. Here there is no duplicate file for lending, but duplicates are saved for that purpose, and any material is loaned at the discretion of the reference librarian, and is charged by her on a white slip by simply writing at the top of the slip, "Pamphlets," followed by the subjects covered and the number of pamphlets taken in each class, to which is added the name and address of the borrower. The total number of pamphlets taken is added in the upper left hand corner. Pamphlets are not indicated in any way on the borrower's card, though the card must be shown before any charge is made, thus assuring the li- brarian that the would-be borrower is a certified user of the library. The material is slipped into an envelope, on CARE OF PAAIPHLETS AND CLIPPINGS 2/ which is the library stamp. The date of issue is stamped at the right hand margin and a note is made of the number of items taken. Material is loaned for one week, with the privilege of renewal if it is not otherwise in demand. A development of the vertical file use which has so far received too little consideration is the package li- brary, which has been developed commercially by The H. W. Wilson Company, and as a library feature by the American Bankers' Association. Material is sent out by the latter in large expansive mailing envelopes, known as the Bragdon expanding envelope, 115-117 Worth Street, New York City. This feature, in con- nection with the parcels post, is capable of great possibili- ties in libraries which serve a rural or county clientele, or in parts of the country where the traveling library is impractical because of the prohibitive transportation rates, as in the Southern Appalachian region. A similar idea is used by the Wisconsin, Indiana and North Carolina library commissions and by numerous state libraries and state universities in sending out packages of debating material, and at least one county agent has made use of it for the benefit of the farmers, sending packages of pamphlets and clippings on desired subjects. In this attempt to show what important work may be accomplished by means of material which is too often entirely disregarded or allowed to escape with slight notice because of a disinclination to attack the problem, the methods of the Newark and Washington libraries are chosen as more representative and also as more adaptable to the average library, than those of larger collections. Sufficient time has elapsed to prove that these systems are entirely practical. 2-8 Care of pamphlets and clippings The use of the vertical file for pamphlets and ephemera is not offered as a panacea for all the troubles to which the librarian is heir, but as a means of making information quickly and easily available to the busy worker, at the same time saving the librarian much needless routine and unnecessary expense through the adoption of the new creed, "careful selection, immediate use, and ready rejection when usefulness is past." TURN LIBRARY SCHOOL LIBRARY )■► 2 South Hall 642-2253 AN PERIOD 1 2 3 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS DUE AS STAMPED BELOW DFG 8 1978 RM NO. DD 18, 45m 6'76 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720 ®i