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                   CHAPTER              XXVII. 
                      LIBRARY CATALOGUES. 
                           BY C. A. CUTTER, 
                       Librarian of the Boston AII/enwmun. 
I. WiiAT HIN) OF CATALOGUE: GENERAL REMARKS : 1. AUTIIOR-CATALOGUE ;2. 
  SUBJECT-CATALOGUCE: a. GENERAL REEMARKS; b. CLASSEDC; . DICTIONARXV; d.
ALPHA. 
  BETICO-CLASSED; e. COMBINED ; f. SOME OTHERS ; g. COM'PARISON; h. SOME
OTHER 
  POINTS.-II. W]hETHER TO PRINT: 1. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF BOTH
  COURSES; 2. SOME DETAILS OF MANAGEMENT- 111. TABLES: 1. CLASSIFICATION
OF 
  CATALOGUES ; 2. COMPARISON OF CATALOGUES, 3. COST OF PRINTING; 4. CIIRONO-
  LOGICAL lIsT OF AMERICAN CATALOGUES. 
                1.-WHAT KIND OF CATALOGUE. 
  It is fortunate for those who have the use of a library if their number
is so small and their character so high that they can be admitted to the
shelves and select their books on actual examination. As that is often 
not the case, a catalogue becomes necessary, and, even when it is th6 
case, if the books are numerous there must be some sort of guide to 
insure the quick finding of any particular book.    The librarian can 
furnish some assistance, but his memory, upon which he can rely for 
books in general use, is of noavail for those which are sometimes wanted
very much, although not wanted often. And a librarian without a cata. 
logue would be utterly overpowered by the demands arising with a large 
circulation. In a library used entirely for desaltory reading, like most
private circulating libraries, and many town libraries, the catalogue may
be very simple; as soon as the books begin to be used for study it must 
become more elaborate. The latter is alone worth considering, for of 
the few difficulties of the simpler plan the greater part will be found in
the more complex.' 
  A catalogue is designed to answer certain questions about a library, 
and that is the best which answers the most questions with the least 
trouble to the asker. It may, however, for reasons of economy, decline 
to answer certain classes of inquiries with very little practical loss of
utility, and different libraries may properly make different selections 
  'It may be as well to say now that in the following pages reference is
had chiefly to 
our larger town and city, and to our college libraries. Many statements would
be 
totally inapplicable to the great European libraries, which count their fIuds
by ten 
thousands and their volumes by hundred thousands, and many things need modification
with reference to very small town libraries; but it is impossible to hedge
round every 
sentence with tle necessary limitations, and the reader is requested to bear
this note 
in mind. 
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