Essays in Librarianship and BibliographyGarnett, Richard
Science
Essays in Librarianship and Bibliography
Garnett, Richard
Bibliography -- Methodology; British Museum; Library science
Connected with the subject of indexes is that of dictionary catalogues,
in which the alphabetical and the subject catalogues are found in a
single list. I retain the opinion I have always held, that this plan may
answer where the library and the catalogue are not extensive, but that
where they are, confusion results; the wood cannot be seen for the
trees. I therefore recommend the librarian of even a small library, in
planning his catalogue, as well as everything else, to make sure whether
his library may not be destined to become a great one. Half the
difficulties under which great libraries labour arise from the failure
to take from the first a sufficiently generous view of the possibilities
and prospects of the institution. With this view of dictionary
catalogues, it is not likely that they will be adopted at the British
Museum, but I have already explained more than once the facilities which
the Museum possesses for forming an unequalled series of subject
catalogues by simply, when the great general catalogue has been printed,
cutting up copies printed on one side only, and arranging them in a
number of indexes. There is no doubt that the Museum can amply provide
for its own needs in this manner, and thus remove the reproach under
which it has always laboured, and still labours, of having no subject
catalogue except Mr. Fortescue's. The question is whether the indexes
thus created are to become available for the service of libraries and
students all over the world by being published and circulated. The
solution of this question rests with the Government, and I have alluded
to it here principally in the hope of eliciting that expression of
public opinion without which Government is hardly likely to act. The
question will probably become an actual one towards the end of the
present century.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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