Summary of Reports on Accession Routine
[Harvard University library did not answer each question in detail, as it keeps no accession record in the usual sense. A record is kept each day of the number of volumes and pamphlets received by gift and by purchase, from which statistics are made up at the end of the year. A file of continuation cards for annual reports and similar continued publications and a record of gifts from individuals are useful supplements to the daily record. Bills for books are filed alphabetically under dealer's name each year, and order slips, giving agent, date of order and date of receipt, are preserved.]
(1) When do you accession, before or after cataloging? Before cataloging—14.
(2) Are all books that are cataloged accessioned? Affirmative, 24 (exception, 11).
(3) What method of keeping your accession record do you use?
All use accession book except Los Angeles and Forbes Library, which use bill method, and Washington, D. C., which uses order cards as accession record.
East Orange does not believe accession book essential.
Pittsburgh, which accessions only adult books, is inclined to believe book unnecessary. Their method of treating juveniles is especially interesting.
Seattle notes that their book has fewer items than the A. L. A., and says the use of order cards as accession record is an excellent method.
(4) Which of the following items do you enter in your accession record?
The number following the item indicates the number of libraries reporting its use:—Author, 19; title, 18; publisher, 17; place of publication, 13; date of publication, 18; size, 10; edition, 13; number of volumes, 23; binding, 11; publisher's price, 8; cost, 18; source, 20; date of bill, 10; date of entry, 14.
(5) Do you enter facts about re-binding in the accession record?
Affirmative, 3; negative, 20.
(6) a. Do you use your accession record to obtain statistics of additions?
Affirmative, 19; negative, 5.
b. What items do you include?
Some of these questions were not answered, so it is inferred that the statistics obtained are for total additions only. Following items were reported on:—Class, 7; source, 8; branch, 2; language, 2; circulating or reference, 2; adult and juvenile, 2.
(7) Do you maintain a numerical record of accessions according to classification? Department or branches? Does it cover expenditures for each main class? Department or branches?
Negative, 14; record according to classification, 6; branch or department, 3; separate record of expenditures, 4.
(8) Where do you place accession number?
Page after title page, 6; title page, 3; title page and first page, 1; title page and page 101, 1; book plate and page after title page, 1.
(9) Do you write price and date of bill as well as accession number in the book. Do you write cost of a set in the first volume?
Affirmative, 6; negative, 13 (both questions); cost, 1; date, affirmative, 3; negative, 1; cost in volume 1 of set, 6.
(10) How do you indicate the branch or department to which a book is assigned?
Not indicated, or there is no branch, 14; stamped or indicated in accession book, 5; books stamped or marked, 5; separate accession book for each branch, 3; order card and book stamped, 2.
(11) In case of replacements do you keep a record of the accession number which has been replaced or do you regard replacement as if it were an added entry or duplicate, disregarding old number entirely?
Replacement is regarded as an added entry or duplicate, and no record kept of the old number, 16; New number given to replacement but make note of the number replaced, 6; Old number used, 3.
Butte, Mont., reports:
"We enter each new copy in the shelf list as copy 2-3, etc., keeping a record of each book."
New York City Bar Association reports:
"Do not use numbers, but dates. A book added to replace is not counted for the annual statistics."
(12) Do you note in the accession record when a book is withdrawn, or do you keep a withdrawal book?
Note in accession record, 9; note on shelf list, 4; note in accession book and keep withdrawal book, 3; have withdrawal book, 2; have no withdrawals, 2; files book cards, 1; keeps record on cards, 1; keeps cards withdrawn from public catalog, 1; not noted at all, 2.
New York City Bar Association reports:
"We keep all books except in very rare cases. The only notes made are in catalogs and in statistical record."