215. Accession Work.

215. Accession Work.—When a parcel of new books arrives from the bookseller, or a monthly lot of donations is passed, it is wise to enter each lot in a special book called the routine book, which will determine the order of numbering, and give rough figures of cost and number of additions to all departments. This book is ruled as shown in [Fig. 62A], and explains itself.

Each new book should be carefully examined for imperfections, etc., before being numbered. The books should next be arranged in order of invoice or donation book, with the lending, reference, branch and children’s books in separate lots.

216.

216. The ACCESSION NUMBERS must next be applied, and it should be made a rule in every library, whatever method of classification is adopted, to give the books a progressive accession number irrespective of a class number. A special book for recording these numbers can be obtained, one each for the lending and reference libraries, ruled as follows:

Progressive
No.		Class
Letter.		Author and Title.Class
or
Shelf No.
1ABalfour.Manual of Botany.200
2
3
4
5
and on
to 50
per page

Fig. 62.—Accessions Number Book ([Section 216]).

This will show at a glance the next vacant number to be used, and also, roughly, the total number of books in the library at any given moment, when the withdrawals are counted off. The accession numbers should be written on the back of the title-page of each book, and should also be written against the entry on the invoice, and also, if a donation, in the appropriate column of the donation book. In cases where the stock book is also the order book, the accessions number book can be dispensed with, and the accessions routine book used alone.

Date.Source:
Donor or
Vendor.		First Word
of Invoice.		Accession
Number.		Number
of Vols.		Cost.Replacements.Remarks.
Lend.Ref.Lend.Ref.Lend.Ref.Vols.Cost.
1901
June6TompkinsBalfour1-501-255025710065060190
„12DonationsSee Book51-56..6......................