Manual of Library Economy / Third and Memorial Edition

by James Duff Brown; W. C. Berwick Sayers

247. Shelf Accessories.

247. Shelf Accessories.—For the purpose of maintaining order on the shelves and marking particular divisions or classes, various devices have from time to time been introduced.

Dummies are used to indicate the temporary absence of books, or to show that particular works, because of their large size, are located on some other shelf. The simplest form of shelf dummy for classification purposes is a block of wood about 7 inches × 5 inches × ⁵⁄₈ inch, painted white, or covered with white paper on the edge, and lettered with the title of the book which it represents. The title may be written on each of the seven-inch faces, in case the block gets reversed, and should also bear a plain direction to the location of the book it represents ([Fig. 82]). [A similar dummy, bearing the classification number and the name of the division, serves as a good guide to the classification. The block is inserted at the beginning of each new classification sequence; and both in this case, as in that of the dummy that represents books, the dummy is too unlike a book to be taken for anything other than a guide.]

248.

248. For books temporarily withdrawn a piece of millboard covered white on one side may be used in the form shown below ([Fig. 83]). This should have the author, number and title of the missing book written on the white side. One board of this sort can be used over and over again for different books, by simply adding the new title and obliterating the old one. This board can also be used instead of the block above illustrated ([Fig. 82]) if space is a matter of moment.

Fig. 83.—Millboard Dummy for Withdrawn Book ([Section 248]).

The object of the tail in this form of board is to prevent the board from disappearing behind or getting lost among the other books. When placed between two books, with the projection overhanging the front of the shelf, it will always stick out so as to be seen readily, while it cannot very readily be pushed deep into the shelf because of the projection.

Fig. 84.—Xylonite Label-holder ([Section 249]).