304. The effectiveness, and indeed safety, of any individual indexing or filing system depends upon the care with which it is manipulated in order that misplacements of papers or cards may not occur. The fear of carelessness or ignorance on the part of assistants has caused some librarians to prefer an alphabetical system of filing. When this is so it should be alphabetical by subjects, except in the case of general correspondence which deals with no particular subjects. Library communications are frequently of this general nature, but the vital letters are upon subjects; for example,

are headings taken at random for which folders would be included. In arranging courses of lectures, for example, a librarian may write and receive any number of letters; and he wants them together as a rule and not in the alphabetical order of correspondents. This alphabetical-subject system requires an index to such folders as do not come under general correspondence; folders coming under the latter would be most useful in a sequence separate from the subject folders, but such separation is not essential.

SMITH, H. J., & SONS, Ltd.
147a Paternoster Row,
LONDON, E.C.2.
’Phone—London Wall 6692.
Code—A.B.C.
1919.
623—14My.
623—9Je.
631—18Jy.
etc.

Fig. 116.—Address, and Correspondence,
Index-Card.

305.

305. If either of the two methods outlined is deemed too complex—neither is so really—the old theory that “the only natural arrangement for letters is an alphabetical one” will rule the choice of method. This simply means arrangement alphabetically by the name of the correspondent, and in this method the file is self-indexing to the extent of the names. If it is made the rule to place letters from institutions under the names of such institutions, and to insert, where necessary, in strict alphabetical order slips of paper to hold all cross-references from the names of officers, there will be no need for further indexing. If topical indexes are required they can be compiled on 8vo slips, the subject word being written boldly on the top of the sheet, and the names of the writers on the topic in alphabetical order below. These slips can take their place in alphabetical order among the letters.

306.

306. All working correspondence files should be weeded out at intervals to remove matter of transient interest and to relieve congestion. The librarian should at the first mark such papers as are to be filed—much correspondence is merely formal, and has no information value, and need not be filed even temporarily; but it is better to file everything and to weed frequently than to lose any important document by initial carelessness. When weeding out, the matter of merely temporary interest may be destroyed; and that which it is desired to keep may be transferred in strict order to filing boxes, or another storage filing cabinet, thus leaving the current files free from any but current matter.