436. Mounting of Prints, etc.—It remains to devote some attention to the mounting, cataloguing and storage of material. Books and pamphlets are treated as in the general library, as are broadsides, cuttings and similar separate material. The photograph may be treated in various ways. At Birmingham, for example, the prints are mounted, and stored in what are virtually loose-leaf albums, which permit perfect classification and the insertion of any new photograph without dislocation. The more usual method is to mount the photographs on a uniform size mount—17 in. by 131⁄2 in. for large prints, and 121⁄2 in. by 101⁄2 in. for smaller (and the great majority of) prints have been found satisfactory. Nature papers of double strength have been used, and every effort should be made to secure an acid-free paper. When it is obtained the prints should be fixed by the dry-mounting process, if possible; nearly all adhesives have injurious chemical action upon photographic papers. The mounted prints and photographs are stored in boxes such as that shown in [Fig. 118], or in the drawers of a vertical file.
437. Classification.
437. Classification.—The classification of the local collection demands a much closer arrangement than any general scheme provides. Up to the present most librarians have constructed one for their own use; and there are two methods. One, and that most readily used, is a topographical arrangement with a subject sub-arrangement; the other is the converse—a subject arrangement with topographical sub-division. The choice may be determined by the answer the reader gives to the question: Which are users more likely to want—
- 1. The churches of a county or town as a whole? or
- 2. Material, including the church, relating to a town (in a county) or parish or ward (in a town)?
The topographical arrangement of (say) a county survey is usually secured by adding to the subject number the number of the square on the key Ordnance Survey map of the county. That is, when the main arrangement is subjectival. When it is topographical the ordnance number precedes the subject number. A detailed example of the working of a local collection classification is given in Gower, Jast and Topley’s The Camera as Historian.
Every mount should bear upon it a label showing particulars of the subject, number, photographer, process, date, etc. This goes well into the left-top corner. The example given is that of the Surrey Photographic Survey. A similar label with the necessary adaptations is advisable on all prints which are not the property of such Surveys. In the case of surveys the label is filled in by the photographer, except the space for the class-mark, and the upper part is detached by the Survey Secretary and is pasted up in a guard-book to form his record. Only the label within the thick squared lines is affixed to the mount.
| THE PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY AND RECORDOF SURREY. | Access to collection. | ||||||||||
| The collection is permanently housedat the Public Library, Town Hall, Croydon, under regulations making it accessible to the public. | |||||||||||
| Slip to accompany prints and lantern slides. | |||||||||||
| It is requested that you will fill in the requiredparticulars on this slip and forward it and your print or lantern slide to the Hon. Survey Sec., Mr H. D.Gower, 55 Benson Road, Croydon. | Copyright. | ||||||||||
| The Copyright of a photograph remains the property of the contributor, unless specially ceded to the Association. | |||||||||||
| CLASS NO.[[1]] | LOCALITY | No. of 6 in. Ord. mp. 1⁄4 sheet. | SUBJECT | SURVEY NO[[1]] | |||||||
| SIZE | PROCESS | DATE PHOTOGRAPHED | TIME a.m. p.m. | [[2]]COMPASS POINT | DATE RECEIVED[[1]] | ||||||
| plate | |||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | |||||||||||
| NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRIBUTOR | MEMBER OF THE FOLLOWING AFFILIATED SOCIETY— | ||||||||||
| Use one form for eachprint.Write clearly.Make description brief.[1] Leave blank. | |||||||||||
| PHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY AND RECORD OFSURREY. [2] The compass point towards which camera is pointing. | |||||||||||
Fig. 163.—Label of Photographic Survey Prints ([Section 437]).
438. Cataloguing.
438. Cataloguing.—The cataloguing of the local collection should, of course, follow the code in general use; but certain amplifications are desirable. The size, pagination, date of publication, town of publication, and the names both of printer and publisher (if they are different) should be given. Omissions from titles should be as infrequent as possible, and when made should be indicated. The object is to make this catalogue as fully bibliographical as possible.