It is a useful axiom for the cataloguer that he must ascertain clearly what is the definite subject of a book before he decides upon the proper subject-heading for it in the dictionary catalogue, as he is compelled to do before he can assign the exact place for a book in the classified catalogue. Further, he should not attach too much importance to the terms of the title-page in the process, else he will stumble on "pitfalls" in the shape of titles that may mislead, and so be induced to place a book on artificial lighting with the title "The art of illumination" under the wrong kind of "Illuminating," an "Essay on Irish bulls" under "Cattle," "The psychology of socialism" under "Mind," and "The Fine Art of Jujutsu" under "Art," even misread "Jujutsu" as the name of an artist.
As already stated, it is well to avoid scattering books upon a single subject, even if viewed from varying standpoints, under several headings throughout the catalogue, if they can be reasonably brought together, and the fact that the books are in different languages must not be allowed to affect the matter. As a case in point, we may take such a subject of the day as "Tariff Reform." It is both possible and desirable to concentrate under some appropriate and inclusive heading, say "Free Trade Question" or "Tariffs," the books for and against free trade; embodying under it those dealing with special aspects of the question, instead of scattering them, on account of the terms used on their title-pages, under "Protection," "Food Taxes," "Imperial Preference," "Tariffs," "Fiscal Question," "Tariff Reform," "Fair Trade," "Reciprocity," etc. When these terms occur in the titles, a reference from them to the heading can easily be given if thought desirable. Omitting the principal entries, this may be illustrated by showing several books of apparently very different views that really bear upon this question, and justify inclusion under it.
Free Trade Question:
Ashley, P. Modern tariff history. 1904
Aubry, P. Etude critique de la politique
commerciale de l'Angleterre.
1904
Avebury, Lord. Free trade. 1904
Taussig, F. W. The tariff history of
the United States. 1901
Unwin, Mrs. C. (Ed.) The hungry
forties. 1904
Williams, E. E. The case for protection.
1899
— "Made in Germany." 1896
Williamson, A. British industries
and foreign competition. 1894
This also serves to show the convenience of fixing upon some term of a permanent character for a subject-heading, and so "ear-marking" it by means of cross-references that synonymous headings cannot occur. It may be argued that these terms are not strictly synonymous, indeed, are mostly opposites, Free Trade not being Tariff Reform or Protection. It must be remembered that every book upon such a subject contains something on the other side of the question, therefore bringing books together in this fashion certainly gives a whole view of the subject. Were the entries numerous under the heading, they could be divided to show the books advocating free trade and those against. There are other subjects that lend themselves to similar treatment, as for example that shown on page [109]. Where the terms used are undoubtedly synonymous, definite choice of one has to be made, and the cross-reference given from the other; Ethics or Moral Philosophy, Political Economy or Economics, Physics or Natural Philosophy, and so on; the more modern or commonly used terms being preferable, as Ethics, Economics, Physics.
Popular, rather than scientific or technical, names should be chosen for subject-headings, especially for the catalogues of libraries used by all classes of the community—Spiders not Arachnida, Worms not Annelida, Fishes not Ichthyology, Crime (Punishment, etc., of) not Penology, Stamp-Collecting not Philately, Consumption not Phthisis. Care must be taken that the popular term means the same thing—thus a book upon algæ cannot be entered under "Sea-weeds" if it includes the freshwater species.
It is also customary to avoid the use of foreign terms if there are English equivalents, but this is not always the case—"jiu-jitsu" (or "jujutsu"), for example, has no word in English meaning the same thing.
It is trite and commonplace to say that there is much reliable history written in the form of fiction, and a great deal of fiction in the guise of serious books: this being so, the cataloguer is well advised to reckon with it. Whether we shall notice all novels "with a purpose" opens too wide a question, but many are not only true to life but are real history, and meant to be so. For example, a recently published book