The Business Library: What it is and what it does

by Louise B. Krause

Form of author card

The Library of Congress publishes catalog cards printed on the standard 3 by 5 inch card, one form of card only for each book, namely the author or main entry card, with suggestive subject headings printed at the bottom. To this card, if purchased, may be added the classification number of the book in the particular business library, and additional cards may be bought on which may be put the subject headings. Not many business libraries have made use of these printed cards issued by the Library of Congress, because business library material is so limited and specialized in selection that not enough Library of Congress catalog cards can be used to make it worth while to spend time in checking up what cards the Library of Congress issues, which can be used by the business library. The business library is always in a hurry to have its material cataloged and put on the shelves at once, and ordering and waiting for receipt of Library of Congress cards does not generally permit of quick enough work.

Form of subject card

It is advisable that the card catalogs to material in the business library should be, as far as possible, alphabeted together in a single file, because information on a subject found in a book is cataloged under a specific subject heading, information on the same subject found in a periodical article is entered under the same subject heading as that used for the information in the book, and the same subject heading is used in the card catalog for the material which, because of its form, is put into the vertical file. The filing of these three subject cards together instead of in three separate card catalogs, namely, to books, periodicals and vertical file material, will show at once what the library has on that particular subject with a saving of time in consultation, as well as eliminating the risk of forgetting to look in three separate catalogs when investigating a subject, and avoiding the danger of mis-filing a card in a wrong catalog. If desired, references to periodical articles and vertical file material may be put on colored cards to show more quickly the disposition of the material in the library. Photographs, lantern slides, cuts and maps are best cared for by a separate card catalog to each file.

REFERENCES FOR ADDITIONAL READING

Colegrove, M. E. & McVety, M. A.

List of subject headings for information file. Elm tree press, Woodstock, Vt. (Modern American library economy series).

Dana, J. C.