Now let us look at the purely clerical side of book ordering. Do we fill out an elaborate order slip with all sorts of bibliographical data needed for comparatively few books only? All that is really needed by bookseller and library is the author, title and publisher of a book, and the latter even could be omitted in most cases.
Do we economize time and labor by writing our orders so that with the aid of carbon paper, we have an order slip to file, one to send to the bookdealer and another to the Library of Congress for the purchase of cards?
When a consignment of books arrives do we have some elaborate system of checking it off the bill? Do we use cabalistic signs in our books so that the public may not by any chance discover the price of them? Or do we simply write in plain sight the price, source and date of the bill in each book, check the book on the bill and pass it on?
Have we ever tried the experiment with say the Fiction Class of not giving either price, source and date of bill in the books?
Suppose we buy all our novels from one bookseller, as most libraries do, and announce to the staff generally and also drop a card into the official catalog and the shelf-list to the effect, that after such or such a date, neither the source nor price will be found in any novel, as everyone knows that all novels are bought from John Smith and cost $1.00. Think of the time saved! I am willing to wager that no library could report any ill effects from this change.
As to the few novels which sell at net prices, the money lost in charging the usual rate of $1.00 is negligible compared with the time saved in making these unnecessary entries. To comfort the super-conscientious librarian the loss would actually be covered in many cases, because the reprints of novels often cost less than $1.00.
Accession Record
Now let us go on to the accession book and ask how many use the regular or the condensed book and why?
Do you cling to the theory that it is the one complete record of every book in your library and would be most useful in case of adjustment of fire losses? I can't deny that it is a complete record of every book, but of what use is that to the library?
As to the adjustment of fire losses, are the books in your library arranged in accession order so that in case of fire you could show the insurance adjusters which books were burned by referring to your accession books?