The embarrassment caused librarians by calls for documents which have been noticed in the newspapers but not yet announced in the Monthly Catalog is not so much due to delay of the Monthly Catalog as to premature announcement in the newspapers. It is the practice of various government bureaus to pass along to the newspaper men information of new publications as soon as they are sent to press or even sooner. Of course readers of the newspapers assume that the documents noticed are already available for sale or distribution, whereas the fact is that various causes may tie up the documents in press for months or even years. The most prolific cause of such delays is changes—changes in "copy," changes in "proof," changes even to the substitution of entirely new matter after a first draft has been put in type. The number and extent of such changes in printing the public documents are almost unbelievable, and they are of course highly embarrassing to the libraries and to the public when premature announcement of the forthcoming issue of the delayed document has been made.
If the publishing bureaus could be induced to withhold information of new documents until such documents had been actually printed, bound, and delivered, the embarrassment experienced by librarians would be obviated. It is hardly practicable, however, for the superintendent of documents to make any suggestion in the matter to the publishing offices. Some of them at least would be likely to resent such a suggestion from him as being meddlesome and out of his sphere. As to whether such suggestion from the American Library Association would be welcomed or heeded, I do not venture to express an opinion.
Premature announcements are not always accurate. The announced publications are often changed in the making, and sometimes are not published at all.
Of course, the Monthly Catalog, being an official document and an accurate one, cannot take any chances on premature announcements. All of its entries stand for documents actually received, carefully examined, and their origin fully inquired into. This is not work to be hastily done. Sometimes a surprising amount of time and trouble are expended in finding out whether a document belongs in some series, whether it is the beginning or ending of that series; if the latter, then whether the same subject or subjects are to be pursued in some other series, and the variety of similar details which libraries and collectors should have, and for which they look to the documents office, because in too many cases such particulars cannot be ascertained by examination of the document itself.
A month is the shortest time in which such matters can be sifted out and brought into orderly catalog form. Lists issued at any shorter intervals must necessarily be memoranda rather than catalogs, and the work done on them must be performed again in a more orderly manner for the official monthly, annual, and biennial catalogs.
Explanation of Section 8 of the Legislative Appropriation Act Centralizing the Distribution in the Office of the Superintendent of Documents
The long cherished hope for a central distributing office has been realized nominally, but the provisions of law creating it, I am sorry to say, correct only the evils that existed from a mechanical standpoint, in that they prevent the double hauling and wrapping that were necessary prior to the change. There remain as many distributing agencies as before, as the authority to distribute the publications consigned to this office continues with the issuing office. The libraries have been afforded no relief, because now, as before, if a dozen selected pamphlets are wanted, it may mean the writing to about as many different places. This is a rather difficult proceeding, as most persons are unfamiliar with the machinery of the government and are frequently in doubt whom to address to secure the desired publications. The departments have always been rather reluctant to relinquish control of the distribution of their documents, and the new printing bill, should it be enacted as it now reads, would give back to them even the mailing of the daily miscellaneous requests.
Instead of providing for such a step backward, it is the opinion of this office that a provision should be inserted that would discontinue entirely the free distribution by the departments (except to collaborators and sufficient copies for official use), and would permit the superintendent of documents to supply free copies to public libraries and sell copies to the public at a nominal cost.
At the present time the departments have only a limited supply, which results in a few applicants obtaining free what others have to pay for.
There is probably not a librarian who hasn't experienced the inconvenience of the present arrangement, as it is a daily occurrence for us to have to refer their requests to the issuing office or quote the prices.