Mr. Bowker: Those who would prefer centimeters if exact measurement should be adopted, please rise. Thirty-two rose.
Mr. Bowker: Now those who would prefer inches if an exact measurement were adopted. Three rose.
Chairman: As many as are in favor of the exact measurement coupled with the A. L. A. symbol, in case there is to be a combination—letter and exact size—please rise. Thirty-two rose.
Chairman: Now those who would prefer the combination of exact size with figure symbol. Sixteen rose.
Mr. Josephson: We might have another vote on whether the size should mean letterpress or book.
Chairman: Before this is done I want to call attention to the effect of binding after cataloging. If this scheme is going to take in foreign books, and you are going to get cards promptly, a large share of the books will be cataloged before they are bound. If a good binder does his work conscientiously and as it should be done, if you give the page you will have a more satisfactory measurement.
Mr. Hanson: I have looked into this question recently, and I find, where libraries do measure in centimeters they measure the paper. If the book is bound they measure the outside cover, for the reason that when the unbound book is trimmed down for binding what is lost is regained in the binding. I have found no instance yet where the practice that is advocated by yourself, the measurement of the letterpress, is followed in actual work.
Mr. Josephson: Let all those who want an exact measurement of the [letterpress] please rise. Two rose.
Mr. Josephson: Now those who want size to mean the outside of the book. Fifty-five rose.
Mr. Bowker: I think it might clarify things if we take the vote of those who favor the use of the symbol alone as against those who favor the use of the symbol and exact measurement in centimeters.