In general I have found that much inconvenience both to students and instructors results from the habit of secluding all the most important bibliographies in the catalog room. If it be true that these bibliographies are constantly needed in the catalog room, they should be duplicated for the use of the students. This practice of seclusion would not be worth mention did it not seem to be habitual in almost all libraries, and I wish here to register a special plea that bibliographies may be shelved just as publicly as any other section of the library.
I am much interested in Mr. Josephson's proposals for developing bibliographical instruction in universities. It seems to me he has taken hold of the matter by the right end, and the establishment of a course similar to that he suggests would not only be of value to future librarians by giving them wider opportunities for general training than they can get in special schools, but would also prove helpful to advanced students in all departments of study. I hope some university will take the matter up. I am in sympathy with any instruction, formal or informal, which brings instructors and students to a better knowledge of how to use the library and the books.
COURSES AT OTHER COLLEGES.
Mr. Root gave in detail the work he is doing at Oberlin in this line. He said:
We offer at Oberlin a course in bibliography in each college year. The first year the work has to do with the use of libraries, with questions of classification and cataloging, and is designed to aid the new students in becoming familiar with the methods in use in our own library and also with accepted methods in all well-conducted libraries. The course in the second year has to do with the history of books and of printing. This work is almost entirely historical. Some study is given to the process and history of binding, with examples of famous bindings. The third year work deals with palæography and the history and development of handwriting, illumination, and work with manuscripts in general. The fourth year work is in the nature of a seminar and is devoted to instruction in bibliography. After an outline of the leading national and trade bibliographies, problems in bibliography are handled and discussed. The courses fill half of the college year, one lecture per week being given. The work is entirely elective and the completion of all of it enables a student to elect one-eighth of his course in this subject. I should be glad to see recognition by the leading library schools of this work, perhaps giving students advanced credit when work has been satisfactorily done at any reputable college.
Walter M. Smith, librarian of the University of Wisconsin, briefly outlined the elementary work done there with new students, and maintained that formal lectures were not so good as practical instruction in the use of the library both from the librarian's desk and from the reference desk.
Miss Sharp, librarian of the University of Illinois, stated that a one-hour course was given there for the general student body in the use of the library. Regular university credit is given, but students may attend these lectures optionally and many do so.
Andrew Keogh, of Yale University Library, described a short course in the use of the library offered at that university. Two lectures are given, one in the class room and one in the library, accompanied with actual demonstration with the books. Some further and more elective work is given as graduate work at Yale, but the elementary work is compulsory with all new students.
A letter was read from Dr. H. P. Talbot, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, giving full description of his
COURSE IN BIBLIOGRAPHY OF CHEMISTRY.