The difficulty of the work increases almost in geometrical proportion as the dates approach the present era. The great increase of newspapers renders it necessary to divide the work into decades. I have chosen to carry it to 1815 on account of the importance to Louisiana history of the reports on the battle of New Orleans.
The particular feature in cataloging which I would fain see carried out in every library is the chronological conspectus, of which so admirable an example exists in Bolton's catalog of scientific documents, which is, or ought to be, familiar to all present.
It is exceedingly simple and easy to prepare and is of the greatest possible service, both to the librarian and the student.
Take any folio book ruled in wide columns with an ample margin. For my purpose I start by heading the first column 1800, and so on to the end of the page. Taking material from Mr. Galbreath's useful compilation, I find that in the libraries of Ohio there is only one title which will appear under this head, the Western Spy in the collection of the Cincinnati Young Men's Mercantile Library. Enter in the marginal column the full details of the publication of this newspaper and draw a horizontal line across the column. The years 1802-3-4, etc., present an increasing number of titles. The horizontal lines in the columns present an immediate summary of all the newspaper literature on the subject.
Dr. G. E. Wire read a paper on
SOME PRINCIPLES OF BOOK AND PICTURE SELECTION.
(See [ p. 54.])
Melvil Dewey: I want to say a word about that New York list of pictures. When we printed that bulletin a great chorus of criticism arose from among the newspapers, and we smiled; we said it was characteristic of newspapers to discuss a thing without knowing at all what they were talking about. But I did not suppose that same characteristic would appear in this Association. Our bulletin states very distinctly what it is for, and it makes its own case absolutely infallible. We had to meet the problem in the state of New York, of circulating pictures bought with the taxpayers' money, to be put on the walls of the school houses—Jewish schools, Roman Catholic schools and schools of many denominations. Under those peculiar conditions it was a question whether we could carry the movement at all, and we selected about 50 people, whose judgment was most reliable, and asked them, out of several hundred pictures, to select 100 that would be open to no objection of any kind. There was no effort whatever to select the hundred best pictures. They simply made a list that would pass the legislature. It included pictures that people ridiculed sadly; and yet we had on file letters from prominent people in the state to the effect that they would protest against certain well-known pictures, and we thought it wiser not to raise issues over minor details. Our bulletin is simply a list of pictures that have been passed by representatives of various religious and ethical interests. You may think it most absurd that certain pictures, perhaps the most famous, should have been voted out of such a list, but if you were to go through the schools of the state of New York or any other state you would find that there are conscientious mothers and fathers, who have had no opportunity for art training, who would get down on their knees and pray that some of these pictures might not be put on the walls of the school room. If you do not know that, you are not familiar with the sentiment in the rural districts. There was a specific purpose in our action; we heard all of these criticisms, and we did the thing that seemed right and best under the circumstances. There are about a hundred of us on the state library staff, but we do not yet, as a body, venture to feel as omniscient as some single individuals regard themselves. I strongly believe that it is not a bad thing to take the opinion of experts. We are perfectly willing to show respect to the specialist in his own field, and I think it is mighty unwise advice to give young librarians, when they are told not to ask the opinion of a good specialist, whose verdict commands the confidence of the public.
Adjourned at 12.05 p.m.