Page:Library Administration, 1898.djvu/149

 as Japanese, or Kalmuc, or Cherokee." It is difficult to see what end this serves, except vain display.

(5) and (6) The forms of imprints and notes are discussed in detail by Mr. Cutter, but these questions are not specially connected with the dictionary-catalogue. This form of compilation, containing, as it does, author, title, and subject in a single alphabetical order, has been very largely used in free libraries as being the best adapted for readers without knowledge of books and disinclined to take much trouble in finding them, but its merits have of late been extensively questioned, and a lively controversy is now raging between its advocates and those of the "classed-catalogue." An argument has been strongly adduced that the dictionary-catalogue can only be printed as a whole, whereas any section of a classed-catalogue in which the public happens to be particularly interested can be periodically brought up to date and separately issued, and this plea of economy can hardly be gainsaid. The omissions proposed to be made in class-catalogues, with a view to further economy, are extremely debatable; such as that of a list of titles in the fiction part, which would require an enormous memory in the librarian to make up for it, and that of the index of authors to the non-fictional lists, which must surely perplex the reader, especially the half-educated one, searching for one of those numerous books that have indefinite titles. We would mention one book as a conclusive instance, Kinglake's "Eothen."