Page:Library Construction, Architecture, Fittings, and Furniture.djvu/113

Rh obtain any box without it being necessary to alter his position. The boxes have movable ends, and the covers which, when closed, keep the end upright in box form, allow them to dr0p back to the proper angle for consultation upon being removed.

Whatever method is ad0pted for keeping the cards in order, care should be taken not to place them too high or too low for comfort in consulting them.

Where the card-catalogue is likely to be greatly used it is an advantage to have the drawers removable, so that they can be taken out and placed upon tables. They can thus be used by a larger number of readers than if massed together in a small case or cabinet. Much of the success of the card-catalogue depends on the quality of the appliances used. Too much attention cannot be bestowed upon obtaining material and appliances perfect in every detail. In a large catalogue, necessitating a cabinet with many drawers, the contents of each drawer should be marked on the outside, and by the use of guide cards at frequent intervals, as shown in Fig. 32, search is quick and easy. With these aids search for any name is always limited to about twenty cards, no matter what number of cards the catalogue consists of. The label on the outside of the drawer directs the reader to the drawer required, and the projecting guides within the drawer to the section wherein he will find the card he is looking for.

The principal uses to which card-catalogues are put in public libraries, are for catalogues of the