Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/128

 n6 The Library. would seem, at first sight, as if French publishers were much more active than English ones, which we do not think is the case. M. Beraldi gives 28,000 as the average number of "articles" annually acquired for the Bibliotheque by "depot legal," whereas in England, the Museum return for 1891, gives only 11,875 distinct works as received under the Copyright Act. The difference is so great that it is probably due to the methods of enumeration, which offer such an immense variety of ways of reckoning as to make comparison between the returns of any two libraries very delusive. Thus, in 1891, the Museum received 171,822 single numbers of newspapers, and 66,206 separate parts of periodical publications and works of progress. When it employs the mysterious word "articles," it claims to have received 111,658, against 36,000 attributed by M. Beraldi to the Bibliotheque. Taking into consideration the much greater number of books purchased, it can hardly be doubted the English library is growing the more rapidly of the two, but any exact comparison seems at present hopeless. In one point, however, the Museum is undoubtedly better off. Its tribute of copyright books is paid by publishers, who are bound to send every book complete. In France the legal obligation rests with the printer, who is bidden to send in his work " tel qu'il est imprime." As illustrations are often printed separately from the text of the book to which they belong, and by a different firm of printers, there is no legal obligation for the two parts of an illustrated book to be delivered together, and the illustrations might often be over- looked. M. Beraldi tells us that the public spirit of the printers and publishers greatly lessens the evil produced by this defect in the law, but it is one which should certainly be remedied. Arrived at the Bibliotheque by whatever means, the book is registered and press-marked, and then sent to be catalogued. The press-marking is based on a subject-classification, in which "A" denotes theology and the rest of the letters of the alphabet other departments of human know- ledge. Small letters and numerals help to sub-divide the great classes, and in French History the division is carried so far that there is a sepa- rate class-mark for the reign of each French king. A list of the books added to the library is printed each month, and the separate slips entered in the various class catalogues which are now being kept up. This system was inaugurated in 1875, an ^ since that time great progress has been made in catching up the vast arrears which had been growing greater and greater every year since about 1830. M. Delisle declares himself now ready to print a complete catalogue of the whole library, and only lack of funds prevents this great national work from being undertaken. Lack of funds, indeed, seems to hamper the staff in every direction. Fourteen years ago a committee, appointed by the Govern- ment, declared that the Bibliotheque was so crowded with books that fresh buildings must be begun at once, but as yet their first stone has not been laid. As we have already noted, the sum allowed for the purchase of books is miserably small, and the 30,000 francs granted for binding seems even more inadequate, when it is remembered that the majority of French books have not even the protection afforded by our English cloth covers. The staff, again, is said to be quite insufficient for the amount of work imposed upon it. It is to this cause and to the absence of a general catalogue with press-marks, enabling readers to identify clearly the books they want, that the long delays in the supply of books in the "salle de lecture" are attributable. M. Beraldi bears eloquent testimony to the willingness of the staff, both of librarians and attendants, but when one man is given ten books to fetch at the same time, and three out of the ten (the usual proportion) are wrongly described on the reader's requisition, it is small wonder that the last of the ten books