256 The Irish Naturalist. • [Oct., 



In 1876 he was appointed lyibrarian to the Royal Dublin 

 Societ}^ and when occupying this new sphere he displayed 

 unusual and exceptional ability and energ3\ By agreement 

 with the Government a large portion of this valuable library 

 was afterwards transferred to form the present National Library 

 of Ireland, and a special building had to be erected for its 

 reception and for the accommodation of the public in a fine 

 reading-room. This was designed by Sir Thomas Deane 

 along with its companion building for a National Museum, to 

 which the Ro^^al Irish Academy's priceless collection of Irish 

 antiquities was removed, filling a special department in that 

 institution. Mr. Archer, in his zeal to secure proper accommo- 

 dation for the books committed to his charge, opened corres- 

 pondence with the leading librarians in England, on the 

 Continent, and in America, and published a number of sug- 

 gestions which he embodied in a pamphlet on buildings 

 intended for holding Public Libraries in 1881 ; many of these 

 he succeeded in carrying into effect. The transference was 

 accomplished in August, 1890, without damage or loss, and 

 the large collection of books arranged in order on shelving 

 specially prepared after his wishes. In the meantime he had 

 devoted his thoughts to the best mode of cataloguing books 

 in large libraries intended for constant reference by public 

 readers, to secure their rapid supply to those requiring them, 

 and also to enable constant additions to be shelved and 

 catalogued without delay, without undue disarrangement of 

 the different subsections. To carry this out effectively, he 

 himself entered all increments as they were made — no trifling 

 work — as it entailed incessant supervision, the yearly entries 

 amounting to between 2,000 and 3,000 volumes. The " Dew^ey" 

 system of classification which he adopted has obtained the 

 approval of man}^ who are practically engaged in superin- 

 tending public libraries and require to carrj^ out similar de- 

 tails. When the Library Association held its Annual Meet- 

 ing in Dublin in 1884, Mr. Archer was one of its Honorary 

 Secretaries, and to his exertions may be attributed in great 

 part the success of that meeting. He always took much interest 

 in the working of this Association, and attended its annual 

 assemblies so long as his health permitted his doing so. 

 His incessant labours gradually impaired his strength, and 



