A Librarian's Work. 341 



All the libraries of western Europe which I 

 have visited seem to have taken their cue from 

 the British Museum. But in America we have 

 hit upon a less ponderous method. To accom- 

 plish this end of keeping our titles in their proper 

 alphabetical order, we write them on separate 

 cards, of stiff paper, and arrange these cards in 

 little drawers, in such a way that any one, by 

 opening the drawer and tilting the cards therein, 

 can easily find the title for which he is seeking. 

 Our new catalogue at Cambridge is a marvel of 

 practical convenience in this respect. At each 

 end the row of stiff cards is supported by bevelled 

 blocks, in such a way that some title lies always 

 open to view ; and by simply tilting the cards 

 with the forefinger, any given title is quickly 

 found, without raising the card from its place in 

 the drawer. 



In September, 1833, our library began its sec- 

 ond supplement, consisting of two alphabetical 

 manuscript catalogues. Volumes received after 

 that date were catalogued upon stiff cards ar- 

 ranged in drawers, while pamphlets were cata- 

 logued, after the European fashion, on slips of 

 paper pasted into great folio scrap-books. This 

 distinction between pamphlets and volumes was a 

 most unhappy one. To a librarian the only prac- 



