252 A LIBRARIAN'S WORK. [xn. 



title of a work but have forgotten the author. 

 In the very heterogeneous classes of Drama and 

 Fiction, where this is not so likely to be the case, 

 the exigency is provided for in Professor Abbot's 

 system by a full set of cross-references from titles 

 to authors. 



From this account it will be seen that any new 

 book received to-day by our library must be entered 

 on three catalogues, first on the card supplement 

 which continues the old printed catalogue, secondly 

 on the new all-comprehensive alphabet of authors, 

 thirdly on the classified index of subjects. In our 

 technical slang the first of these catalogues is known 

 under the collective name of "the long cards," the 

 second as "the red cards," the third as "the blue 

 cards," names referring to the shape of the cards 

 and to certain peculiarities of the lines with which 

 they are ruled. When our lot of three or four 

 hundred books is portioned out among half a dozen 

 assistants to be catalogued, the first thing in order 

 is to write the " long cards." Each book must have 

 at least one long card ; but most books need more 

 than one, and some books need a great many. 

 Suppose you have to catalogue Mr. Stuart-Glennie's 

 newly-published Pilgrim Memories. This is an 

 exceedingly easy book for the cataloguer, but it 



