264 A LIBRARIAN'S WORK. pen. 



in 1861. For the most part this is merely a matter 

 of accurate transcription, requiring no research. 

 When these " red " and " blue " cards have been sub- 

 mitted to a special assistant for proof-reading, they 

 are returned to me, and after due inspection are ready 

 to be distributed into their catalogues. But for the 

 original " long card " one further preliminary is re- 

 quired before it can be put into its catalogue. 



Besides the various catalogues above described, 

 our library keeps a " record-book " or catalogue of 

 accessions arranged according to dates of reception. 

 This accessions-catalogue was begun October i, 1827, 

 and records an accession for that year of one volume, 

 price ten shillings and sixpence! In 1828, accord- 

 ing to this record, the library received twenty-one 

 volumes, of which eighteen were gifts, while three 

 were bought at a total cost of $14.50! But either 

 these were exceptionally unfruitful years, or what 

 is more likely the record was not carefully kept, for 

 the ordinary rate of increase in those days was by no 

 means so small as this, though small enough when 

 compared with the present rate. The accessions- 

 catalogue has grown until it now fills twenty-one 

 large folio volumes. The entries in it are made 

 with considerable fulness by transcription from the 

 long cards. Usually a month's accessions are entered 



