240 A Librarian's Work. [xn. 



our peculiar system entails considerable delay in 

 bringing up the " accessions-catalogue. " 



After this preliminary examination and registry, 

 the books are ready for me to look over, and I must 

 first decide to what " fund " each book entered on the 

 invoice must be charged. The university never buys 

 books with its general funds, but uses for this purpose 

 the income of a dozen or more small funds, given, 

 bequeathed, or subscribed, expressly for the purchase 

 of books. Sometimes the donors of such funds 

 allow us to get whatever books we like with the 

 money, but more often they show an inclination to 

 favour the growth of departments in which they feel 

 a personal interest. Thus the munificent bequest of 

 the late Mr. Charles Sumner is appropriated to the 

 purchase of works on politics and the fine arts, while 

 Dr. Walker's bequest provides more especially for 

 theology and philosophy, and the estate of Professor 

 Farrar still guards the interests of mathematics and 

 physics. Under such circumstances, it is of course 

 necessary to keep a separate account with each fund, 

 and the data for such an account are provided by 

 charging every new book as it arrives. On the mar- 

 gin of the invoice the names of the different funds 

 are written in pencil against the entries, while the 

 assistants separate the books into groups according 



