xii.] A Librarian's Work. 269 



it was pretty sure to turn up in the other. Sometimes 

 — in the case, say, of a hundred Finnish pamphlets — 

 the labour is greater than it is worth while to under- 

 take ; or somebody may give us a volume in Chinese 

 or Tamil, which is practically undecipherable. In 

 such cases we consider discretion the better part of 

 valour, and under the heading " FINNISH " or " CHI- 

 NESE " write " One hundred Finnish pamphlets," or 

 "A Chinese book," trusting to the future for better 

 information. Sometimes a polyglot visitor from Asia 

 happens in, and is kind enough to settle a dozen such 

 knotty questions at once. 



Another part of a librarian's work is the ordering 

 of new books, and this is something which cannot be 

 done carelessly. Once a year a council of professors, 

 after learning the amount of money that can be ex- 

 pended during the year, decides upon the amounts 

 that may be severally appropriated to the various de- 

 partments of literature. Long lists of desiderata are 

 then prepared by different professors, and handed in 

 to the library. Besides this a considerable sum is 

 placed under the control of the librarian, for miscella- 

 neous purchases, and any one who wishes a book 

 bought at any time is expected to leave a written re- 

 quest for it at my desk. As often as we get materials 

 for a list of two or three hundred titles, the list is 



