Annual Address, [February, 1905 
Society or that has come before it during the past year, and it 
remains for me to offer some remarks on its affairs during the same 
eriod. 
H The matter [that engrossed the largest share of time has been 
the preparation of the new catalogue of the books in the Society’s 
Library. The catalogue now in use was published twenty years 
ago, when the Society celebrated its centenary, and the need of a 
revised one has been felt for some years past. A new catalogue has 
been gradually compiled in manuscript, and there remained the 
arduous business of making a thorough revision of it. This has been 
carried through by the Library Committee with the help of the 
General Secretary, who, as a skilled librarian, was specially qualified 
to deal with it. The members of the Committee have given 
liberally of their time and have held many meetings to complete 
the revision ; and but for the care, and I may say devotion, which 
they and the Secretary have bestowed on it, it could not have been 
carried through with any expectation that the catalogue would 
be full, accurate and useful. In this matter two tasks called 
for special consideration—first, the revision of the Library itself 
and the separating out of books and pamphlets that are not needed 
by the Society ; and secondly, the framing of the entries in the 
most serviceable shape. 
A considerable quantity of publications had accumulated 
which appeared to be either superfluous or of too little use to the 
members, and it was desirable to remove them because of the 
limited space and for economy. These were separated as the 
revision went on. The principles adopted were two, first, that 
the Library should aim at completeness in all publications 
relating to Asia in conformity with the Society’s name and 
scope, whatever might be their character or value, official reports 
and publications being placed in a separate category ; and secondly, 
that the Library could not maintain works relating to other 
parts of the world except such as are of general interest and high 
reputation. Yet the process of exclusion was applied with so 
conservative a spirit that nothing was put out unless the members of 
the Committee were unanimous. <A list of the works thus excluded 
was laid before the monthly meeting in June for general considera- 
tion, and has been passed without objection. These will be 
disposed of as mentioned in the Report. 
The second task dealt with the method of cataloguing the 
names of Oriental authors, and the Committee decided that no 
single method was feasible, and that the most convenient course 
was that, while the names of authors now living or recently 
deceased should be spelt as the authors themselves Anglicized 
them, the names of all others should be transliterated correctly in 
the headings according to the system approved by the Society. 
The catalogue is now in the press, and the Council trust that 
it will be as complete, accurate and useful as is possible in such an 
undertaking. When it is published, members will be able to keep 
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