ACCOUNTS, &C,, OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



VI. — PROGRESS made in the Catalogues, and Arrangement and Account 

 of Objects added, in the Year 1876. 



Department of Printed Books. 



I. Arrangement. — The works added to the Collection during the year have, as far as 

 possible, been placed on the shelves of the Library according to the system of classifi- 

 cation adopted in the Museum, The press-marks, indicating their respective localities, 

 have been marked on the inside, and affixed to the back of each volume ; also on the 

 title-slip and entry in the Catalogue. The total number of these press-marks amounts to 

 85,821, and of labels to 32,701 ; as the labels of books much in use have become obliterated, 

 it was found necessary, this year, to renew them largely. The number of renewed labels 

 is 69,336. In addition to the above, in order to facilitate finding the books for readers, 

 it was thought desirable to attach third press-marks to the books in the JMew Library, 

 showing the exact position of each work upon the shelf; since this work was commenced 

 3,688 works have been so marked, and the corresponding alterations carried out in the 

 Reading Room Catalogues. 



II. Cataloguing : — (a.) 53,348 title-slips have been written for the various Catalogues 

 (the term "title-slip " applying equally to a main-title and a cross-reference). Of these, 

 40,650 were written for the New General and Supplementary Catalogues, and 12,698 for 

 the separate Catalogues of Music and the several Oriental Collections. 



(6.) Transcription and lucor-poraiion. — In the first or amalgamated portion of the Cata- 

 logue from A to S, the number of title-slips transcribed fourfold amounts to 56,734, and of 

 index-slips prepared and transcribed fourfold to facilitate consultation of the volumes, to 

 5,485. 47,086 transcripts of title-slips and 3,389 of index-slips have been incorporated into 

 each of three copies of this portion of the Catalogue. This incorporation rendered it 

 necessary, in order to maintain the alphabetical arrangement, to remove and reinsert in 

 each copy 69,215 title-slips and 1,760 index-slips, and to add to each copy 1,401 new 

 leaves to receive new entries. The first copy of 41,858 transcripts, forming portions of 

 letters R and S (of which 10,170 were new insertions); the second copy of 48,829 

 transci ipts, forming portions of the heading " Academies," and of the letters R antl S 

 (of which 9,106 were new); and the third copy of 33,460 transcripts, forming portions 

 of the same letters (of which 9,106 were new), have been laid down to form additional 

 volumes. 4,460 index-slips to the headings " Academies," and *' Rome," have been laid 

 ■down to form new indexes to those headings. 



(c.) In the second or supplementaiy portion of the Catalogue, T to Z, the number 

 of title-slips transcribed fourfold amounts to 4,030. 2,412 transcripts of title-slips have 

 been incorporated into each of three copies of this portion of the Catalogue. In order to 

 maintain the alphabetical arrangement during the incorporation, 5,507 title-slips were 

 removed and reinserted in each copy, and 87 new leaves were added to each copy to 

 receive them. Some of the volumes of the letters T, U, and Z having become over- 

 crowded, the title-slips, amounting to 17,027, were removed from them and laid down to 

 form new volumes in each of the three copies of the Catalogue, so as to aiford space for 

 future entries. 



The number of new entries made in the hand-catalogue of the Periodical Publications 

 "was 276, and in that of Academies 236. 



(flf.) Music Catalogue. — 11,509 title-slips have been written, and 11,260 title-slips have 

 been transcribed fourfold for this Catalogue. The relaying of this Catalogue — a necessity 

 arising from the great increase of the Collection of Music, which has more than doubled 

 itself during the last five years, and the consequently crowded state of the entries — has 

 been completed, and the Catalogue, which consisted formerly of 105 volumes, now com- 

 prises 326 new volumes, containing about 165,000 titles. The Catalogue of Authors of 

 words set to Music is approaching completion, and will comprise about 70 volumes. 



(e.) Hebrew Catalogue. — 739 title-slips have been written, and 293 title-slips have been 

 transcribed fourfold for this Catalogue. 578 titles have been incorporafed into, and 362 

 titles have been removed and reinserted in each of the two copies of this Catalogue. 



{f.) Oriental Catalogues. — The remaining portion of the Sanskrit Catalogue, M to Y» 

 has been finally revised and printed, and the work is now complete. The number of 

 title-slips written is 121, and 432 short title-slips have been written for a Hand-Catalogue 

 of Persian, and 516 for a similar Catalogue of Hindustani works. 



{g.) Chinese and Japanese Catalogue. — A full index to the Catalogue of Chinese books, 

 and a complete list of newly-acquired works have been seen through the press and printed 

 off. The Catalogue of Chinese Manuscripts has been printed in proof and con-ected. 

 329 title-slips have been written, and 942 Japanese titles have been revised for printing. 



i66. A 3 {h.) Carbonic 



