REPORT OF ROYAL .^OCIKTV CATAJ.OOUL: COMMITTEE. 459 



articU'S i)iil)lishe(l in cvrtuin journals or to the litorature of certain clepartnients of 

 science, and the snhscriher would thus receive, in weekly installments, a complete 

 cartl catalogue of all the liteniture in his own line of work. The cards thus received 

 could be arran<j;ed by each subscriber so as to form the sort of card catalogue best 

 adapted to his own needs. 



Although in this scheme the greater part of the work, including the printing of 

 the cards, would be done in a central othce, yet the coo])eration of the publishers 

 could not well be dispensed with, for from them nuist be obtiiined the summaries 

 l^repared by the authors, which form an essential feature of the scheme. Little 

 ditliculty need be anticipated in obtaining such summaries, for it would be to the 

 interest of the writers to furnish them, and no one could prepare them so easily and 

 correctly as the writers themselves. To facilitate obtaining the sununaries it might 

 be well for the central olfice to invite editore, esi)ecially of the publications issued 

 by scientific societies and otfiees of the more technical scientitic periodicals of 

 limited circulation, to have suitable summaries of papers published by them j>re- 

 pared by the authors thereof, such summaries to be put in type and perhaps i)rinted 

 in connection with the articles. 



A centi-al otlice with this function would readily secure the cooperation of libraries 

 and learneil societies throughout the world, and to an undertaking thus endorsed 

 the publishei-s of scientitic literature would doubtless lend their aid, since they 

 would find in it a means of advertising their business. The support of such an 

 otiice could be provided for at the outset by international subscription, but it would 

 doubtless in a short time become self-supporting, since i)ortions of the total catalogue 

 would be needed not only in every public library, but on the study-table of every 

 serious student in every department of science. 



The above report is submitted not as an elal)orated plan, but as a suggestion of 

 the end to which etTort should be directed. Your committee would farther exi)ress 

 the hoj>e that some plan may be put into operation at an earlier date than the year 

 1000, the time suggested in the circular of the Royal Society. 



In accordance with the views above set forth the committee respectfully recom- 

 mends the adoption by the Society of the following: 



1. That, in the oi)inion of the Geological Society of America, the estal)]isliiiuiit 

 of a cataloiTue of scientific literature to l)e maintained through international (•o("»|)era- 

 tion is both desimble and practicable. 



2. That a copy of this report be transmitted to the lioyal Society as a suggestion 

 of the way in which this plan nuiy be best carried out. 



.']. That the S<»ciety be requested to contribute a suitid)le sum toward the carrying 

 »nit of this enterpri.se, provided the plan finally adojited by the Royal Society shall 

 apjiear to the Council of the Society to be practicable. 



n. s. sualkk, 

 Henry S. Williams, 

 W J McGee, 



Coiinnlllfc. 



The reading of scientific pajtcrs was dcclaiXMl in order, and a ruling of 

 the Council was announced that for papers which horc; no time-limit in 

 the ])rinted j)rogram only fifteen minutes should he allowed lor each 

 paper, and that a limit in discu.ssion to five minutes for each speaker 

 should he enforced. 



