1895.] 



President's Address. 



113 



an International Institute of Bibliography was established by Royal 

 Decree in Brussels. 



Two gentlemen in that city, MM. Otlet and La Fontaine, have, 

 during the past half dozen years, devoted themselves to the study of 

 modern methods of bibliographic classification, specially with refer- 

 ence to sociology, and their work has been supported by the Belgian 

 Government, They w r ere led to adopt the decimal system devised by 

 Melvil Dewey, which is popular with American librarians, and 

 having made a careful study of its application, have become so 

 impressed with its value that they have developed an extraordinarily 

 comprehensive scheme applicable to literature generally. 



An invitation to attend a conference in Brussels at the beginning of 

 September last was received by the Royal Society early in August, 

 too late unfortunately to permit of a representative being present. 



At the conference held there on the 2nd to 4th of September, a 

 number of resolutions to establish an International Institute of 

 Bibliography as a development of the work begun by the above- 

 mentioned gentlemen, were arrived at, and by a Royal Decree of 

 September 1*2, 1895, such an office was established. 



Your senior secretary had an opportunity, when in Brussels 

 recently, of visiting the office which has been established, and of 

 seeing the skill and zeal with which the preliminary preparations 

 have been made to carry the work into execution. 



All must admire the energy and enterprise which, has thus been 

 displayed in Belgium. At the same time the magnitude of the work 

 and the importance of the interests involved are such that it 

 appears most desirable that the action which, the Royal Society has 

 already taken for an International Conference should be perse- 

 vered in, so that decisions may be arrived at which may ensure, if 

 possible, complete success. The enterprise is one in which we, in 

 consequence of our long connection with such work, are most deeply 

 interested ; it is also one which may well become of exceeding value 

 to science generally. But it is impossible to overrate the difficulties 

 connected with it ; and to avoid unnecessary complications in the 

 future it is essential that very many questions — especially the division 

 of the subject matter in the various branches of science and the 

 nomenclature to be used — be taken into consideration by competent 

 bodies and settled by general agreement. 



In my last Anniversary Address I mentioned that the Library Com- 

 mittee, in view of the great accumulation of the stock of ' Philo- 

 sophical Transactions,' were taking measures to make the memoirs 

 composing the volumes separately available to the public, which, 

 while facilitating the sale, would increase their utility. I have now 

 the pleasure to announce that arrangements have been made with 

 Messrs. Dulau and Co. to carry out this suggestion, and that Messrs. 



