General Meeting, Feb. 1st, 1854. lxxlx„ 



which belong to the Society, and which should be in its 

 possession, rather than what actually is so ; for, in consequence 

 of the books remaining long unbound, and other causes, some 

 of the volumes, or numbers of periodicals, are still missing. 



The unbound volumes were accordingly placed in the hands 

 of the bookbinder to be bound up where complete, and where 

 periodicals were defective, to have them put in cloth or other- 

 wise, as circumstances appeared to require ; and some estimate 

 may be made of the then condition of the Library, when it is 

 stated, that a dozen volumes or so required repair, by lettering 

 and otherwise, as many have been put up in cloth, and 45 or 

 more half-bound during the past year. 



In this way it is probable that deficiencies will be more 

 readily ascertained, than if the list of books had been made 

 up from the shelves, — where the number of volumes does not 

 yet perhaps much exceed 250, exclusive of Blue Books, 

 Oazettes, and unbound numbers of periodicals, — and the 

 wants found out only on inspection and inquiry. It may 

 also be hoped that the liberality of members and others will 

 not be wanting to place the Library of your Society on a 

 suitable and efficient footing. 



In the formation of a Library Catalogue, there has been a 

 great diversity of opinion and of practice ; and for some time, 

 a scientific arrangement of the books was considered the best, 

 It is so, in so far as it collects together works of the same 

 class, or which treat of the same subject; but, like scientific 

 instruments, all scientific arrangements require scientific skill 

 for their proper use. This obviously renders such unsuitable 

 for a public library; and accordingly, a common alphabetical 

 arrangement is now generally preferred. 



In some libraries they have both sorts; as in the great 

 Harvard Library, where besides an alphabetical there is a 

 systematic catalogue, in which the books ure distributed into 

 general classes, each of which again has its subdivisions. 



In some other libraries in America, the systematic catalogue 

 is in the nature of an index of the subjects; to effect which, the 



VOL. II. 2 



