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RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 
A museum catalogue should be adapted to include the following : 
I. Exhibited Collection. 
a. Valuable specimens, or single representatives of a species, 
not necessarily in good condition. 
b. Permanent specimens which may reasonably be supposed 
to be the best procurable. 
c. Indifferent specimens retained only until better examples 
are procured. 
II. Duplicate Collection. 
d. Reserve — Specimens not at present required for exhibition, 
but too rare to be parted with. 
e. Store — Specimens available for exchange. 
III. Type Collection, if not exhibited. It is also necessary to 
indicate whether the specimens are mounted, in skins, 
or are preserved in fluid. 
As implied by the name, the system consists of indexing by 
means of loose cards instead of by the ordinary book method. A 
card is issued for every individual specimen, and upon it written 
the name of the object and all information concerning it ; it is in 
fact a copy of the collector’s ticket, together with the registration 
and other marks, as Gallery, Duplicate, Type. These cards stand 
on edge in drawers specially constructed to receive them, and may 
be arranged in any way desired : the height of the card is less 
than that of the drawer, so that a deeper series may be inserted, 
these latter, standing up above the others, are to receive the 
names of the Orders or Families, etc., and may be of distinctive 
colour. When properly placed, a card or series of cards may be 
inserted anywhere or a similar series withdrawn without disturbing 
the general arrangement. 
This system, as 1 have applied it, is not intended to take the 
place of the ordinary register, but rather to be a key to the 
collections : the register would record all specimens received in 
chronological order, but the changes made in the collections would 
be indicated by the card catalogue. 
I have here done no more than indicate the system, for the 
arrangement of a catalogue depends so much on the nature and 
number of the specimens dealt with, and the fancy of their 
custodian. Personally, I have adopted two cabinets for each 
section, one to contain the cards of the exhibited, and the other 
those of the duplicate collections. 
For full information as to the working of the card system as 
used for library purposes, the publications of the Boston Library 
Bureau (U.S. A.) and of the Manchester Museum may be consulted. 
