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At five, Leicester, Leeds, Sheffield, Wednesbury, and Wolverhampton, the indicator is the only record of issue.

5. Do you find that the borrower's card (or the other mode of showing that the book is out) sometimes gets put into the wrong place?

Five libraries, Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Wednesbury, and West Bromwich, find that the borrower's card gets frequently put into the wrong place. Eight libraries, Bristol, Derby, Dundee, Leeds, Newcastle, Plymouth, Sheffield, and South Shields, find that this is rarely the case.

6. If so, what is the average number of mistakes per week, and what means are taken to rectify them?

The average numbers of those misplacements vary from twelve a-day to one a-week, and all agree that searching the indicator will soon enable them to discover them. library, West Bromwich, keeps no record of mistakes.

One

7. When the borrower returns his book and wants his card that cannot be found, what do you do?

In three libraries, Birmingham, Plymouth, and West Bromwich, the borrower keeps his own card.

give duplicate cards in case of misplacement.

Nearly all

8. If the card in the indicator is the only record of the issue, how can you write for books overdue, except by going over the whole of the cards?

9. What is your average issue per day?

10. Do

The average daily issue of the fourteen libraries is 580. you make any entry in the book itself when issued? Seven libraries, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Newcastle, Plymouth, South Shields, and West Bromwich, make entries in the book itself when issued.

11. If not, how is the question of fine settled, and how is a disputed fine managed?

One library, Manchester, does not fine, but only charges for damage. Four libraries, Cardiff, Leicester, Sheffield, and Wolverhampton, find that fines are very rarely disputed. 12. What advantage in point of time has the entry in the borrower's card over a continuous entry in a book on the desk?

Seven libraries, Derby, Dundee, Leicester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Wednesbury, and Wolverhampton, find a saving of nearly half the time by the entry on the borrower's card. 13. Is it not a disadvantage to have your sole record of issue scattered over some thousand spaces in the indicator ?

Six libraries, Derby, Dundee, Newcastle, Plymouth, Sheffield, and Wednesbury, find it no disadvantage to have their sole record of issue scattered over the indicator. 14. Do you not find in practice many wrong entries of numbers, dates, &c., on the borrowers' cards?

In nine libraries, Bristol, Derby, Dundee, Leeds, Leicester, Sheffield, South Shields, Wednesbury, and Wolverhampton,

they do not find many wrong entries on the borrowers' cards.

15. If you issue a work in two or three volumes, and the borrower's card can only indicate one out, how about the other two, especially if the borrower returns Vol. 1 and not Vol. 2 or 3 ?

In eleven libraries, Bristol, Cardiff, Derby, Dundee, Leeds, Leicester, Plymouth, Sheffield, South Shields, Wednesbury, and Wolverhampton, two and three-volume works are only issued together and taken back together, not separately.

CORRESPONDING SECRETARIES.

At the last annual meeting a resolution was passed calling the attention of the Council to rule 22 of the constitution of this Association, and requesting them to employ means for carrying it into effect.

Rule 22.-In any district containing six members of the Association, a local committee may be formed, with a corresponding secretary. Resolutions and recommendations forwarded by local committees to the Secretaries of the Association shall be laid before its next monthly meeting.

The Council, having considered the subject, have requested the under-named members to act as corresponding secretaries, and have assigned the following districts to them, subject to their consent to undertake the office.

BRIGHTON.-B. Lomax, Librarian, Free Library and Museum, Brighton.

BIRMINGHAM.-C. E. Scarse, Librarian, Birmingham Library, Union Street, Birmingham.

CAMBRIDGE.-Rev. Robert Sinker, Librarian, Trinity College, Cambridge.

DUNDEE.-J. Maclauchlan, Librarian, Free Library and Museum, Dundee.

DURHAM.-Rev. J. T. Fowler, Librarian, University Library, Durham.

EDINBURGH.-T. G. Law, Librarian, Signet Library, Edinburgh. EXETER.-Rev. H. E. Reynolds, Librarian, Cathedral Library, Exeter.

GLASGOW.-F. T. Barrett, Librarian, Mitchell Library, Glasgow. LEEDS.-T. J. W. MacAlister, Librarian, Leeds.

LINCOLNSHIRE.-Rev. J. C. Hudson, Thornton Vicarage, Horn

castle.

LIVERPOOL.-P. Cowell, Librarian, Free Public Library, Liverpool. MANCHESTER.-J. Plant, Librarian, Royal Museum and Libraries, Peel Park, Salford.

NEWCASTLE.-W. J. Haggerston, Librarian, Public Libraries, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

ublic Libraries,

NOTTINGHAM.-J. P. Briscoe, Librarian, Free
Nottingham.
OXFORD.-F. Madan, Librarian, Brasenose College, Oxford.
PLYMOUTH.-W. H. K. Wright, Librarian, Free Library, Plymouth,
SOUTHAMPTON.-T. W. Shore, Hartley Institution, Southampton.
STAFFORD.-T. J. De'Mazzinghi, Librarian, William Salt Library,
Stafford.

WIGAN.-H. T. Folkard, Librarian, Free Public Library, Wigan.
YORK.-W. M. Morrell, City and County Bank, York.

LIBRARY NOTES.

RONALDS LIBRARY.-This library, which is now in the possession of the Society of Telegraph Engineers, was officially opened on Wednesday, the 10th inst., by the President of the Society, Mr. W. H. Preece, who received the members and a distinguished company of visitors at the rooms of the Society, 4, Broad Sanctuary, Westminster. Mr. Frost, the librarian, exhibited a collection of curious books relating to electricity, magnetism, navigation, &c. A number of interesting letters, autographs, and portraits of eminent electricians were also shown, and the American rapid telegraph was exhibited in action.

DONCASTER. Mr. Francis H. Darby died at Kirkstall Leas on Saturday, October 23, 1880. Mr. Darby was formerly Librarian of one of the branch libraries at Leeds, and was appointed Librarian of the Doncaster Borough Free Library in September, 1878. During his stay in Doncaster he made many friends by his kind and genial manner. His prospects were very promising, when consumption, which had manifested itself for some time, obliged him to resign his post, and it is with great regret that we chronicle his death at the early age of twenty-nine.

EDINBURGH.-The Meeting of the Library Association at Edin burgh appears to have given a fresh impetus to the Free Library movement in that city. At the recent municipal elections the question was brought up at the ward meetings, and the Edin. burgh Trades' Council and other bodies are about to present a requisition to the Lord Provost to convene a public meeting on the subject.

ST. IVES, CORNWALL.-A movement has been begun for the for mation of a Free Library at St. Ives, Cornwall. A public meeting was held, at which it was decided not to levy a rate, but to raise a voluntary subscription. The Hon. Secretary of the Committee is Mr. W. Kernick, jun., Market Place, St. Ives, Cornwall.

WEDNESBURY.-Mr. Frederick Wagstaff has been appointed to the Librarianship of the Wednesbury Free Library, in succession to Mr. Cotgreave.

WORCESTER. Mr. George Reece, for many years Curator of the

Worcestershire Natural History Society's Museum, has been appointed Curator under the new management, the Museum having become the property of the Committee of the Worcester Public Library. Mr. Reece will also be Sub-Librarian.

TASMANIA. The Tasmanian Public Library in the Town Hall, Hobart Town, is open on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and every Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m; every other day, including public holidays, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (on Saturday, 8 p.m.). The reading-room attached to the library is supplied with the chief English newspapers and periodicals as well as Colonial papers. The official statistics of Tasmania for 1879 give the expenditure for that year at £531 2s. 5d.; the number of volumes at the end of the year, not including bound magazines, 8,208; and the number of visitors during the year; 29,537.

A curious collection was made by the late Mr. Edwin Edwards, the painter, of books written by foreigners about England and Englishmen. They number between three and four hundred volumes, and may be acquired by any like-minded collector, or by any library, for a moderate sum, the present proprietor being mainly desirous of seeing them in safe guardianship as a collection. Particulars may be obtained of Mr. HARRISON, London Library, St. James's Square, S.W.

NOTICES OF BOOKS.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Public Libraries. Catalogue of the Books in the Central Lending Department. Compiled by W. John Haggerston, Chief Librarian, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1880. pp. viii., 330. Price One Shilling.

8vo,

A short-title dictionary catalogue of a general library of about 20,000 volumes. Authors and subjects are arranged in one alphabet, with abundant cross-references. The number of volumes, size, and imprint are not noted. A new and important feature is that the contents of volumes and periodicals are very fully given, and references to articles in magazines and reviews are grouped under the same head with the references to works on the same subjects. The number of references is about 80,000, and the press mark is added to each, so that a book can be called for from any reference.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Public Libraries. Catalogue of the Books in the Juvenile Lending Department. Compiled by W. John Haggerston, Chief Librarian, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1880. 8vo, pp. viii., 24. Price Twopence.

Containing about 2,000 entries on the same plan as the larger catalogue.

London: TRÜBNER & CO., Ludgate Hill. Single Numbers, Threepence each. Annual Subscription, post free, 3s. 6d.

MONTHLY NOTES

OF THE

Library Association

of the United Kingdom.

Ar the meeting on Friday, January 7, 1881, a paper will be read by Mr. W. R. DOUTHWAITE, Librarian of Gray's Inn: "Notes on the Gray's Inn Library."

THE meetings of the Committee of the whole Association on Cataloguing Rules, will re-commence at the London Institution on Friday, the 17th inst., at 8 p.m., and will be continued on the third Friday, in each month at 7 p.m.

THE question of Statistics was referred to the Council by the last annual meeting. At a recent meeting of the Council it was resolved to re-appoint the Statistical Committee, consisting of Messrs. W. E. A. AXON, C. W. SUTTON, and G. L. CAMPBELL, with a view to the preparation of a further report upon Free Public Libraries. Members of the Association, and others who may possess information which will assist the Committee, are requested to communicate with Mr. C. W. SUTTON, Public Free Libraries, Manchester.

DECEMBER MONTHLY MEETING.

THE second Monthly Meeting of the fourth year of the Association. was held at the London Institution on Friday, December 3, 1880, at 8 p.m., Mr. B. R. WHEATLEY in the chair.

The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, Mr. H. J. ADAMS was elected a member of the Association. The Chairman then called on Mr. E. C. THOMAS to read a paper written by him and Mr. H. B. WHEATLEY, on

A PROPOSED SUBJECT-INDEX TO BIBLIOLOGIES AND BIBLIOGRAPHIES. Mr. THOMAS said: Of the two subjects specified in the constitution of our Association that of library administration has certainly received the lion's share of attention. Nor is that in any way

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