San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Special Libraries, 1922 Special Libraries, 1920s 2-1-1922 Special Libraries, February 1922 Special Libraries Association Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1922 Part of the Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Collection Development and Management Commons, Information Literacy Commons, and the Scholarly Communication Commons Recommended Citation Special Libraries Association, "Special Libraries, February 1922" (1922). Special Libraries, 1922. 2. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1922/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Special Libraries, 1920s at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Special Libraries, 1922 by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Special Libraries ADELAIDE R. HASSE, Editor, Ofice of the Assistant Secretary of War Washington D. C. Vol. 13 February, 1922 No- 2 Trade Catalogues in Carnegie Library, Pittsburgh Technology Librarian, Carnegle Library of Pittsburgh. A few years ago, a writer in the En- (These figures ase based on the practice, gineeving Record (v. 71, p. 407) expressed mentioned below, of placing bulletins, cir- himself as follows on the subject of trade culars, etc., In binders and countlng each catalogues: "In my oplnlon and in the binder as one "catalogue"-actually there opinion of a number of engineers, specifica- arc probably 60,000 separate pieces of liter- tion writers and purchasing agents of well- ature ln the collection.) known firms with whom 1 have conversed, Collecting and Arrang~ngMaterial the average trade catalog is the most abused In establishing the collect~on, consider- and wasted form of advertising there 1s able help was given by certain technical today." The eame writer statcd further and trade journals which were willing to that "Easily 70 per cent of the catalogs are print brief announcements of the project, thrown away." but, in general, the collection has been There is considerable justification for built up by individual requests for liter- this attitude, for much of the trade liter- ature. The chief sources for originating ature published is so lacking in logical ar- thcse requests are (1) announcements of rangement that its utility is greatly im- new catalogues, usually In advertisements paired. In spite of numerous shortcomings, and in the review columns of technical and however, it must be admitted that trade trade journals, and (2) lists of manufac- literature today contalns a vast amount of turers in lines where weakness in the exist- valuable Information which is not available ing collection is disclosed. Though the na- elsewhere; thus any library which is even ture of the material forbids keeping the cn- moderately concerned with technical and in- tire collection on open shelves, several dustrial service will find that this service hundred of the more recent, bound cata- may be greatly enhanced by collecting trade logues are usually kept in display cases in catalogues and making them accessible. the Technology Room. A sign on these The fact that so much trade literature cases calls attention to the collection and is generally thrown away strengthens the has been instrumen,tal in securing local argument for ~tspreservation in reference publications. libraries. With industrial organizations, Material in pamphlet fornl is sometimes trade catalogues are usually the perquisite accon~paniedby binders. Usually, however, of the purchasing agent and, in many the Library must supply binders and the cases, circulars and bulletins escape the Library bindery furnishes these at a very wastedbasket only if they happen to reach low cost. They are made in two standard the buyer when he is "in the market." In sizes, with cyelets so that material may be the case of more pretentious material, such punched and either laced in or fastened as bound catalogues, when a new edition is with long paper "rivets." Each binder received the older one is generally dis- is treated as one volume, and accessioned, carded. As these old ones are sometimes the same accession number appearing on badly needed for comparison, or to help the corresponding card in the name index. establish "the state of the art" in patent The arrangement of a collection of trade litigation, etc., the library which can afford literature should be governed by the nature the space will find it advantageous to keep of the service demanded. Many industrial obsolete editions. companies and some libraries have adopted Many years ago the Technology Depart- the policy of arranging catalogues on the ment af the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh shelves acording to "Dewey" or some other began the systematic collection and arrange- systenl of classification. The greatest ob- ment of trade literature and the collection stacle to this method is that there are many now represents some 3,600 manufacturers excellent catalogues which cannot be satis- and contains about 12,000 iLcatalogues.J~ facstorily classified, and which must bo fitted SPECIAL LIBRARIES February, 1922 awltrvardly into the classification scheme, will themselves classify certain sets of bul- or placed in a "iniscalle~~cous~'file. This letins, in which case the class is considered is true particularly of the largc catalogues as the unit, the Allis-Chalnlers "Flour Mill of jobbers and midtllemcn. No schenw is Bulletins," "Electrical B~llei~ins," etc., likely to provide acceptable classification being in separate binders and each class for such ~naterialas a Sears, Roebuck & indicated separately in the card-indexes. Company catalogue. Scts of bulletins are kept in loose-leaf In the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, binders and in rare cases where there is trade literature is shelved alphabetically by no published list of the numbers in an names of firms, using the following arbi- important set, it is worth while to makc a trary arrangcn1cnt for the publications table of contents on a sheet to be filed in u?zcfer tach firm. This brings together mu- front of each binder. This is perhaps bet- terial of thc same kind and presents no ter than entering each in the card-inclex. problems of classification. The failure to nlalre a separate card for nu~~rtill~...................... 100 each piece of liternture docs not seriously Cntnlr~giles: L'coniplele," "g~wcral," "ger- impair the reference value of the collection, petual" .......................200 because trade directories, such as "Thomas" Cntalo~ucs:"l~nrtt:il," ".rcr*tto~ial"...... 30P Clrculnr~ .............. ... 400 and "Hendricks" indicate the manufacturer I;'olrlcrs, fivers. Ienilets. etc ..........GOO of a special product not shown in the sub- Instruct lol; lujnlin ..................... BOO jcct index. Then, if the literature of this IJhoto~rxl~Iis,I~l~ic-pttnts, etc , of product.. 700 Spectal pulillcntlons (rolmnts or magnzlnc ~nanufactureris available, it is usually no nrt~rlcw, etc ) ....................SOO more tedious to turn through his bulletins, Tcstltnoiiixls ........................ 800 etc., than it would be to look through a Samglcu of pro~lurls...................... 000 large number of cards. Of course, only a very few firms wlll have This arrangement operates better than any such wcnlth of publications as here in- classifying catalogues, because the demand dicated, but the scheme provides for even comes both by firm name and by subject. the most elaborate series. In most cases The former dellland is antomatically met all material wll~l fall in the first three or by shelf arrangment, and the latter by the four subdivisions, which are easily remeni- subject index, occasionally supplemented by bmed, and, through a coincidence, material trade directories. With a classified scheme which may be referred to subdivisions GO0 more time would probably be required in to 900 bears just enough relation to the cor- preparation for the shelves; much d~ficulty responding "Dewey" classes to give the would arise in the case of general cata- scheme a slight n~nenlonicvalue. Subdivi- logues, which do not admit of satisfactory sion 000 taItes care of such material as classification, and there would remain the sample boolts of paper stock, linoleum, oil- problem of getting at the material by firm cloth, wall-paper, etc. Separate card in- name. dexes are kept by subjects and by names of Many publications issued as trade litera- manufacturers. ture are of high technical value, and, when Name Index these are of sufficient importance to justify In the name index, entries are, of course, ~t,they are assigned to the general book under the name of the individual or com- collection-nsually the reference collection pany publishinfi. the literature-not the local -and hundreds of such publications have dealer or clistributor, evcn though the lat- been classified and entcred in the Technology ter nlay have an imprint or "sticlier" pn Dcpartlnent catalogue. To get the best the catalogue. The cards in the name In- service from the trade literature collection, dex give reasonably full information re- however, it IS desirable that all publicaLions garding the publications listed, and bear of any manufacturer shall be indicated (in red) the numerical, symbol indicntmg thereln, so when a publication is assigned the relative location of the publication to the book collection a card is immediately amonq oLhers published by the same firm; filed in the trade literature name index, and any particular catalogue (or set of later, when the publication is catalogued, bulletins) is thus definitely identified by thc this card is provided with the call nnmbcr firm name and the numerical symbol. identifying it. For this purpose, white A cayd is filed for each publicat~onex- cards ase used, while the trade literature cept in the casc of cc~tamregularly num- indexes, in general, are of cheap manila bercd series; in this case, the series. of stocl;. bulletins oy circulars is regarded as equiva- With many manufacturers and dealers lent to n single catalogue, ancl but one card the n~ostimportant trade lityature is in is made for thc set.