Chapter II: Preface

THESE courses of study have been compiled mainly for the use of Library Assistants all over the world who wish to make themselves more efficient in the technical side of their profession, and to aid them in securing the professional certificates awarded by the examining bodies for proficiency in Library Science. They make no pretence to satisfy the needs of the specialist in any of the selected subjects, but the author assures students that each course covers sufficient ground to enable them to pass the examinations if they will work diligently and well throughout the course.

The first edition of this work was out of print within eighteen months of publication. This is sufficient testimony that the work has been well received, and has proved very popular with the student members of the profession. This edition has been completely revised and brought up to date.

The amount of time to be devoted to each lesson will depend on the individual, but it is essential that the prescribed reading lists should be read carefully before attempting any answers. These lists could easily be amplified, but the difficulty has been to keep them within reasonable length and at the same time representative. A large number of American journals are included at the special request of American and Colonial students.

Fees moderate.

The Courses will cover the whole of the syllabus of the Examination.
Studies can be started at any time and spread over the period until
the date of the examination.

A special discount is allowed to members of N.A.L.G.O. Fees can be
paid by instalments if desired--a small extra percentage is charged
for this method of payment.

=For further particulars and enrolment form send stamped addressed
envelope to the General Secretary, N.C.I., Caxton Hall, Westminster,
S.W.1.=]

Most students will find the practice of taking notes, and representing in their own words a summary of what has been read, to be most helpful. These notes should be compared with the text to ensure that essential points have not been missed. The questions and tests should be answered without the aid of text books or notes.

I gladly avail myself of the opportunity to express my gratitude to my wife for her help and valuable suggestions, my indebtedness to Mr. James Cranshaw, for his contribution on English Literary History; to the large number of Librarians and Assistants who have written appreciative letters to me, and to Mr. H. Hamer, F.L.A., for looking over the manuscript and proof, but responsibility for any mistakes is mine.

REGINALD G. WILLIAMS.

Astley Bridge,
Bolton.
23rd January, 1926.

Grafton Books for Librarians

_SUPPLEMENTARY TO THE GENERAL CATALOGUE_.

A Manual of Classification

A Handbook of the Rules and methods of applying classification to
Books, Shelves, Files and other matters, by W. C. Berwick Sayers.
Demy 8vo. Cloth. Illustrated

=Price £1 10s. 0d. net.=

The Theory of Book Selection for Public Libraries

By Lionel R. McColvin. Cr. 8vo. Cloth, pp. 190.

=Price 7s. 6d. net.=

The Public Library

By Ernest A. Baker, D.Litt. Demy 8vo. Cloth. Illustrated, pp. 246.

=Price 10s. 6d. net.=

County Library Service

By Harriet Catherine Long. Demy 8vo. Cloth. Illustrated, pp. 206.
Chicago: American Library Association. London: Grafton & Co.

=Price 10s. 0d. net.=

The Library and the Community

Increased Book Service through Library Publicity based on Community
Studies. By Joseph L. Wheeler. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. Cloth. pp. 418.
Chicago: American Library Association. London: Grafton & Co.

=Price 17s. 6d. net.=

Library Buildings

Notes and Plans. By Chalmers Hadley. Demy 8vo. Cloth. pp. 154.
Chicago: American Library Association. London: Grafton & Co.

=Price 17s. 6d. net.=

Wynkyn de Worde and his contemporaries

From the death of Caxton to 1535. A chapter in English Printing. By
Henry R. Plomer. Cr. 4to. Buckram, Gilt Top. pp. 250. Illustrated.
Limited to 1,000 copies.

=Price £1 1s. 0d. net.=

GRAFTON & CO.
Coptic House, 51 Gt. Russell Street
LONDON, W.C. 1.

COURSES OF STUDY IN LIBRARY SCIENCE

GENERAL TEXT AND REFERENCE BOOKS

American Library Association--Manual of library economy. _Preprints Nos. 1-32. A.L.A., also Grafton & Co., 1s. 6d. each._

Brown (J. D.)--Manual of library economy, _revised edition, 1907. O.P._

_or The third edition revised by W. C. B. Sayers. Grafton, 1919. 30s._

Cannons (H. G. T.)--Bibliography of library economy, 1876-1909. _Russell & Co., 1910. O.P._

_A revised edition is in preparation, and will be published by the American Library Association at an early date._

Encyclopædia Britannica; or, any other good encyclopædia. _Articles on Books, Libraries, Printing, etc._

Friedel (J. H.)--Training for librarianship: library work as a career. _Lippincott’s Training Series. Lippincott: Philadelphia, 1921. 7s. 6d._

Library Association--Syllabus of information on facilities for training in librarianship and the professional examinations. _Various issues from 1894, 1904, 1907 and then periodically. Library Association. 2s. 6d._

PERIODICALS.

Librarian and Book World, _1910 to date. Monthly. Gravesend._

The Library, _1889-1919_ (_continued as_ “The Transactions of the Bibliographical Society: The Library”). _Quarterly. London._

Library Assistant, _1898 to date. Monthly. London._

Library Association Record, _1899 to date. Quarterly. London._

Library Journal, _1876 to date. Monthly. New York._

Library World, _1898 to date. Monthly. London._

Ontario Library Review, _1916 to date. Quarterly. Toronto._

Public Libraries, _1896 to date. Monthly. Chicago._

_Note_: Cannons’s “Bibliography of library economy” indexes the above periodicals from _1876-1909_.

Abbreviations.

_A.L.A._ American Library Association.
_L._ Library.
_L.A._ Library Assistant.
_L. & B.W._ Librarian and Book World.
_L.A.R._ Library Association Record.
_L.J._ Library Journal.
_L.W._ Library World.
_Ont. Lib. Rev._ Ontario Library Review.
_P.L._ Public Libraries.
_Trans. Bib. Soc._ Transactions of the Bibliographical Society.

COURSE ONE--PRACTICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY.

This course covers the collation and description of books which includes the irregularities found in the make-up of early books. The collation by quires, by the aid of water-marks, signatures, catchwords, blank pages, etc. Parts of a modern book. Difficulties in ascertaining when books are perfect. What constitutes a new issue, a new edition, a reprint. Forms of bibliographical descriptions and the essentials of standard descriptions of various classes of books. Then we pass on to the requisites of standard book production. Typography. Presswork. Inks. The constituents and essentials of good book paper. Objects of book illustration, including the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods in use. Library bookbinding. Materials and methods in use, and finally the compilation of bibliographies in which the student is expected to know the principles of arrangement of Author, Subject and Classified bibliographies, and the practical methods of compiling various bibliographies.

TEXT BOOKS REQUIRED.

Brown (J. D.)--Manual of practical bibliography. _The English Library. Routledge, 1906. Also Grafton. 3s._

Brown (J. D.)--The small library. _The English Library. Routledge, 1907. Also Grafton. 3s._

Davenport (Cyril)--The book: its history and development. _Westminster Series. Constable, 1907. 6s._

Fay (L. E.) _and_ Eaton (A. T.)--Instruction in the use of books and libraries. _2nd edition, revised. Faxon & Co.: Boston, 1919. Also Grafton. 22s. 6d._

Hitchcock (F. H.), _editor_.--The building of a book: a series of practical articles written by experts in the various departments of book making and distributing. _T. W. Laurie. O.P._

Jacobi (C. T.)--Printing: a practical treatise on the art of typography as applied more particularly to the printing of books. _6th edition, reprinted. Bell & Sons, 1925. 10s. 6d._

Jacobi (C. T.)--Some notes on books and printing. _4th edition. Whittingham, 1912. 6s._

Library Association--Interim Report of the Book Production Committee. _Library Association. 1s._

Mudge (I.G.)--Bibliography. (Preprint of Manual of library economy. _Chapter 24_). _A.L.A. Pub. Board: Chicago, 1915, may be obtained also from Grafton & Co._

_Note._--Other text books pertaining to specific subjects will be mentioned in the Lesson dealing with that subject.

Take particular note of the factors and notes to be found at the end of each Course.

_Lesson 1._