Essays In Librarianship And Bibliography »

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This is an OCR edition with typos.
Excerpt from book:
THE PRINTING OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM CATALOGUE1 The subject of my paper is one which has for many years attracted a large share of attention from the world of letters. It formed a topic of discussion at the first meeting of this Association ; when few anticipated within how short a period it would be possible to state that not merely was a printed catalogue of books already in the Museum in progress, but that the titles of all books received were also printed, and issued in the form of an Accession Catalogue. Having already had the honour of giving some account of the latter department of the undertaking to the Conference at Manchester, I shall on the present occasion confine myself principally to the printed catalogue of books actually in the Library. I propose to offer a brief retrospect of what has been done during the half-century over which the discussions respecting the Museum Catalogue have extended ; to indicate with corresponding brevity what is doing now; to answer some natural inquiries by anticipation ; and, finally, having shown, I trust, that the Museum is performing its part, to appeal for the national supportrequisite to expedite the progress of this truly national undertaking. Though compelled to withhold much illustrative matter of great interest, I cannot forbear to remark upon the signal fitness of such a theme being brought forward for discussion in the halls of the University of Cambridge, whose library has, I believe, the honour of being the first to demonstrate the practicability, not merely of printing a catalogue, but of keeping a catalogue up in print. Three particulars will, I think, clearly appear from this brief retrospect. That the initiation qf the British Museum Catalogue was the act of the Trustees of the British Museum themselves. That, having ...