THE RECLASSIFICATION OF A CHEMISTRY LIBRARY, ACCORDING TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SYSTEM CLYDEW. MASON, ComEu UNIVERSITY, I ~ c ANEW , YORK
When a chemist goes to a library in search of information he is really entering a rather special "stockroom," in which the reference books and journals correspond to the apparatus and chemicals. They are the instruments and materials of a sort of vicarious experimentation, which is often as suggestive of future investigations as it is economical of needless repetition. To be of the utmost value, the "stock" should be as complete as possible, and all items should be easily accessible with the minimum of searching. However, the library ought to be more than a warehouse for books-it should function as a showroom also, to exhibit its contents for the benefit of persons who may not know precisely what they want or what is to be had. The following account of the reclassificati~of the library of the department of chemistry at Cornell University is presented as an example of the method employed and the points considered in bringing a fairly large collection of reference works into a systematic arrangement based on the present and future scope of chemistry. The experience described is exceptional in that it involved the abandonment of the existing system and the establishment of an entirely different one, thus constituting a more severe test of the procedure chosen than if the library had merely "grown up with it." The library of Cornell University occupies a central building, but certain special divisions are housed in the various colleges and departments. The system of classification in use was originated in the early days of the University, and is peculiar to Cornell. It has become more or less ontgrown, and in the case of books on chemistry presented numerous inconsistencies. These would not be serious if books were dealt with only by their catalog numbers, but in a library such as that of the department of chemistry, where the books are mostly used in the stackroom, it is highly important that those on a given topic should be adjacent on the shelves. The existing classification made no provision for many of the modem fields of chemistry and curious discrepancies frequently appeared,. especially since it was not administered by persons conversant with the various subdivisions and topics of the science. As a consequence, the members of the st& and the advanced students of the department of chemistry were seriously handicapped by having always to resort to the catalog when seeking books, and many valuable works were almost unused because they were "buried" among others unrelated to them. The catalog, which properly should serve to group hooks in classes, was little more than a list of authors and titles. For the above reasons, and others of less general interest, it was decided to reclassify and rearrange the library. Over 7500 volumes were involved, I887
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including some eighty sets of periodicals. The books were in continual use, and numerous research workers would have been seriously inconvenienced if the library had been closed during the change. The existing classification numbers had to be preserved for purposes of record in the main library, where a duplicate catalog is maintained. No extra staff was available, and expense had to be kept a t a minimum. The librarian was not trained in chemistry, but had had some previous experience in the main library. To meet these restrictions a certain amount of planning was necessary; it was not a simple matter of "shuffling and a new deal." The system of classification chosen was that used by the Library of Congress. In addition to the fact that it is eventually to be used throughout the university library, it presents a number of distinct advantages: 1. It is an existing system, capable of considerable expansion, and articulated with other fields of knowledge. Its use as such is preferable to the invention of a new system which would of necessity be similar. 2. Fairly complete printed guides for classification are available. 3. Printed cards may be obtained for almost every new book and for most old ones. The choice of a system was also influenced by the fact that the Library of Congress Classification has been used for a number of years in the library of the Chemists' Club of New York where it has been found satisfactory. Other systems' (1)might be useful for certain cases, but in the opinion of the writer they are not as convenient for a chemical library. Of the chief classes of the Library of Congress system, those designated Q (pure science) and T (technology) will comprise most books and periodicals belonging in a chemical library. These will fall mainly within the QC, physics; QD, chemistry and crystallography; QE, sub-classes: geology and mineralogy; QII, microscopy; QP, physiology; QR, bacteriology; TD, sanitary engineering; T N , mining, metallurgy, and mineral industries; T P , chemical technology; TS, manufactures; and T X , foods and domestic science. Within these sub-classes the grouping is on a decimal system, general works being placed before special topics. The published classifications (obtainable from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington) indicate the main subdivisions of the various fields which they include, together with numerous topics in each of these. However, the classification as published is not wholly adequate, largely because of the innumerable recent developments in science and its applications. This is to be expected in any system, and fortunately provision has been made for the insertion of numbers or decimals to cover the systematic arrangement of these additional topics. The classification in successful use at the Chemists' Club had been modified somewhat, which ' "Dewey decimal" or "Cutter expansive."
VOL.7, NO. 8 RECLASSIFICATION OF A CHEMISTRY LIBRARY
QD
CHEMISTRY PHYSICAL AND TREORETICAL CHEMISTRY.
450 453 454 456 457 458 461
463 464
466 467 468 469 470 471 473 475
477 481
1889
QD
"Physico-chemical"
Periodicals. Societies, etc., see QD 1. General works. Elementary works. Methods of experimentation. Laboratory manuals. Calcdations. Atomic theory and laws of chemical combination. AmMIC WEIGETS. General. Of individual elements (alphabetically by chemical symbol). CHEMICAL ELEMENTS. Nature and properties. Classification. Periodic Law, etc. Atomic structure. Isotopes. Radioactivity. Valence. Chemical compounds. Structure and formulas. Isomerism. Physical properties in relation t o structure. E . g., Odor. Inorganic compounds. Alloys, see T N 690, T S 650, TA 490. Acids (General). Stereochemistry. Stef'eoisomerirm.
513 Thermometry and pyrometry. 514 Calorimeters, -metry. 515 Chemistry of high and low temperatures (general). 516 Combustion. flame, explosion. 517 Dissociation. 518 Melting and boiling points. Tables see QD 65. 519 Fusion and solidification. Electric furnace operations, see QD 157,277. 524 Eeeporetion. 526 Fractional distillation. 528 Sublimation. 531 Manipulation of gases and vapors. 533 Vapor densities. 534 Critical state. Critical point. Epualions of state. 535 Liquefaction of gases. 536 Research a t low temperatures. 537 High pressures. Pieeo-chemistry. Theory of solution. 541 General. of. QD 561. Special topics. 543 Solubility, osmotic pressure, diffusion, etc. Heat of solution. Dictionaries of solubilities in QD 66.
conditions and laws of chemical change. Chemical kineti~s. Chemical equilibrium. Chemical affinity. Velocity of reaction. Reactions between gases. Catalysis. Phase rule, etc. Allotropy. Polymorphism. States of aggregation. Thermodynamics. Thermochemistry.
545 Freezing points and vapor pressures. Determination of molecular weight. 546 Hydrates and complexes in solution. 547 Non-aqueous solutions. 548 Supersaturated solutions. Crystallization, etc. 549 Colloidal state. CoUaidal chemistry. 550 Adsorption. Capillary phenomeca. Surfaceforces. 551 Electrical properties of colloids.
FIGURE 1.-A
PAGE OF TEE LIBRARY O P CONGRESS CLASSIFICATION, SHOWING REVISIONS (in italics)
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encouraged the present writer to attempt a more extensive revision. Particularly in the field of "physical and theoretical chemistry" was it necessary to insert additional numbers and sub-topics, as shown in Figure 1. The various general divisions of "chemical engineeringr7-for instance, plant design, unit operations of a physical or chemical character, and chemical properties of materials of construction-were not represented, and certain of the newer chemical industries and products had to he provided for. Throughout the revision three points were kept in mind: 1. Sub-topics had to he sufficiently definite and explicit so that a person only slightly conversant with the content of the larger divisions of chemistry would he properly guided, and so that the maximum number of books would obviously fall into their proper classes. 2. Numbers had to be provided for important new subdivisions of the fields, so that within them related works would be grouped together, instead of being arranged only by author. Intervening numbers had to be left to provide for future developments in chemistry. 3. These changes had to be made as amplifications rather than alterations of the existing classification, in order to retain its advantages mentioned above. I t was also found convenient to "stretch the classification somewhat so as to include a few books not on strictly chemical subjects, but nevertheless of interest to chemists and capable of being construed as belonging to various subdivisions of chemistry and entitled to a place in a chemical library. The alterations and expansions of the original Library of Congress Classification (amounting to about between ten and twenty per cent additional topics) were first worked out on paper, before the actual reclassification was begun. It was hoped that no gaps would be found when the books were actually assigned their respective class numbers, and very few actually did appear. This may perhaps indicate that the revised classification will be adequate for some little time in the future, hut although a considerable amount of imagination regarding probable developments of chemistry has been involved, occasionally a new hook appears which deals with a novel configuration of knowledge or a new field of discovery, and a place has to be made for it. Numbers for many additional topics are still available, and the classification can of course be expanded indefinitely if a sufficient number of decimal places are introduced. The 61st step in the actual transition was the ordering of the printed cards published by the Library of Congress for all books received by it (all copyrighted in the United States since 1898, and numerous others). These cards, a typical one of which is shown in Figure 2, are one of the
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great advantages of the Library of Congress system. Not only do they carry full information about the book, for the benefit of the catalog user, but in addition they serve as a useful guide for the librarian. For instance, each of the more important subjects under which the book should be cataloged is shown ( A , Figure 2). The number which would be assigned to the book in accordance with the original Library of Congress classification usually appears (B, Figure 2). The order number, by which the cards are obtained from the Library of Congress, is located in the lower right-hand comer (C, Figure 2). The procedure used in ordering the cards, which was fortunately the simplest one, was made possible by ,the fact that the Cornell University library is a depository in which a complete set of all the published cards is kept. In small lots, the cards of the old catalog of the chemistry library were taken to the set of Library of Congress cards, and it was ascertained whether printed cards were obtainable to replace them. If so, the order number of the Library of starch obllllrn. Congress card was copied, wdm, wrt petrle, IWC rd. @ 321 A eomp~ehmirsavnag of a r c h demi&ry ... mmpild and the number of cards w 285 and adited bylbbart P.W d m , in mlhbamtion 6th tba fol. lowing mtboritia: J e m a Alexander, C.rl L.&barg, V i o necessary to provide one tor G. Blade ...,and othem, New York, The Cbemimiarl st.. in^., .. UM., dlqn.IWP. each for the author, title, and the appropriate cross DTan.arm PL romme6 ~ U-de1 O ~a .Wm .m~-.Dt ,e uu .nxII l W yI o n .huI .".,bli ,.. I, -m mrwean ilrenmn on uu nmwrr s .camh-, dPI-, -a -lOl fortharndod 1811-I=. references (as indicated on "Rllrmnm" .I end ol maf of lb2 0ha.t.n ol UU gnWm om . L . M l C k r n l a t " .na W b . 0 , ~ (-. 1 PC 1, the card) was noted. The I( ~t8';rr;,af.Bzh-sIbl. ..6, m. B I ~ x. r-me. mugr !I. .ran, n,ntlr order numbers were arL W a*~~o~~~ ~m TM~B : ~ M a-~lt~. --cam1 *am ranged according to the aW?mtI l m u n c form recommended the FIGURE 2.-A LIBRARYOF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD Library of Congress, and the cards ordered in lots corresponding to a hundred or more books a t a time. If the above procedure is followed, the cost of the cards is2.5 cents for the first one and 1.5 cents for each duplicate. On the average the cost of cards will be about 5 cents per title. As an alternative method of ordering cards by number, if a depository library is not close a t hand, the proof sheets used in printing the cards may be employed. Sets of these are sometimes owned by libraries which are not depositories of cards, or the proofs of cards in any class may be purchased fairly cheaply. It is highly desirable to order cards by number, if possible, for mistakes are less likely to occur and there is a considerable saving in the cost of cards because less work is required in filling the order. If cards or proofs of them are not available for any given book, or if for some reason they cannot be found by the purchaser, orders by author and title are an alternative. In the case of the chemistry library a t Cornell as many different cards as possible were ordered by number. Cards for the remaining books were ordered by listing the author, title. and edition
--
1_
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of the book. The cost for such orders is slightly more than 4 cents for the first card and 1.5 cents for each duplicate desired, making the cost per book about 8 cents. If cards are not obtainable a t once, they may be forthcoming later, if the book is a new one or if the Library of Congress happens to be behind in printing cards in that class. Printed cards were ultimately secured for about four-fifths of the books in the library. Of the newer books, and those being received, nearly nine-tenths may be represented by Library of Congress cards. The ordering of the cards was done by the librarian during lulls in her regular duties. As the cards arrived and accumulated, the writer took the corresponding books from the shelves, examined their tables of contents and method of presentation, if necessary, and assigned to them a class number according to the revised Library of Congress classification, marking it on the inside front cover. Actual inspection of the books was practically essential to satisfactory classification, since titles were often found to be misnomers. As a useful guide to classification, the class number was checked against that printed on the card, when present, by the librarian. The librarian also ascertained the "author number" according to the widely used "Cutter system," and this was added to the class number in the book and on the card. Journals were classified by subjects, according to the Library of Congress system, and within classes by the Cutter number of the title or society. Serial works, even though under a nominal editorship, were treated as separate books if they were actually independent monographs, provided that they were bound separately. After classification the books were replaced in the stacks. This work was carried on a t odd times, as convenient. It was undoubtedly a great advantage to have it done by a chemist, especially one having the revised classification well in mind and on the lookout for possible shortcomings requiring further revision. However, it should be possible for a non-chemist librarian or one with only an elementary knowledge of the subject to use the revised classification successfully for all but a few books, especially if a chemist were available to advise in doubtful cases. The Library of Congress numbers which appear on most of the printed cards would be a great help, if not followed too rigorously in all cases. The next stage in the transition was the typing of the proper headings (title, in black; or cross-reference subjects, in red) and the call number (class and author number) on the card, together with any minor revisions as to edition, etc. Cards for the relatively few books for which no printed cards could be obtained were made out on the same general plan as the Library of Congress cards. The number of the cross-reference cards and
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the headings on them were determined by the judgment of the librarian, guided by the "secondary entry headings" and the contents as printed on the cards. The cards were then filed in alphabetical order according to their headings. Labels were also pasted on the backs of the books (labels printed with class letters may be purchased) and these were numbered with the new call number. The old labels were not removed. This work was done in spare moments during the librarian's regular hours. The above operations, which were extended throughout one school year, rendered the library ready for physical rearrangement. This was done after the summer session had ended, a t the time when there were relatively few persons using the library. The positions of the volumes on the shelves were of course determined by their call nnmbers; the books were placed nearest the librarian's desk, since they were called for most by students not having access to the stacks. Spaces for future expansion were left a t appropriate intervals; these facilitated the separation of classes, and the placing of little-used books on the upper shelves. As the rearrangement was carried out a few discrepancies of classification were discovered and these were remedied, so that the chief purpose--that of bringing related books together-would be achieved as fully as possible. The journals presented more of a problem, because of the large number of volumes and the fact that each set had to be considered as a unit. They were arranged in order of their call numbers starting a t the inner end of the stacks, so that Chemical Abstracts would be adjacent to a large table and could be used with the greatest convenience, without being carried to various parts of the stackroom. The earliest numbers of each periodical were placed highest, as were the little-used journals, but still in accordance to their call numbers. It would be equally possible to intersperse journals among the hooks, in strict order of the classification, but since this would mean more rehandling with the growth of the library and less ease in finding books without the catalog, i t was not deemed preferable. The rearrangement of the library occupied one person's time for about four days. Books and journals were in use continually throughout the process. As soon as the books were in their places the old catalog was removed and the file of Library of Congress cards replaced it. Guide numbers were placed on the ends of the stacks, as were lists showing the new locations of the journals. The old labels were removed as convenient. From the first the users of the library have appeared to have very little trouble in finding books without the catalog; the new positions of some of the more familiar journals and handbooks have caused a few moments searching until once located. It is a simple matter for even a stranger to iind the general location of books on a given topic, or for the librarian to direct a student to a shelf of books from which he can choose. Neg-
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lected books are being used more, new books are more readily noticed, and "browsing" is made more attractive. The librarian is greatly aided in finding and replacing books. Although these advantages have perhaps tended to lessen the importance of the card catalog, it is nevertheless much more complete and better cross indexed, and as an ultimate means of finding books by author, title, or subject, is a great improvement over the "home-made" cards. When new books are ordered, Library of Congress cards are ordered also; these may not arrive before the book, in which case a temporary card is placed in the catalog. The cost of the change, carried out as indicated above, was practically confined to cards and labels. The benefits, in saving of time and in facilitating study, cannot be estimated, though they are none the less real. The library as a tool for the investigator is made more familiar and more usable, while the scope and character of its contents are brought to the attention of the student in a direct, vivid, and lasting manner. It is like a museum with open cases, instead of a storeroom with neither order nor convenience.
Literature Cited CRANE& PATTBRSON, "The Literature of Chemistry," John Wiley & Sons, Inc..New York City, 1927, pp. 204-6. (2)
