The Library Chronicle.

The LIBRARY CHRONICLE is issued on the 15th of the month, and communications, books for review, etc., intended for the forthcoming number should be addressed, not later than the 10th of the month, to the Hon. Editor, ERNEST C. THOMAS, care of Messrs. J. Davy & Sons, 137, Long Acre, W.C.

The attention of librarians and library committees, of publishers and booksellers, is called to the advantages of the CHRONICLE (which represents at least 250 libraries) as an advertising medium. Advertisements of Library Vacancies, and of Books Wanted, or Duplicates for Sale or Exchange by Libraries are inserted at low rates.

Members of the Library Association whose subscription for the current year has been paid are entitled to receive the CHRONICLE.

Remittances, subscriptions, and advertisements should be sent to Mr. E. M. BORRAJO, care of the Publishers.

The Library Association cannot be responsible for the views expressed by the contributors to the CHRONICLE.

The Library Association.

At the Meeting of the Council held on August 1, the following Resolution was passed: That this Meeting of the Council of the Library Association desire to express their sense of the loss the Association has sustained in the death of their eminent member the late Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.

A circular has been issued with a preliminary announcement of the arrangements for the Dublin Meeting on September 30th and following days.

Library Echoes.

Our last number will have prepared our readers for the announcement that the American International Conference is definitely postponed for the present. Just after we had gone to press with our last issue we received a cable message from Mr. Bowker to this effect.

Since then we have seen the circular issued by the Secretary of the American Library Association, according to which "it has been found that the dates announced

Dewey adds that as "No better date is available, it seems wisest to omit this fall's meeting. . . . . Our friends abroad have been consulted before announcing this decision . . . and it is expected that the postponement will result in a much larger meeting next year."

We are glad to learn from a private letter that Mr. Dewey has some idea of "running over" to the Dublin Meeting, and is trying to induce Mr. Bowker to come with him. We hope to see them both.

The offers of papers that have already been received for the Dublin Meeting promise an unusually interesting programme. Any further offer of papers should be made at once. Though a more formal announcement on the subject must be deferred until our next number, we have no reason to doubt that in other respects the Meeting will be a great

success.

The Library Association has lost one of its most distinguished ornaments in the death of the learned Rector of Lincoln College. Mr. Pattison was a member of the London Conference in 1877, and one of the original members of the Library Association. For some time he was one of our Vice-Presidents, and has always taken considerable interest in our work.

As one of the Peterborough papers observes, "The powers of darkness have prevailed for the time, and Peterborough is to do without a Free Library and News Room." The promoters of the movement however, are not to be discouraged by one failure, and we have little doubt that they will ultimately have their way.

Though it is certainly an innovation to criticize the fly-leaves of a magazine, we

have no objection to criticism, and do not shrink from expressing our own opinions, or from hearing the opinions of others. But the critic has no right to mis-state facts. The Editor of the Bibliographer in noticing the "Contents of Leading Periodicals" (not the Leading Periodicals, as he makes us say!) observes that it "is chiefly made up of the ordinary sixpenny monthlies." Now of the 15 periodicals whose contents we have set out so far, only four are sixpennies, and four is far from being a majority of 15. Either therefore the Editor of the Bibliographer is stating that which he knows to be untrue, or (like the crows in the story) he cannot count beyond four! As figures have never been the strong point of the Bibliographer, we give it the benefit of the more charitable supposition.

EDITOR.

Library Notes and News.

HOME.

GLASGOW.-The North British Daily Mail of July 22nd, under the title "Glasgow and Free Libraries: the Question for the Ratepayers," prints a very long article containing an elaborate statement of the arguments in favor of the adoption of the Acts.

LEEK. Mr. Hall has already taken LEEK.-Mr. charge of the Nicholson Institute, as Librarian and Curator. The Institute includes a Library, Museum, Art Gallery and School of Art. The building, which, as our readers are aware, has been presented to the town by Mr. Joshua Nicholson, is reported to be a very fine one, and excellently adapted for its purpose. The contract, exclusive of cost of site, arrangements for heating and ventilation, and fittings, was £8,683.

LONDON: BRITISH MUSEUM.-The Pall Mall Gazette of August I contains an account of an interview with Mr. Bond, under the heading of "A Gap in the British Museum." The principal librarian regrets the removal of the Natural History

collections which have always been the most popular, and suggests the formation of a smaller and representative museum to fill the gap. "How can you expect," Mr. Bond asks, "poor people from the East End to go all the way to South Kensington? Here in Bloomsbury the average number of daily visitors to the collections was about 2,500; at South Kensington it is, I believe, 1,000." Mr. Bond also remarked "We do not get so many of the working men as I should like; we shall never do that until we are allowed to open on Sundays. Speaking for myself, I should like to see Sunday opening, and so I believe would most of our officers here; but of course until Parliament sanctions such a step the museum cannot be opened."

LONDON: CHELSEA.-The West Middlesex Advertiser of August 2 calls attention to the value of the work done by the Westminster Free Public Library, and regrets that Chelsea "still remains unprovided with a free public library."

LONDON: INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION. — The Library and Reading Room which have lately been opened in connexion with the Exhibition, contain nearly 8,000 volumes. In the Health Division a large collection has been made of official reports, central and local, bearing on the administration of sanitary laws at home and abroad. A special feature in this department has been made of guide books and medical and popular treatises and photographs relating to the principal English and Foreign Health Re

sorts. The Medical Works on Health are most complete, and such subjects as Food, Dress, Dwelling House, Ambulance, &c., are extensively represented. We believe that this is the largest "Health" Library in existence. The Educational Division contains English and Foreign Works used in the principal scholastic establishments throughout Europe. Mr. Carl A. Thimm, a member of our Association, has, under the direction of the Library Sub-Committee, arranged, classified and catalogued the Library in a wonderfully short space of time.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.

The New Public Library Buildings, and more particularly the Reference Library, are to be in

augurated by T. R. H. the Prince and Princess of Wales, on the 20th of this month.

PETERBOROUGH.-The movement in favour of the adoption of the Libraries Acts has unfortunately not met with the success that seemed to be promised by the character of the public meetings which have been held to consider the question. The Dean of Peterborough presided at a Meeting in favour of the Acts, and Mr. Alderman Stevenson of Leicester and Mr. J. P. Briscoe of Nottingham attended to give information as to the working of the Acts, and Mr. Alderman Thompson of Peterborough, offered to lend a house for twelve months until a library building was provided. The resolution in favour of adopting the Acts was carried with only three dissentients. The opinion of the ratepayers was taken by voting papers, and the result announced on July 11th. The votes were: for adoption of the Acts, 1115; against, 1632; majority against, 517. The number of papers returned blank was 551, so that "these abstentionists lost the cause." The members of the Committee for the promotion of the Public Library have since held a Meeting, and formed themselves into an Association to continue the movement, with Mr. Alderman Percival as Chairman, and Mr. G. C. Hill as Hon. Secretary.

FOREIGN Europe.

BAMBERG.-Dr. Friedrich Leitschuh, the librarian of the Royal Library at Bamberg is contributing an account of the Art Collection of the Library to the Allgemeine Zeitung. The first article appeared on 25th June.

BERLIN.-Advantage has been taken of the Emperor's absence from Berlin to make the necessary changes preparatory to the removal of the Royal Library into its new premises (see ante, p. 25). A strong desire is expressed that the vacancy in the librarianship caused by the death of Prof. Lepsius, may be filled by the appointment of a working librarian, and not merely a distinguished scholar. The collection is said. to number over 800,000 printed volumes.

FRANKFURT-AM-MAIN: STADTBIBLIOTHEK. Dr. Ernst Kelchner, who has already described in special catalogues some of the treasures of the Library, has published a careful bibliographical account of the Luther books in the Library dating from 1518-46.

PARIS. An announcement appears in a contemporary that the service of "Archives départementales, communales et hospitalières" has been "separated from the office of Minister of Public Instruction and the Fine Arts." What has really happened is that this service has been transferred from the Ministry of the Interior and annexed to that of Public Instruction, to which, as our readers are aware, the service of the National Archives was already attached.

PARIS: LIBRARY EXAMINATION.—As a result of the examination held in May last (see p. 26 ante) the Minister of Public Instruction has awarded certificates of competency to six candidates, whose names are given in the July number of Le Livre. Three of the successful candidates are already engaged in University Libraries.

PARIS: SOCIÉTÉ FRANKLIN.-The May issue of the Bulletin de la Société Franklin (Journal des Bibliothèques Populaires) contains the Report presented to the Annual Meeting, held on April 29th, by M. André Michel. The books distributed to libraries during the year were of the value of 49,902 fr. The Society is making a special effort to provide libraries for Military Hospitals, and a letter was read from the Minister of War, thanking the Society. A number of prizes were awarded to persons who had rendered special services in the promotion of popular libraries.

United States.

BOSTON.-Messrs. Cupples, Upham & Co. of Boston announce a forthcoming work on "The Libraries of Boston," in which will be included accounts of over one hundred of the principal private libraries. It is proposed to issue it only to subscribers.

NEW YORK: ASTOR LIBRARY. - Mr. John Jacob Astor has recently presented

to the Library a valuable gift numbering only ten articles, which however are said to have cost over £6000. They are: (1) The Complutensian Polyglot; (2) Fust and Schoeffer's Latin Bible of 1462, on vellum; (3) A Vulgate from the Grolier Collection; (4) Tyndale's Pentateuch of 1530 (imperfect); (5) Coverdale's Bible of 1535 (also imperfect); (6) Eliot's Indian Bible, first edition with the rare English Title and Dedication; (7) Fust and Schoeffer's Durandus, 1459; (8) Wiclif's N.T., MS. on vellum, Duke Humphrey's copy; (9) an illuminated Sarum Missal; and (10) an illuminated Evangelistarium on vellum, of the 9th century.

however are for the use of the medical staff. At the Mazas establishment one of the prisoners performs the duties of librarian, and it appears that a suitable librarian is not easily found. Librarians do not generally go to prison.

The August Bibliographer states that the Halle University Library "contains 40,000 vols." and "has the most complete collection of periodicals, German and Foreign." Even to one who knows nothing of German University Libraries, such a statement must appear transparently absurd. After allowing for so many periodicals, what can there be left to represent the range of subjects studied in a German University? If the Editor had consulted the Encyclopædia Britannica, he would have found that the Halle University Library three years ago numbered not 40,000, but 220,000 vols.! The fact is that the Bibliographer has confounded the Halle Akademie with the University, the speciality of the former being naturally "periodische Schriften aus dem Gebiete der Naturwissenschaften."

The July number of Dr. Petzholdt's Anzeiger has an article on the recent discussions in the Prussian Parliament on the Royal Library at Berlin.

Professor Dziatzko contributes to the July number of the Centralblatt für Bibliothekswesen an excellent article on the Centralization of the Catalogues of German Libraries. Instead of collecting manuscript copies of all the catalogues at Berlin-as proposed by Prof. von. Treitschke-Prof. Dziatzko proposes that a general alphabetical catalogue should be printed--a Thesaurus Germaniæ Typographicus, and suggests that by a system of signs, the existence of the books in each of the larger libraries might be easily. indicated without a great expenditure of space. The proposal is one which has been made here in connexion with the General Catalogue of English Literature, and which has not yet received the attention it deserves.