I.

INCE the instituting of topical "reports,"

SINCE

which began with the Cincinnati meeting in 1882, some items have been successively treated, while others have been reported upon but rarely or not at all. Up to this date the subject of Charging Systems, among others, has not been dealt with since the report made at that time by K. A: Linderfelt. (L. j., 7:178.) Nor did he undertake a specially full report, since his paper was prepared upon very short notice, and hence related chiefly to his application of a very complete and effective method at the Milwaukee Public Library.

But at the outset he stated in a most succinct way a sort of synopsis, which, if followed out thoroughly, would result in an exhaustive treatment of the question. It will bear repeating here.

Mr. Linderfelt said he should have liked to give:

a. "A history of the development of system in the manner of charging books to borrowers. b. "A sketch of the methods now employed in the libraries of America.

c. "Comparisons between them, pointing out their several defects and advantages, and thus opening a way to

d. "a charging system of ideal perfection." This present report, however, does not aim at such a well-rounded treatment of the subject, although the hope is entertained that it may, in some respects, pave the way to a more satisfactory consideration of that branch of library administration by some one else in the near future.

Mr. J. N. Larned, in his 1887 report on Library Architecture (L. j. 12:377), has very pertinently stated what seems to be a correct view regarding such a paper as this. He said: "The chief object of these successive reports which we have planned for our meetings (on certain matters of permanent interest in the library field) is the record of ideas and

MICH.

experiments, of movements and developments, that may thus be preserved."

In the spirit of those sentiments, then, as near as may be, the following report has been prepared and is submitted.

The data for it have been gathered partly from notes and memoranda of prior study upon the general subject during a dozen. years past, and latterly through a pretty free use of query circulars. A trifle more than 300 circulars (containing practically sixty-two questions) were sent to libraries of the United States, in all sections and of all kinds, and including a few leading libraries in Canada. They were aimed at and sent chiefly, however, to libraries which loan books to readers for home use, including both school, free-public, and pay-public, and proprietary or association libraries. Fully two thirds of them have returned answers, of varied fulness, and usually accompanied by more or less sample blanks or explanatory forms.

In some cases very complete replies were given, together with such a detailed and lucid setting forth of their methods and the forms in use, that one could scarcely have learned more thereof by an extended personal visit. To all such parties the reporter is under especial obligations, and almost wishes that courtesy might permit naming them.

Consideration of the subject of Charging Systems and Methods, in all of its bearings, soon leads one to see that many particulars of an allied character are both implied and necessarily associated therewith.

This is especially the case concerning public libraries. Such as the freedom of, or restrictions on, the library privileges or use; the limitation of issues, in number or time; the particular service for which each library was intended or established; the nature of its make-up, and the classes of patrons served; the penalties exacted for infringe

There are some very interesting phases of this subject, when looked at in its legal characteristics; such as the nature of the contract between lender and borrower and the duties and responsibilities of each. The limits of this report will not admit of their consideration, however; and so, disregarding the legal points, we may look only to practical working features.

The demand for speed and accuracy in the initial charges is readily recognized. A like result in the transactions connected with the return of the books is equally desirable.

The matter of intermediate entries or records for the convenience, information, or protection of the library does not especially

concern the borrower. As to the library, considerations of time and expense may govern and determine how much or how little shall be done in that respect.

Charges of books loaned are not exactly analogous with ordinary mercantile charges. Nevertheless, methods in vogue for the latter have governed more or less in determining the practices to be followed by librarians for charging books to borrowers.

The old typical counting-house book-keeping called for a day-book, in which transactions should be entered consecutively as they occurred. Then such day-book entries would be transferred, or "posted" (either directly or via the journal), to the individual ledger accounts with the several customers. Should the respective customers wish to "settle up," then their accounts in the ledger would be consulted, and (if the books were fully posted), afforded a speedy answer for the purpose.

English libraries, as was to be expected among such a commercial people, did much the same way in making use of a day-book for consecutive charges of books loaned to subscribers or borrowers. The same practice, with some modification, is yet followed by most of the so-called “circulating libraries; that is, libraries like Mudie's or Loring's, etc., which are conducted as business ventures.

There are many merits in the day-book system; and quite frequently some of our wide-awake American librarians find them out, and announce as a new system or method that which was one of the very first to be used by libraries in issuing books for use outside of the library premises.

Using the day-book method, and subsequently posting its successive charges to individual ledger accounts, it was an easy transition for some one to adopt the idea of making the charge on the ledger direct to the personal account in the outset, and so dispense with the day-book. Some mercantile houses have done the same thing in their bookkeeping, without finding occasion to regret it. As a labor-saving scheme and patent on its face, such practice was followed by the majority of the libraries in the United States, until within a few years, which accounts for

the less common knowledge of the day-book method among many librarians.

While the English libraries, as has been said, naturally adopted the use of a day-book or ledger system, the fact that the transactions to be recorded were loans and not sales, led them to also incline towards taking receipts for the books loaned. At first the receipting or signing of the borrower's name was done on the margin of the entry in the day-book or ledger, opposite the name or number of the book charged. That method has also been practiced occasionally in this country. Later on (and obviously derived from making on a blank or sheet of paper a schedule or list of works wanted) the idea of having such a "call-list," as we would now term it, signed and retained as a receipt or voucher, seems to have become much in favor, and, in fact, to have been the forerunner of more recent methods of using such slips and tickets in library service in the many ways with which we are familiar. To this day the taking of a receipt of some sort is an almost essential feature in the permissible use of works from a purely reference library or department; also in very many reading-rooms.

Among the legal fraternity a practice has sometimes been followed in loaning books to brother lawyers which has in it the elements of simplicity and yet of fair effectiveness. If the borrower sends by messenger (as not at all unusual) a written request for some particular book, it takes but a moment to put the note or card in the place on the shelf from which the book was taken. If borrowed in person, then, as a business measure, a memorandum of like import, on a card or scrap of paper, is made to answer in the same way, the memorandum not only keeping the place open, as it were, for the return of the book, but also standing ready to tell any other inquirer the why and wherefore of its absence. We readily recognize the method as akin to some common in Sunday-school libraries, though not always eminently successful. In one instance where a similar memorandum scheme was applied to a Sunday-school library, it so happened that the doors of the cases

fitted exceedingly close, nearly air-tight, in fact. So, when the doors were opened smartly, the vacuum formed was sufficient to suck out nearly all the slips and drop them on the floor in a decidedly mixed array. After a few experiences of that kind, the next librarian adopted another system.

We now come to the inception of the slip system of charging in its application to our public libraries. The ledger practically held its own in the libraries of the United States, till the early days of our civil war of 1861.

As late as 1856, Dr. N. B. Shurtleff (well known in the history of the Boston P. L.), in a work of eighty pages describing "a decimal system for the arrangement and administration of libraries," recommended charges to be made in a loan-book, having five accounts on a page; ten on the two pages or folio; then the ninth account on folio 365 would be 3,659,

etc.

In 1861, Prof. C: C. Jewett, Superintendent of the Boston P. L., put forth in a pamphlet of twenty pages a plan for circulation and use of the books in the Upper Hall of the [Boston] Public Library." This plan proposed to permit all holders of Lower Hall cards to have a further or special card for use in the Upper Hall. This special card was to be left at the library (in pawn, as it were), for each book drawn thereby. In addition, a receipt was to be taken on a blank form having a coupon or stub, which coupon was to be surrendered to the borrower upon return of the book, canceling by its detachment the borrower's receipt. The date of lending the book was further to be stamped or written on a ticket (or abstract of the regulations), attached to the book cover, so that the borrower could thus see when it was due, and also that such ticket might give a progressive record of the use of that particular book.

The receipts were to be placed in a drawer or pigeon-holes, arranged alphabetically in order of names of borrowers, each day's issues by themselves. The borrower's cards (which were devised for both identification and for giving lists of call numbers) being retained at the library in lieu of the books drawn, in

addition to the receipts, and were to be placed in other drawers in alphabetical order. The cardholders might also give a written order, authorizing another party to draw and receipt in the holder's own name.

The foregoing all sounds very much like an account of some "combined charging systems," which have been elaborated long since then, and urged as new devices. But so far as now known, the idea was original with Prof. Jewett. However, it does not seem to have been put into use there, or, at least, not in its full form.

Later, Jan. 9, 1866, Prof. Jewett submitted to the Trustees of the Boston Public Library, another pamphlet report of a "plan for recording loans." Its chief features were the use of a slip of paper for each loan, as being simple and adaptable to charging exigencies, and readily assorted in various ways.

The slip was to show: First, date of loan; second, some brief indication of the title of the book lent; third, shelf and order number of the book; and fourth, name and residence of the borrower. To save many borrowers the inconvenience of being obliged to sign their names, etc., it was proposed to have the slips written by the attendants. He preferred also a printed form for the slips, and use of a serial or consecutive numbering of same, through each day. Date of issue was to be stamped on each slip; also on cover of book, inside, and on the borrower's card. Date of return was in like manner to be stamped all around, but in different colored ink.

Each day's bundle of slips was to be placed in separate pigeon-holes (in order of book numbers), progressing forward till the thirteenth day, and thus showing overdue or finable books. Date on borrower's card prevented his having more than one book at a time, and the card was always to be presented in drawing or returning a book. If the card became lost, its holder must wait, before receiving a new one in its place, till it could be ascertained that no book was charged to it. That fact would be ascertained upon examination, or finally show patent in thirteen days. It was further deemed that such negligence on the part of

the borrowers should always subject them to a temporary suspension of privileges. [Nowa-days they have very often to pay a fine or penalty, in addition to waiting from fifteen to thirty days.]

If no card was presented with a book on its return, then the date on the cover would indicate the package containing the charge slip. Slips withdrawn and canceled upon return of the books were to be sorted, so as to bring together all slips for the same book, and thus show its use and frequency of subjects read upon and the like.

Those familiar with the present well-known and typical Boston Public Library chargingslips and system generally, will readily recognize its leading features in this plan of Prof. Jewett's. With minor exceptions, it seems to have been but little changed or modified during these twenty years and upwards, and is still the chief standby of a large proportion of our public libraries. One salient step in the way of economy and convenience in its application has been made by many libraries, however, in using a smaller blank slip, on which the charge entries are made entirely by the attendants. This does not require the borrower to assist in making the charge, nor take away from him his lists of call numberswhich lists are often prepared at much outlay of time and effort. In doing this latter, the Boston Public Library seems to have departed from Prof. Jewett's original intentions.

So, also, one other economy is found practicable and satisfactory in many libraries, which consists in not placing any date slip or entries within the book itself (or cover), so long as the charging dates are shown on the borrower's card. A card pocket may serve as both book plate and holder for card and lists, and will practically do away with about all liability of lost cards, so long as the holder continues active in drawing books.

At about the same time as Prof. Jewett's first plan, there was also another ingenious scheme submitted by Mr. John Coffin Jones Brown (while one of the Trustees of the Public Library), entitled "A system of record devised and proposed for the use of the [Boston] Public Library, July, 1861. (Printed