Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/148

136 CO-OPERATION AMONG 2. THE PRACTICE OF LENDING. In the Royal Library at Berlin, the letters asking for books to places out of Berlin are first examined by the Vorsteher der Leihstelle (the superintendent of the lending department). He is careful to add the number of demanded books, if this number is wanting in the letter. 1 Then the books are looked out in the catalogues by the officials charged with looking out all books ordered without press-mark. When the available books with their order slips arrive from the shelves in the lending department, books and order slips are compared to correfl mistakes. Slips stating the date for returning the books, 2 and in certain cases that they may be used only in the rooms of the borrowing library, are put into the books, and these are arranged under the names of the borrowing libraries or persons. As soon as all order slips of one borrower with the available books, or with a negative answer (' not extant,' c non available/ 'lent') have arrived, 3 the letter form is filled in, stating the number of the books sent, the time for using them, and, if so required, the insured value.* The order slips with negative answers, in certain 1 In the Prussian Leihverkehr a letter accompanying the order slips may be dispensed with, if the name of the borrowing library and the number of the order slips is recorded on the cover. 2 In the Prussian Leihverkehr only in the case of ' verkurzte Leihfrist ' (shortened time for using the books). 3 In the intercourse with a number of large libraries partici- pating in the Prussian Leihverkehr : daily. 4 Out of the Prussian Leihverkehr : and asking for returning them postage-free, and equally packed and insured.