Page:The Library, volume 5, series 3.djvu/111

THE PANIZZI CLUB. 99 Council. As to their own scheme in its constructive aspeft author catalogues were now at a discount as compared with subjeft and class catalogues, and he thought that they should study the best methods of issuing these on a system, possibly a co-operative system. The most urgent work of all was the compilation of a Union List of Periodicals, because periodicals are the back-bone of specialist collec- tions. They must find out whether several libraries were buying the same periodicals, while other periodicals, little, if at all, less good, were left unrepresented. If information of this kind were available, it would be possible to regulate purchases somewhat more scientifically. In further support of the motion, Mr. R. W. Chambers (University College, London) spoke chiefly on the development of the interchange of books between different libraries. On a tour in Germany five or six years previously he had seen the system in full working order, and on his return had persuaded his Committee to build a strong room, in which he now had the pleasure of keeping numerous manuscripts and printed books borrowed chiefly from foreign libraries. Owing to the growth of local universities all over England we had now the same reasons for adopting this system as the Germans had had all along. A good working library might be built up in a local university with anything between 100,000 and 200,000 volumes, but for real efficiency this must be supplemented by the power of drawing occasion- ally on a collection of ten times this size. The British Museum was not available for this purpose,