Supplement to the 1815 Catalog, 1830
Scope and Contents
This printed catalog supplement extends the 1815 catalog from #1,027 to #1,728 updating it to August 1830. It was likely published around that time by William Greer, printer, and matches the titles. It matches the numbers of a listing of books dated 1828 in one of the circulation books suggesting that no rearrangement of newer books occurred prior to publication.
The supplement has most of the same information as the 1815, offering the number, title, volume, and value of each title, but lacks its classification system by size and subject. Despite a short cross-listing of periodical works, it has neither the subject classification nor even alphabetization to make it a ready reference.
Dates
- Publication: 1830
Extent
From the Collection: 7.75 Linear Feet (15 boxes) : 12.5 legal size boxes, 1 oversize box, and one record storage carton of audio-visual material. ; Oz 25 x 20 x 2.5
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The catalog uses a numbering system in which the full number is given only every hundred and but which otherwise provides only the last two digits, hence the sequence: 98, 99, 1100, 01, 02.
The main portion of the catalog appears to be in accession order. At the end of the numbers #1,028-#1,728, a cross-listing of about 20 periodical works appears.
Processing Information
There is no mention of when the supplement was produced in the minutes, which is odd for a printed pamphlet. As a result dating was attempted starting from the circulation records, which showed the #1,728 was first checked out on 14 August 1830. According to the minutes, a meeting had been called for 10 May 1830, only to be quickly adjourned "there appearing no business requiring the attention of the board," and quarterly meetings on 2 August and 2 November adjourned for lack of a quorum. The librarian at the time, George Drinker, had replaced his predecessor in October 1829 and been confirmed in the position in March, so the working hypothesis is that he pushed to update the catalog after becoming librarian but the question was either not deemed important or could not be addressed due to the lack of a quorum and that it was printing anyway sometime in 1830. That date may need to be updated in light of additional evidence in the future (e.g. the Gazette becoming searchable for the 1830s).
The location of the original is unknown despite Library of Congress Classification number noted by a previous processor resembling that of the original 1815 catalog.
The collection originally contained a photocopy which was removed. I had the image of a staple, suggesting it was a copy of a copy. It was not correctly dated. A modern processor had written “NOT used. The # sequence would conflict with 1815 catalogue complied by Evans” in reference to the effort to reconstruct the 1815 arrangement made by Marjorie Darnell Evans, possibly the only record that the individual had access to, and added an “1815” date in pen. This is all the more perplexing as another hand had also added a “1” before the first number to highlight the fact that the numbers were higher than the 1815 catalog, a fact that tendency to list only the last two digits otherwise obscured.
Repository Details
Part of the Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library Repository