Library Cataloguing

"Library Cataloguing" by John Henry Quinn is a manual from the early 1900s which explains how libraries are organized using catalogs. This book corrects common ideas of how simple cataloging is, showing the importance of abilities such as being organized, doing research, and knowing about different types of books. It acts like a beginner's guide to cataloging rules, including examples to aid librarians and their assistants. The introduction shows how some people mistakenly believe that cataloging is easy, but Quinn makes clear that it really takes skill, good judgment, order, and wide knowledge of books. It mentions how cataloging has changed over time, showing how libraries now need more from their catalogs, and it stresses that a good catalog is key for any library to be useful. This sets up a more detailed study of cataloging rules and methods that come in later chapters.