How to Catalogue a Library

"How to Catalogue a Library" by Henry B. Wheatley is a manual from the 1800s that explains how to organize a library's collection. It's intended for people who are just starting out and experts and offers rules and ways to help them make a list of everything that's inside a library. The book zeroes in on smaller libraries and demonstrates how a well-organized catalog helps people find what they're looking for. The book begins by explaining what a catalog is really about. Wheatley points out that many people don't know what goes into making a catalog and that it's more than just writing down titles; it also means knowing how to organize the books. He argues that it's important to know the difference between a simple list and a catalogue that has been put together with care, one that takes into account all the little details about books and what the reader needs.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley FSA was a British author, editor, and indexer. His London Past and Present was described as his most important work and "the standard dictionary of London."