It is a melancholy fact, duly recorded in a Massachuse paper, that no less than two hundred and fifty volun duly labeled and stamped as public library books, w stolen from a single library in a single year, and sold second-hand booksellers.

The impression of the stamp in the middle of a certa page, known to the librarian, renders it less liable to tection by others, while if stamped on the lower unprint margin, it might be cut out by a designing person.

Next to the stamping, comes the labeling of the boo to be added to the library. This is a mechanical proces and yet one of much importance. Upon its being do neatly and properly, depends the good or bad appearand of the library books, as labels with rough or ragged edge or put on askew, or trimmed irregularly at their margin present an ugly and unfinished aspect, offensive to the ey of good taste, and reflecting discredit on the management A librarian should take pride in seeing all details of hi work carefully and neatly carried out. If he cannot hav perfection, from want of time, he should always aim at it at least, and then only will he come near to achieving it.

The label, or book-plate (for they are one and the same thing) should be of convenient size to go into books both small and large; and a good size is approximately 24 inches wide by 14 inches high when trimmed. As comparatively few libraries care to go to the expense, which is about ten times that of printing, of an engraved label (although such work adds to the attractiveness of the books containing it) it should be printed in clear, not ornamental type, with the name of the library, that of the city or town in which it is located (unless forming a part of the title) and the abbreviation No. for number, with such other spaces for section marks or divisions, shelf-marks, etc., as the classification adopted may require. The whole should be en

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closed in an ornamental border-not too ornate for good taste.

The labels, nicely trimmed to uniform size by a cutting machine, (if that is not in the library equipment, any binder will do it for you) are next to be pasted or gummed, as preferred. This process is a nice one, requiring patience, care, and practice. Most libraries are full of books imperfectly labelled, pasted on in crooked fashion, or perhaps damaging the end-leaves by an over-use of paste, causing the leaves to adhere to the page labelled-which should always be the inside left hand cover of the book. This slovenly work is unworthy of a skilled librarian, who should not suffer torn waste leaves, nor daubs of over-running paste in any of his books. To prevent both these blunders in library economy, it is only needful to instruct any intelligent assistant thoroughly, by practical example how to do it-accompanied by a counter-example how not to do it. The way to do it is to have your paste as thin as that used by binders in pasting their fly-leaves, or their leather, or about the consistency of porridge or pea soup. Then lay the label or book-plate face downward on a board or table covered with blotting paper, dip your paste brush (a half inch bristle brush is the best) in the paste, stroke it (to remove too much adhering matter) on the inner side of your paste cup, then apply it across the whole surface of the label, with light, even strokes of the brush, until you see that it is all moistened with paste. Next, take up the label and lay it evenly in the middle of the left inner cover page of the book to be labelled, and with a small piece of paper (not with the naked fingers) laid over it, stroke it down firmly in its place, by rubbing over a few times the incumbent paper. This being properly done (and it is done by an expert, once learned, very rapidly) your bookplate will be firmly and smoothly pasted in, with no exud

ing of paste at the edges, to spoil the fly-leaves, and curling up of edges because insufficiently pasted down.

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So much for the book-plate-for the inside of the umes; now let us turn attention to the outside label. is necessarily very much smaller than the book-plate: fact, it should not be larger than three-quarters or sev eighths of an inch in diameter, and even smaller for t thinner volumes, while in the case of the very smallest, thinnest of books, it becomes necessary to paste the lab on the side, instead of on the back. This label is to co tain the section and shelf-mark of the book, marked plain figures, according to the plan of classification adop ed. When well done, it is an inexpressible comfort to a librarian, because it shows at one glance of the eye, ar without opening the book at all, just where in the wi range of the miscellaneous, library it is to go. Thus th book service of every day is incalculably aided, and th books are both found when sought on the shelves, and r placed there, with no trouble of opening them.

This outer-label system once established, in strict corr spondence with the catalogue, the only part of the libra rian's work remaining to be prescribed in this field, con cerns the kind of label to be selected, and the method o affixing them to the books. The adhesive gummed label furnished by the Library Bureau, or those manufacture by the Dennison Company of New York have the requisit qualities for practical use. They may be purchased in sheets, or cut apart, as convenient handling may dictate Having first written in ink in plain figures, as large as the labels will bear, the proper locality marks, take a label moistener (a hollow tube filled with water, provided with a bit of sponge at the end and sold by stationers) and wet the label throughout its surface, then fix it on the back of the book, on the smooth part of the binding near the lower

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end, and with a piece of paper (not the fingers) press it down firmly to its place by repeated rubbings. If thoroughly done, the labels will not peel off nor curl up at the edges for a long time. Under much usage of the volumes, however, they must occasionally be renewed.

When the books being prepared for the shelves have all been duly collated, labelled and stamped, processes which should precede cataloguing them, they are next ready for the cataloguer. His functions having been elsewhere described, it need only be said that the books when catalogued and handed over to the reviser, (or whoever is to scrutinize the titles and assign them their proper places in the library classification) are to have the shelf-marks of the card-titles written on the inside labels, as well as upon the outside.

When this is done, the title-cards can be withdrawn and alphabeted in the catalogue drawers. Next, all the books thus catalogued, labelled, and supposed to be ready for the shelves, should be examined with reference to three points: 1st. Whether any of the volumes need re-lettering. 2nd. Whether any of them require re-binding. 3rd. If any of the bindings are in need of repair.

In any lot of books purchased or presented, are almost always to be found some that are wrongly or imperfectly lettered on the back. Before these are ready for the shelves, they should be carefully gone through with, and all errors or shortcomings corrected. It is needful to send to the binder

1st. All books which lack the name of the author on the back. This should be stamped by the binder at the head, if there is room-if not, in the middle panel on the back of the book.

2nd. All books lettered with mis-spelled words.

3rd. All volumes in sets, embracing several distinct

works to have the name of each book in the cont plainly stamped on the outside.

4th. All books wholly without titles on the back, which many are published-the title being freque given on the side only, or in the interior alone.

5th. All periodicals having the volume on the ba without the year, to have the year lettered; and periodi having the year, but not the volume, are to have the nu ber of the volume added.

If these things, all essential to good management a prompt library service, are not done before the books go their shelves, the chances are that they will not be done all.

The second requisite to be attended to is to exami whether any of the volumes catalogued require to be bou or re-bound. In any lot of books of considerable exter there will always be some (especially if from auction sale dilapidated and shaken, so as to unfit them for use. The will be others so soiled in the bindings or the edges as be positively shabby, and they should be re-bound to re der them presentable.

The third point demanding attention is to see what vo umes need repair. It very often happens that books othe wise pretty well bound have torn corners, or rubbed shop-worn backs, or shabby marbled paper frayed at th sides, or some other defect, which may be cured by men ing or furbishing up, without re-binding. This a skilfu binder is always competent to take in charge; and as in th other cases, it should have attention immediately upon th acquisition of the books.

All books coming into a library which contain auto graphs, book-plates of former owners, coats of arms, pre sentation inscriptions from the author, monograms, o