Page 45 - Training for Librarianship Library Work As a Career

TRAINING FOR LIBRARIANSHIP

Such systems of record-keeping are called
charging systems ; two standard systems, the
Browne and the Newark are widely used.
Various modifications of these exist. Ac-
curacy is, of course, the prime need in cir-
culation record-keeping. J
Added to what has already been said, the
modern librarian must know something of
the proper care of books. To secure the
maximum use of a book is as much an art as
aiding in its widest usefulness. To prolong
the life of a book it must be properly handled
and also properly bound. In addition to
rough usage certain avoidable conditions,
such as those due to gas fumes, dust, exces-
sive moisture or dry heat, are injurious to
books. Modern leather bindings, for exam-
ple, are known to dry out, crack and decay
more rapidly when left on the shelves un-
touched, than when subjected to everyday
usage. While actual binding may be left to a
special library department or may be turned
over to a competent person outside the
library, a more or less intimate knowledge of
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