Nowadays many library users of the University Library collections have the classmarks of the books and journals they wish to consult before they enter any Library building. In the main University Library the room at the top of the central stairs, which still contains the printed guardbook catalogue, is often deserted, but 40 years ago when the guardbook was the only place where readers could locate most material, the catalogue hall was a constant hubbub of activity. The guardbook catalogue still has an important function today, but only on the rare occasions when online data seems unclear or inconsistent, or there is reason to suspect an item has missed retrospective conversion and doesn’t appear on the computer.

The printed guardbook does have other values, however, which the online catalogue cannot replicate. Anyone who is interested in the history of the Library’s collections can quickly make an initial assessment of when titles were acquired by running the eye over the individual guardbook entries. The colour of the paper and the varying styles of printing give lots of clues. As well as the classmark in the top left-hand corner of each slip, there is a printing number in the top right-hand corner, which usually incorporates in an abbreviated form the year in which the catalogue entry was produced. Continue reading “Dating Diderot acquisitions” →