This book, first published in 1939, deals with the elements of classification and cataloguing from the school library point of view. The Dewey, Cheltenham and Bliss schemes are fully examined and there is a chapter on the practical application of classification in the library. There are simplified rules for Author and Title catalogues, while the different kinds of subject catalogues are compared, and instructions given for their compilation. Many practical examples of cataloguing entries are shown.

This set, comprising out-of-print titles from The Library Association Series of Library Manuals and The Practical Library Handbooks, is a key guide to the early modernisation of librarianship. Systems set up then are still in use today, giving the books practical use today, as well as providing a valuable historical analysis of the discipline.