The International Catalogue Conference

Abstract

THE International Conference organised by the Royal Society to consider the preparation and publication of an International Catalogue of Scientific Literature was opened in the apartments of the Society at Burlington House on Tuesday. Upon the importance of such a catalogue it is unnecessary to comment here. The Royal Society has steadily attacked the problem of recording and indexing scientific literature, since the middle of this century, when the great author-index was commenced. More than thirty years ago the Council of the Society resolved that the catalogue according to authors should be followed by an index according to subjects, and a start was made in 1893. But, as Lord Kelvin pointed out in his last anniversary address, “the continuation of such a work was almost beyond the resources of the Royal Society, and therefore about two years ago a Committee was appointed to take into consideration a suggestion that the preparation of complete indexes should be effected by international cooperation. “The conference now being held is the outcome of this conclusion. Only by securing international co-operation could such a work as that contemplated by the Royal Society be satisfactorily carried out. It is therefore a matter of extreme congratulation that the proposal has been so warmly supported by Governments and Scientific Societies in all parts of the world, as shown by the distinguished men who have been delegated to take part in the conference. The enterprise is one in which all men of science are interested, but of the magnitude of which it is only possible to have a faint conception. To develop a comprehensive and practicable scheme will be a difficult task, but with a conference constituted like that now sitting the work will be well considered, and we may confidently expect as a result the outlines of a system which will have international confidence and support.