Courses of study in library science : $b being the assistants' guide to librarianship

"Courses of study in library science" by Reginald Gordon Williams is a professional handbook and study guide written in the early 20th century. It outlines a structured program to train library assistants and help them qualify in library science, emphasizing practical skills and exam preparation. The work focuses on core topics such as practical bibliography, book selection, classification, cataloguing, administration, and the history of libraries, and provides curated reading lists, exercises, and tests for each.

The opening of this handbook sets out its purpose, audience, and method: it is designed for library assistants worldwide to strengthen technical competence and pass professional examinations, with guidance on disciplined reading, note‑taking, and self-testing. After contents, publisher notices, and a preface explaining the revision and scope, it presents foundational tools (key reference works and periodicals) and launches Course One on Practical Bibliography, moving lesson by lesson through terminology, collation and parts of books, typography and presswork, paper and ink, illustration, bookbinding, and the compilation and arrangement of bibliographies, each backed by detailed reading lists and questions. It also adds a set of “factors and notes” that clarify definitions, formats, type sizes, and book sizes, plus a test exam. The section then begins Course Two on Book Selection, introducing types of bibliographies, major catalogues, selection principles, and early applications to fiction, young people’s literature, reference tools, and specialized collections (commercial, local, technical), again with concise guidance and targeted readings. (This is an automatically generated summary.)