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day, «by gardeners in clogs of delicate relief maps of the Alpsdonated by the Italian Government*. When he was asked what he would do next, Otlet replied' that he was considering two courses of action: the first to seek legal redress, the second to move to another country. «Many countries have made us offers», he said. «We could go to Paris, the Hague, Rome, New York.» This was an empty boast and he was mocked for having made it. For the next few weeks the labourers in their clogs came and went among the collections. Some of the material was stored, the rest of it was piled into carts which were drawn up outside the building, and taken to the Rue Joseph II where Otlet had been forced to accept quarters. On one occasion as the carts started to trundle away, it was reported that one melancholy onlooker, «his umbrella under his arm, followed them as though he had fallen into step with a funeral procession*. A few days after the removal began, a visiting reporter found a number of rooms already completely empty, and icecold in their barrenness. He learned that «some foreign personalities* were there having discussions with Otlet. They were, he thought when he saw them, «more stupefied than indignant,, not being able to grasp the brutal fact» of what the Government had done. One can imagine Otlet's despair. He and La Fontaine were described as being like Marius weeping before the ruins of Carthage. Indicating Leon Wouters who was with him, Otlet said to a reporter: «I have laboured for 27 years with M. Wouters here, in this idealistic work . . . the library alone, 130,000 volumes of it, took three months to install in 1920 when it was only a quarter of its present size...» With him too, was Alfred Carlier, whom be described as «the learned artist* who had produced the Museum's thirty historical dioramas. «Do you know how much he earns?* asked Otlet, «four hundred francs a month. Everyone here works from a purely artistic and philanthropic spirit.» For many these events spelled the end of the Palais. Mondial. Some regarded this as just further evidence of the folly and weakness of evermore insecure Belgian Governments, increasingly powerless to control for any length of time the Belgian franc whose accelerating decline seemed on the verge of precipitating the country into financial ruin. Some regretted the passing of the Palais Mondial, accepting to a greater or lesser extent Otlet's own evaluation of its significance and achievements. Others did not, resenting the proprietary terms Otlet used in asserting his claims to the parts of the Palais du Cinquantenaire occupied by it. They were contemptuous of its collections, the documentary work which had cumulated 270
from the labours «of patient spiders», and thought that the battle to retain the Palais Mondial ludicrous in its conduct,, fully satisfactory in its outcome. FOOTNOTES 1. Nitobe to Otlet, 13 February 1922, Dossier No. 39, «Societe desNations», Mundaneum. 2. Ibid. 3. Paul Colin, «Belgium», Annual Register, 1921 (London: Longmans Green, 1922), p. 233. 4. Vernon Mallinson, Belgium (London: Ernest Bean, 1970), p. 97. 5. Les Titres du Palais Mondial: deuxieme memorandum sur les rapports avec le gouvernement beige (Publication No. 110; Bruxelles: UIA, 1923), p. 14 (my emphasis). 6. Otlet to Nitobe, undated, Dossier No. 39, «Societe des Nations*, Mundaneum. 7. Les Titres du Palais Mondial..., p. 14 8. Nitobe to Otlet, 19 April 1922, Dossier No. 39, «Societe des Nations*, Mundaneum. 9. Otlet to Nitobe, 11 May 1922, ibid. 10. Secretaries General to Nitobe, 17 March 1922, ibid. 11. Nitobe to La Fontaine, 22 May 1922, ibid. 12. Secretary, UIA to Nitobe, 16 September 1922, ibid. 13. UIA, Code des Voeux Internationaux: codification generale des voeux et resolutions des organismes internationaux ... elabore et publie par l'UIA sous l'egide de la Societe des Nations (tome 1; Publication No. 104; Bruxelles: UIA, 1923). 14. «Etat statistique des institutions du Palais Mondiab, Les Titres du Palais Mondial, p. 19. 15. Conference pour le developpement des institutions du Palais Mondial,. Bruxelles, 20 au 22 aoiit 1922, proces—verbaux (Publication No. 106; Bruxelles: UIA, 1922). 16. L'Affaire du Palais Mondial: documents (Publication No. 112; Bruxelles: UIA, 1924), pp. 4, 44—45. 17. Nitobe to La Fontaine, 16 May, 1922, Dossier No. 39, «Societe des Nations*, Mundaneum. 18. Paul Otlet, La Societe des Nations et I'Union des Associations Internationales: rapport aux associations sur les premiers actes de la Commission de Cooperation Intellectuelle (Publication No. 107; Bruxelles: UIA, 1923), p. 7. 19. Paul Otlet, Introduction aux travaux de la Commission de Cooperation Intellectuelle de la Societe des Nations (Publication No. 105; Bruxelles: UIA, 1922). 20. Most of the text of the Committee's deliberations and the various motions placed before it are given in E. C. Richardson, Some Aspects of International Library Co-operation (Yardley, Pa: F. S. Cook, 1928), pp. 68—79. Quotations are from this source. An outline of the full 271
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. HO YD THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION
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THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION THE WOR
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PREFACE Paul Otlet was a pioneer bo
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE , 3 LIST
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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Paul Otlet as
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in a diary he kept systematically f
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when quite young to forming a natur
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than ever to study alone, to resist
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thought began to polarise, and that
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my room); and Science (plan of stud
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merit of all institutions, of all t
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scribbling completed when he was wi
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his fellow stagiaires and later Bel
Page 30 and 31:
iology, and everything that came be
Page 32 and 33:
no philosopher, but an earnest man
Page 34 and 35:
synthesis of knowledge, to bibliogr
Page 36 and 37:
could be partitioned from a purely
Page 38 and 39:
epertory by author's names. The Off
Page 40 and 41:
14. Edmond Picard and Ferdinand Lar
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of years, was also sold, though Edo
Page 44 and 45:
fortune. How could he leave him to
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Dewey did not reply immediately, an
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embracing all subjects whether exis
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The conference pressed with almost
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6. The conference resolves that pub
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liographies for law and sociology w
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instituted to ensure the steady, re
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9. Georges Lorphevre to John Metcal
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31. Moniteur beige, 17 September 11
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Chapter IV INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS
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aphy, to be truly useful, specialis
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more than the titles of the million
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International Congress of Physiolog
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all subjects should be inventoried.
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ment could be done piecemeal by exp
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in the Bolletino delle Pubblicazion
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necessary explanation of the OIB's
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-with it, prepared developments of
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the Conference was making a ruling
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Prize for its exhibition. This was
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who does not know our work with the
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Tipografico G. Civelli, 1899). This
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92. L'Institut International de Bib
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to the systematics of knowledge. Ot
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ture» 24 was pregnant with all sor
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tiers taken from different parts of
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for the second International Confer
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kinds had to be constructed by each
Page 100 and 101:
The publication of this Manual toge
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Otlet's hopes of America and Dewey
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could therefore maintain its spirit
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the decimal numbers. You write 355.
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the present eighth edition (sic) sh
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FOOTNOTES 1. Decimal Classification
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Anzeiger from 1878 to 1895 and cont
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Publication No. 58; Turici: Sumptib
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Chapter THE UNIVERSAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC
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liographic information in notices i
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to a complaint from Herbert Putnam
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nam), carried on their covers their
Page 124 and 125:
government documents, Andrews was t
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•cards relating to a request was
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that the town's library need only b
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to be typed. A member of the Office
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all that was needed at the OIB at a
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Memoires Physiographiques de Pologn
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50. Geddes to La Fontaine, 12 Octob
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Office International de Bibliograph
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under contract from the Belgian gov
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Moniteur beige as a form of simple
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Arctowski's plea and the implicit c
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minations between the publisher, Fo
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President, and President in 1908, a
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ment nor to encourage her to find a
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national service whose object would
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supply the government architect wit
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ned. This sum was to be spent over
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in 1912, and at that time the vario
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work should be analagous to that un
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of the Association for the Museum b
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1908 and got down to work. The docu
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expect them to become more widely e
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The union would involve bibliograph
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5. Catalogue Central des Bibliotheq
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40. Letters for the period, passim,
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77. Georges Lecointe, 1869—1929,
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Chapter VIII THE UNION OF INTERNATI
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had met to negotiate actual peace t
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evelation* to them. They were aston
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Congress. The report presented conc
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involved therefore, however indirec
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its Congresses, the Institute for I
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Two committees were constituted to
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1. Code of rules for administrative
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standard international cataloging c
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and UIA. Always La Fontaine was at
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Although this is a fair summary, it
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It must be a museum of the best typ
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ospect, Sayers thought «quixotic e
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What was being brought to birth was
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33. The full catalogue for the Muse
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66. Congres Mondial des Association
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called the League of Nations (in Fr
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Because of his indefatigable work f
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of making the neutrals understand..
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should be added to the proposed cov
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sations created by diplomatic treat
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Leon Delacroix, they wrote, «our d
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American edition of the classificat
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'•8. A note indicates that among
Page 224 and 225: 43. Nitobe to Otlet and La Fontaine
Page 226 and 227: on international sections placed un
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Page 230 and 231: Otlet wrote to Nitobe and others th
Page 232 and 233: work of international organisation
Page 234 and 235: The Palais Mondial The Internationa
Page 236 and 237: The Palais Mondial The Aeronautic R
Page 238 and 239: The Assembly appointed a number of
Page 240 and 241: In de Leon's view there were two po
Page 242 and 243: of the privileged. And the League o
Page 244 and 245: printed that year, the Abridged Tab
Page 246 and 247: of it which had pleased him, but th
Page 248 and 249: sitions, to which all accretion in
Page 250 and 251: sort out some of the financial conf
Page 252 and 253: during this period he also acted as
Page 254 and 255: Chapter XI L'AFFAIRE DU PALAIS MOND
Page 256 and 257: sufficient pressure to bear to forc
Page 258 and 259: finished, «both for the reputation
Page 260 and 261: "first meeting in August 1922. In i
Page 262 and 263: the Union sees itself as discarded
Page 264 and 265: One of them was the future role of
Page 266 and 267: gested as, a good venue for such an
Page 268 and 269: The major problem facing the Palais
Page 270 and 271: not been able to express clearly en
Page 272 and 273: In early November, however, the Gov
Page 276 and 277: ange oi topics covered and decision
Page 278 and 279: Chapter XII GRADUAL DISINTEGRATION
Page 280 and 281: The Institute pursues its work acco
Page 282 and 283: the IIB be drawn up which would set
Page 284 and 285: for this conference. The first, a T
Page 286 and 287: The ultimate material expression of
Page 288 and 289: THE CONFERENCES OF 1924 AND AFTERWA
Page 290 and 291: keep before the President and the C
Page 292 and 293: French historian and one time Inspe
Page 294 and 295: was briefly rescued by support from
Page 296 and 297: far beyond their resources. He had
Page 298 and 299: He was disappointed that the Instit
Page 300 and 301: simply and completely so that they
Page 302 and 303: with a limited and realistic progra
Page 304 and 305: Series 2, No. 45; The Hague, Nether
Page 306 and 307: 65. Note signed de Vos to M. le Dir
Page 308 and 309: C h a p t e r X I I I CHANGE, NEW D
Page 310 and 311: merit, contrary to the interests of
Page 312 and 313: national bibliography. He made it c
Page 314 and 315: the Decimal Classification they mus
Page 316 and 317: in the year been taken up independe
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Page 320 and 321: v bad work w wh I know CD t be perm
Page 322 and 323: tions made. They were sent to Bruss
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making promises that are not kept a
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Moreover, German translation of a n
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had envisaged for encouraging work
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apparent triumph of the Dutch secti
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that the supplements issued to the
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conferences, for example, and he po
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their informal participation, Otlet
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in a single place was splendid in 1
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clearly and exactly.» Alingh Prins
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THE CRISIS RESOLVED For the purpose
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gram oi international institutions,
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44. Comar&tni, p. 329. 45. F. Donke
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89. Paul Otlet, «Sur la situation
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development through things (Nature,
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ternational Committee for Intellect
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sions as many as six, but rarely mo
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lections, but the programs of lectu
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City. A brief examination of Belgiu
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In 1938 he wrote: 1. all my papers,
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not the International Institute [fo
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As he reflected further, he knew th
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••6. «La Jeunesse et Le Palais
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BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE WRITINGS OF PAU
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Goldschmidt, Robert and Otlet, Paul
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Jacob, etudiant a la Faculte. Extra
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«Classification
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«Rapport du Secretariat General: s
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INDEX The abbreviations listed at t
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Biscoe, Walter Stanley, 101 Bishop,
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Delisle, Leopold, 60—61, 79n Denn
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Institut International de Bibliogra
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of with Otlet, 332—333; organises
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1900, 76—78; criticises American
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Office International de Bibliograph
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Putnam, Herbert, 116, 118, 119, 123
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Universal Book, 161 Universal Decim
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