THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

pertoire bibliographique universel. Xote preliminaire par Messrs. H. La
Fontaine et P. Otlet», IIB Bulletin, I (1895—6) 15—38. The figure
400,000 was also mentioned in Edouard Descamps' closing address.
«Discours (de cloture de la Conference Bibliographique Internationale)*,
IIB Bulletin, I (1895—6), 5.
22. Ernest Solvay, 1838—1922, discovered an ammonia process for making
sodium carbonate. He became enormously wealthy, and turned to economic
and social speculation. In 1888 under the influence of Paul Heger
he endowed the Institut Solvay de Physiologie at the Universite Libre
de Bruxelles with Heger at its Head. In 1893 he set up the Institut des
Sciences Sociales (which became the Institut Solvay de Sociologie).
Otlet was acquainted with Solvay through the Institut des Sciences Sociales
and had taken issue with some of Solvay's speculations. Solvay
was to be even more closely associated with Otlet when he assumed
the Presidency of the International Office of Bibliography from 1907
to 1914.
23. Baron Edouard-Eugene-Francois Descamps, 1847—1933, studied law and
taught at the Universite de Louvain. He was elected to the Belgian
Senate and eventually became Vice-President, in this as in so much
else, following a career parallelid by that of Henri La Fontaine. He
was appointed by the King, Leopold II, President of the Conseil Superieur
de l'Etat du Congo. He became Minister for Sciences and Arts in
1907. He was very much interested in international arbitration and became
Secretary, then President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
24. See for example «Address of the President*, Royal Society of London
Proceedings, LIX (1895), 113; Library Journal, XX (1895), 337; and
particularly G. Fumagalli, «La Conference Internationale de Bibliographie
de Bruxelles et le Repertoire Bibliographique Universel», p. 11, in
Archives Nationales de France F1713492, Repertoire Bibliographique Universel:
renseignements generaux, notes et rapports, and a note signed
O. G. in Centralblatt fur Bibliothekswesen, XII (1894), 481—2.
25. An account of these matters is contained in the Presidents' Addresses,
Royal Society of London Proceedings, LVII (1894), 43—44, and
particularly LIX (1895), 111 — 12. The report of the International
Catalogue Committee of the Royal Society for 1895 is printed in IIB
Bulletin, I (1895—6), 107—112.
26. G. Fumagalli, op. cit. and note signed O. G. in Zentralblatt fur Bibliothekswesen.
Baudoin reported a gathering of «thirty came from the
whole world» (M. Baudouin, «Le Probleme Bibliographique*, Revue Scientifique,
7 decembre 1895, p. 709), whereas Fumagalli put the numbers
at «forty or fifty*.
27. Fumagalli, among others, was sarcastic about the circular of invitation
to the Conference, observing «happy he who has seen it; I have not
seen it, nor has any of my friends, but it was known how to find our
names to send us the list of inscription to the new Institute*. (Giuseppe
Fumagalli, 1863—1939, was at this time Director of the Braidense di
Milano and later became Director of the Library of the University of
Bologna). Apparently responding to various requests that the Invitation
be printed, Otlet included it in the 2nd issue of the IIB Bulletin I
(1895—6), 141.
28. Comaromi, p. 231.
29. «Decisions et Voeux», IIB Bulletin, I (1895—6), 10—11.
30. «Institut International de Bibliographic- statuts*, IIB Bulletin, I (1895—
6), pp. 12—14.
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