THE UNIVERSE OF INFORMATION.pdf - ideals

finally convinced Otlet and La Fontaine of its value. The
Concilium Bibliographicum then became not only a member
but a section of the Institute. 48 Immediately following the Conference
of Bibliography the two friends set off post—haste for
Dresden where the Congres Litteraire et Artistique International
(the International Copyright Convention Congress)
was meeting. On the agenda was a proposal by Jules Lermina
for a universal bibliographic repertory. Lermina had been
urging the Bureau of the Convention in Berne to set up such
a repertory for a number of years. Otlet and La Fontaine
hoped to encourage the Congress to support the idea, pointing
out how successful they had been already in getting such a
repertory underway in Brussels. The Congress appeared to be
sceptical and unenthusiastic and referred the matter to a
committee for study. The idea seems subsequently to have been
dropped. 49
In 1896, accompanied by Maurice de Wulf, Otlet and La
Fontaine set off to England for the inaugural meeting of the
Royal Society's Conference on an International Catalogue ot"
Scientific Literature. Otlet read a long report to the Conference
on the aims and methods of the IIB, and vigorously
defended the Decimal Classification when objections were made
to it, as they were with some spirit by John Shaw Billings
and others no less eminent. The effectiveness of the Belgian
delegates in promoting the IIB—OIB at the Conference was
limited in several ways. There were rigid rules of procedure
and a previously prepared agenda. Some preliminary inspection
of IIB—OIB had already been carried out by the Royal
Society in 1895 and a decision had been made then to proceed
with the development of a special classification for scientific
literature. Otlet was a young man, not thirty, and when
compared with his colleagues both from Europe and from the
Royal Society itself, by no means a distinguished scientist.
The burden of presenting the case for the Decimal Classification
and for collaboration between the IIB and the Royal
Society seems to have fallen principally upon him. He spoke
in French, though La Fontaine had a good command of
English. He spoke enthusiastically, at length, and at times,
out of order. But though the Conference as a whole took little
notice of the Belgian demands, no member could have left it
unaware of the existence of the OIB—IIB and of its program.
50
From London Otlet went next to Italy to take up the
cause there. The Associazione Tipografico—Libraria Italiana
had called an Italian Bibliographical Conference for September
in Florence in order to discuss formally the Institute of
Bibliography created in Brussels. More than 80 delegates
attended the Conference. 51 The way was paved by an article
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