Catalogue of the New York State Library, 1882: First Supplement to the Subject-Index of the General Library for Ten Years, 1872-1882

The 1882 First Supplement to the Subject-Index of the General Library was published by the New York State Library in Albany to provide a comprehensive update to the substantial index released a decade prior. During this era, the library was undergoing significant organizational development under the oversight of the New York State Regents, who prioritized systematic cataloging to ensure that the growing collection of law, history, and science texts remained accessible to legislators, scholars, and the public.

The design of this volume reflects the late 19th-century preference for rigorous, alphabetical subject classification, a precursor to the more nuanced library science standards that would develop in the following decades. While the specific compiler remains anonymous, as was common for institutional publications of the time, the work is recognized by bibliographic historians as a meticulous example of Victorian-era document management, intended to serve as a practical reference tool rather than a decorative object.