1924] Robinson,—Miss Day 45 
small staff and in this work also Miss Day showed much executive 
capacity. As one of her fellow-workers once remarked she was “ never 
happier than when confronted by some clearing-up job.” 
Her satisfaction in the new quarters as they emerged from the 
turmoil of building operations was touching. Then for the first time 
could the books which had been crowded two and three deep upon 
the shelves be given logical arrangement. Long and carefully did 
Miss Day study the problems involved. The obsolete plan of “ fixed 
shelf numbering" was abandoned and a new “expansive system” 
devised permitting the easiest possible interpolation of accessions. 
The labeling of the books was similarly studied to secure the best 
combination of simplicity, neatness, and clarity. The proper binding 
and treatment of pamphlets came in for careful attention. The whole 
catalogue had to be made over. "The files of records, correspondence, 
labels, maps, exsiccatae-lists and autograph manuscripts, all were 
carefully subjected to reordering as they were placed in their new 
filing receptacles. 
It had been fortunately possible to give Miss Day for her personal 
use one of the private offices. There she installed the historic files 
of the older correspondence, the very numerous filed botanical 
portraits, the records of some 250 botanical exploring expeditions 
and what she called her “gossip corner." This last was made up 
of documents individually of trifling value and temporary significance 
but in combination rather remarkable—announcements and programs 
of botanical meetings of many organizations, accounts of scientific 
celebrations, prospectuses of botanical summer schools, notices 
about field excursions, applications for scientific funds, menus of 
botanical banquets, and newspaper clippings regarding botanical 
events and discoveries. During her last weeks at the Herbarium, 
when impaired health had sadly depleted her strength, she turned 
to this heterogeneous accumulation and gave it remarkably neat, 
compact, and lucid arrangement so that at a moment's notice it is 
now possible to turn, for instance, to the announcements of any one 
of many organizations at any particular date. It is of interest to 
note that even during the brief period since her death there have 
been several occasions on which it has become necessary to refer to 
this collection to secure much needed data in the course of scientific 
publication, thus justifying Miss Day's confidence that it would prove 
useful. 
