CORRESPONDENCE 



To the Editor of " Science Progress " 

 A NATIONAL SCIENCE LIBRARY 

 From R. E. Slade, D.Sc, F.I.C., M.C. 



Dear Sir, — I have recently had occasion to make a complete 

 search of the scientific literature of certain physical and chemical 

 subjects, and in the course of this work the defects of our 

 present system of libraries in London has been continually 

 brought to my notice. 



I am aware that these defects are generally recognised, and 

 that steps are already being taken to remedy them by the 

 formation of a large central scientific library in London. The 

 formation of such a library will no doubt be of great value to 

 scientific workers who are in London and near to the library, 

 but I think a very much more comprehensive system should be 

 set on foot to meet the demands of scientific workers in the 

 future. The rate of progress of scientific research will depend 

 more and more on the facility with which we can obtain the 

 results of previous investigators. 



It is impossible, with our present library system, for a 

 scientific worker away from London to write a complete mono- 

 graph on any scientific subject. 



I propose that a Central Library for the English-speaking 

 races should be formed in collaboration with all English-speaking 

 scientific societies on the following lines : 



Each society would carry on its own meetings and select its 

 papers for publication without any interference from the 

 Central Library. 



Each society would circulate its own reviews and proceedings 



as at present, but instead of circulating a journal containing 



original communications it would deposit some definite number 



of copies of every original communication with the Central 



Library. 



6a i 



