€4 The Ohio Journal of Science [Vol. XVII, No. 2, 



to carry on the government's activities. Here are the results 

 of the studies of all the thousands of trained investigators, 

 all the explorers, all the workers on land and sea who have gone 

 forth authorized to perform their varied duties and execute the 

 many missions incident to the life of a great nation. These 

 pages form the journal of a growing nation's life — intimate, 

 self -recorded. They reveal its high hopes, its egotism, its 

 mistakes and disappointments, its gropings toward wiser aims 

 and higher standards. From these records may the historian 

 of a far future decipher the history of a better civilization than 

 the world has ever before known. 



However, our intimate interest is not in this particular 

 collection gathered in Washington, but rather in what composes 

 it. The abundance of practical, helpful, facts here put down — - 

 facts intimately related to our daily life and necessary 

 activities — should be at the ready service of the people. Here 

 is an opportunity for the public librarian. Government 

 document literature has been neglected in our public libraries 

 while undue prominence is given to the merely recreational. 

 The urgent need of a wider publicity for the educational and 

 scientific works printed by the Government is apparent. To 

 meet it, publishing officials are making definite efforts which 

 should have the active and intelligent co-operation of public 

 librarians. 



As a first step a better acquaintance with public documents 

 on the part of librarians is necessary — many librarians of the 

 smaller communities are utterly uninformed in regard to the 

 field they cover. To all these the enlightening little periodical, 

 "Monthly catalogue of public documents," issued b}^ the 

 Superintendent of Documents, is recommended. It lists and 

 describes all current prints from the Government press, giving 

 bright readable notes on those of special interest. The sub- 

 scription price is $1.10 a year, but it is sent free to as many 

 libraries as the edition will supply. The Librarian who regu- 

 larly examines this catalogue, selects and obtains the publica- 

 tions of general interest and particularly those touching local 

 needs is rendering a good service to the community. As a 

 rule, Government publications may be had free, if the 

 application is made while the supply lasts. 



It is regrettable that our public documents appear in such 

 unattractive form. The titles lack human interest, but abound 

 in dull official verbiage. The names of the issuing department, 



