Dec, 1916] Government Documents 65 



bureau and officials, and the serial designation obtrude them- 

 selves between the reader and the book title, which latter seems 

 seldom chosen with a view of rousing the reader's interest. 

 The long line of print across the page wearies the eye. There 

 is dreary monotony in the colorless bindings of those issued in 

 cloth, and too poor a quality of paper in the covers of the 

 others. More tasteful get-up should be aimed for and probably 

 could be had at no greater cost than the present. Because 

 they become torn and ragged after very little usage accounts 

 for the fact that in so many libraries the government pub- 

 lications are stored in cellars and attics. There are indications 

 that thought is being given to these points and w^e may see 

 Government reports put out in a form to compete in attract- 

 iveness with the issues from commercial publishing houses. 



Under the now-existing printing law, the Superintendent 

 of Documents is authorized to send copies of all public docu- 

 ments, as issued, to the Depository libraries. About 475 

 libraries in the United States are now receiving them. No 

 adequate provision for selective distribution has yet been made, 

 that is for the supply only of documents on specific subjects. 

 In order to obtain these automatically arrangements must be 

 made with the issuing Department or Bureau. 



The small community seems to offer to the public librarian 

 a more encouraging field of service in respect to government 

 document literature than does the large city. At any rate it 

 should be her duty to obtain the government publications 

 which interest or apply specially to the community and also 

 others of general interest and to post them in the library and 

 advertise them in the local newspaper. The rural community 

 should know about the Farmers bulletins, the Soil Survey 

 reports and the Good Roads bulletins. The business man will 

 find helpful suggestions in the very live Commerce reports and 

 the teacher in the publications of the Bureau of Education. 

 Every intelligent dweller on the ground wants to know some- 

 thing of what is below the surface and to him the publications 

 of the Geological Survey tell many an interesting story. 



The cataloging of documents is done in Washington, the 

 librarian's labor being greatly lessened thereby. The printed 

 cards are obtainable from the Library of Congress at a small 

 cost, and should be used by librarians wherever possible. 

 Closer co-operation between public librarians and the pub- 

 lishing and library officials in Washington is to be desired. 



