11 

 II 



REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM 

 FOR THE YEAR 1914 



By Barton Warren Evermann 

 Director of the Museum 



The appointment of the present Director of the Museum 

 of the Cahfornia Academy of Sciences became effective 

 March 15, 1914. Before coming west he took the opportunity, 

 with the permission of the Council, to visit a number of 

 museums in the east, namely : the American Museum of 

 Natural History in New York, the Museum of the Brooklyn 

 Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Children's Museum in 

 Brooklyn, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, 

 the Museum of the Chicago Academy of Sciences, and the 

 Milwaukee Public Museum. Although already quite familiar 

 with the United States National Museum at Washington, in 

 which institution he had served as honorary curator of the 

 Division of Fishes for a number of years, he devoted several 

 days in the early part of March to a study of methods of caring 

 for collections and installing exhibits, of the types of cases 

 used in the different departments, the methods of museum book- 

 keeping, and many other matters relating to the administration 

 of the affairs of that institution. 



In all the institutions visited special atttention was given 

 to the educational work which they are doing, and it is be- 

 lieved that much information and many suggestions were 

 obtained which will prove of value to this Academy in the 

 development and management of its Museum. 



At the time of the director's arrival in San Francisco, 

 construction work on the new Museum building of the Acad- 

 emy in Golden Gate Park was well under way, and it was 

 confidently believed the building would be ready for occupancy 

 certainly by the beginning of the year 1915. In anticipation 

 of this probability, the Director at once began giving con- 

 sideration to various matters pertaining to the transfer of the 

 Academy's collections, library and offices, to the new building, 

 and their proper installation therein. Consideration had to 

 be given to many things, among which a few may be men- 

 tioned : The available space and its best allotment ; provision 



