REPORT OF THE LffiRARIAN. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Office of the Librarian, 

 Washington, D. C, Septemher SO, 1915. 



Sm: I have the honor to submit herewith the executive report of 

 the hbrary for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1915. 

 Respectfully, 



Claribel E,. Barnett, 



Librarian. 

 Hon. David F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



In the record of the activities of the hbrary during the past year 

 the event which stands out most prominently is the change in its 

 location from the ground floor of Laboratory A to the new eight- 

 story office building which was erected for the department at 1358 

 B Street SW. A change was necessary on account of the crowded 

 condition of the hbrary and also because of the need of expansion of 

 the offices and laboratories located in Laboratory A. The moving of 

 the library, including the transportation of the furniture and shelving 

 as well as the books, was begun on January 25 and completed on 

 February 20. It is estimated that approximately 85,000 books, 

 about two-thirds of the hbrary's collections, are shelved in the main 

 hbrary and were therefore transferred to the new building. The 

 library occupies the whole of the first floor and part of the basement; 

 in aU, 12,207 square feet. In many respects the present quarters of 

 the hbrary are a considerable improvement over those of former years. 

 The reading and reference rooms are larger and more comfortable, as 

 are also the workrooms for the staff, and the books in the stacks are 

 more convenient for use. Wliile the present quarters seemed the 

 best possible solution of the library's difficulties under existing condi- 

 tions, they should be considered only as a temporary makeshift, to 

 bo remedied at the earhest possible date. The value of the library 

 and its great importance in the work of the department most urgently 

 demand that there be provided for it, as soon as possible, permanent, 

 suitable, and adequate quarters owned by the Government, which 

 quarters, as regards location and construction, shall be subject to a 

 minimum risk of fire. The destruction of the hbrary would be an 

 irreparable loss to the department. It is regretted that conditions in 

 the past have seldom made it possible, when planning the location of 

 offices, to give consideration to their use of library facilities. This 

 necessitates greater delay in filhng requests, more duplication of 



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