FiKi.n Coi.UMRiAN MrsM M- Kkports, Vou I. 



(Ill iiiiai >yst«'ni niitl llic linnn^ ii.n«- ini-n (.icjii-m iiiiM iii>itkc(i l»oth 

 with subject anil authornuiniu-r. A shelf list card c.-i(nlo(;uc, con tain- 

 ini; about (j.tKX) cartls. has bt-en written ami is uscil as a subject 

 catalogue to the books. Some 5.boo canls have iK'en written on 

 the author-catalogue — about one thini of the work necessary to 

 finish this catalogue. A card catalogue has also l>ecn commenced of 

 bdoks oy science and trchnology in the different Chicago I^ibraries, 

 with a re; to the Library where located; the idea Ixring to 



provide the v uutors with means of knf)wing what literature on a 

 given scientific subject is to be fountl in the city, and also to avoid 

 purr'i «->i;i • for the Museum Library expensive books already in other 

 libr.i the city. This is a typewritten catalogue, and probably five 



or six thousand cards have already been prepared, but a large amount 

 of work is, of course, still necessary to complete the catalogue. 

 The Library has been quite generally and constantly used by the 

 Curators. The number of books drawn for desk use liy Curators 

 during the year amounts to some 630 volumes. All periodicals are re- 

 scrvetl for the use of Curators for three days, .\ftcr this time they arc 

 exposed upon the tables of the reading-room for public use and remain 

 there until the receipt of new numbers. Out of a total of 52 periodi- 

 cals  ;itly exposed on the tables in this way only two numbers 

 have l>cen abstracted. 



The ultimate plan of organization for the Library is upon the 

 departmental system, according to which the more important 

 reference works, cyclopedias, sets of periodicals, etc., will be re- 

 srrvcil in the main library room, with smaller libraries in each 

 department containing books bearing distinctly upon that depart- 

 ment. Hcparlmental libraries are already coniT<<<"' '•«! in the de- 

 partments of Cieologv and Ornithology. 



Kkcori>>%— The system of recording accessions and inventorying 

 Sjiecimens has worked efficiently. A set of records for " Accession 

 Catalogues " is kept in the office of the Recorder, one book for each 

 Department, in which the accessions are entered as soon as received. 

 Besides the .\ n Kecoril the Recorder keeps an "Announce- 



ment Record," winch is an account of all material expcolcd to 

 arrive or to which the Museum is entitled: a " Transportation 

 Record," in which is entered the facts pretaining to the transportation 

 and receipt of material; a " Distribution Record." which gives the 

 hiitnrv of the material sent away from the Museum as a gift, loan or 

 s.i Storage Record." accounting for the collections put away 



for future u^-- The archives contain all the correspondence pertain- 

 ing to the accessions, including copies of the letters of the Director 

 in each case. These files of papers are jacketed and numbered, 



