LIBEARY. 341 



PERIODICAL DIVISION. 



Miss Lydia K. Wilkins, Chief. 



The total number of periodicals, exclusive of annuals and serials 

 of infrequent issue, currently received by the Library is now 2.493 

 titles, of which 604 are received by purchase and 1,889 by gift. The 

 number of new periodicals added during the year was 252, whereas 

 192 of those listed last year are no longer received, either because they 

 have ceased publication permanently or temporarily or because the 

 subscriptions have been discontined. The net increase was 60. Many 

 of the periodicals are duplicated from two to six times, making the 

 total number of periodicals handled during the year 3,446, an increase 

 of 18 for the year. 



Last year's report included a table showing the various foreign 

 countries from which periodicals are currently received and the num- 

 ber received from each country. This information has been kept up 

 to date on cards and has been of freciuent use. 



There is an increasing demand for a printed title and subject list 

 of the periodicals currently received by the Library, and it is hoped 

 that such a list may be published in the near future. 



In addition to the 2,493 current periodicals appearing not less than 

 four times a year, the Library received 3,554 serials of less frequent 

 issue, such as annual reports, proceedings, and transactions published 

 by institutions and societies, a decrease of 350 compared with the 

 previous year. This decrease was due in part to the difficulty in ob- 

 taining publications from foreign countries and in part to the fact 

 that it has not been possible to spend as much time on the work of 

 requesting exchanges. 



Through the efforts of the Committee on Importations of the 

 American Library Association, arrangements were made in 1918 

 whereby American libraries were able to import periodicals from the 

 enemy countries. A considerable number of German periodicals pub- 

 lished in 1918 and 1919 which were ordered by this Library are now 

 being receivecb though many others known to have been published 

 have thus far not been obtained at all. Furthermore, there are gaps 

 in the files ranging from one to more than three years. The Avork of 

 completing these will be most difficult, and there is grave doubt 

 whether some of the missing issues can ever be replaced, as many of 

 the publications were issued during the war only in limited editions. 

 Moreover, a considerable stock of 1916 and 1917 issues destined for 

 this and other American libraries was destroyed by fire in a ware- 

 house in Leipzig. 



DUPLICATES. 



While there was no decrease in the number of duplicates received 

 from various sources, it was possible to devote little time to the work 

 of listing and disposing of them. As a consecjuence only one shii> 

 ment Avas sent out dunng the year. This consisted of eight mail 

 sacks of publications requested by one of the State agricultural col- 

 lege libraries. As explained in previous reports, these duplicates 

 are for the most part publications of national, State, and local gov- 

 ernments, publications of societies and institutions, and periodicals, 

 which are sent as gifts and exchanges to various offices of the Depart- 



