724 



ANNUAX. REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



room, which is a room 22 by 20^ feet in size, with only two windows, 

 and these below the level of the j^round, has in it seven desks and 

 seven large catalogue cases. At three of the desks artificial light is 

 necessary much of tlie time. It is impossible under such conditions 

 to accomplish the maximum work. In order to relieve efl'ectually 

 the present crowded condition and provide space for the growth of 

 the next four years, at least four additional rooms are urgently 

 needed. 



USE OF THE LIBRARY. 



During the past year the charges recorded at the loan desk num- 

 bered 35,180, an increase of 4,574 as compared with the previous 

 year. The record of similar cliarges for the past five years is as 

 follows : 



Record of use of the Library for the fiscal years 1906 to 1910. 



Month. 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November 



December 



January 



Fiscal year. 



1905-6. 



988 

 1,170 

 1,210 

 1,436 

 1,782 

 1,381 

 1,645 



190fr-7. 



1,078 

 1,378 

 1,088 

 1,594 

 1,599 

 1..S.32 

 2,005 



1907-8. 1908-9. 



1,375 

 1,446 

 1,270 

 1,789 

 2,051 

 1,918 

 2,621 



1,642 

 1,455 

 1,893 

 2,714 

 2,406 

 2. 682 

 3,061 



190^ 

 10. 



2,490 

 2,334 

 2,540 

 2,610 

 3.507 

 3,315 

 3,304 



Month. 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



Total .. 



Fiscal year. 



1905-6. 



1,933 



1,895 

 1.634 

 1,524 

 1,468 



18,066 



1906-7. 



1,715 

 1,894 

 1,885 

 1,604 

 1,322 



18,994 



1907-8.11908-9. 



2,380 

 1.969 

 1,669 

 1,981 

 2,001 



2,798 

 3,000 

 3. 169 

 2,913 

 2,873 



1909- 

 10. 



3,221 

 3,310 



2,804 

 2,703 

 2,917 



22,470 30,606 35,180 



In connection with the statistics of the use of the Library it is nec- 

 essary to explain each year that the above figures do not include (1) 

 a record of the circulation of single unbound numbers, (2) a record 

 of the use of the books deposited in the various bureaus and divi- 

 sions of the Department, (3) a record of the books used in the Library. 



A separate record of the books borrow^ed from other libraries was 

 not kept previous to February, 1909, and it is, therefore, unpossible 

 to compare the number borrowed during the past year, namely, 

 4,701, with the record for the whole of the previous year, but the 

 average number borrowed each month from February to June, 1909, 

 can be compared with the average number borrowed each month 

 from July, 1909, to June, 1910, which averages are, respectively, 339 

 and 391. As in previous years, we have made most frequent demands 

 on the Library of Congress, the Library of the Surgeon-General's 

 OlTice, and the Library of the Geological Survey, and to these libra- 

 ries our special thanks are due. While our demands on other libra- 

 ries have not been so frequent, tJiey have been all met in the same 

 generous spirit. The help which the work of the Department has 

 received through the loan of books from these various libraries is 

 greatly appreciated. A few years ago it was a somewhat rare occur- 

 rence for this Library to borrow books from libraries outside of the 

 cit}'^, but during the past year or two such loans have become frequent. 

 By reason, however, of the superior library resources of Washington, 

 only a comparatively small per cent of the books requested and not 

 contained in this Library need to be sought for outside of the city. 



The number of books borrowed from this Library during the past 

 year by scientists outside of the city was 548, an increase of 132 as 



