THE LIBRARY. 



725 



compared with the previous year. Tlie statistics of such loans for 

 the past four years, arranged geographically, are as follows: 



From the statistics given above it will be seen that the use of our 

 books outside the city has more than doubled in the past four years. 

 By far the greater number were sent to scientists connected with the 

 state agricultural colleges and experiment stations. Although this 

 library is a reference library and its first duty is unquestionably 

 to tlie Department, it is also its duty to serve the agricultural col- 

 leges and experiment stations, and as a part of that service it has 

 been the policy of the library to extend the use of its collections 

 to the scientists connected with these institutions as far as it is 

 possible to do so without interfering with the work of the Depart- 

 ment. It is understood that the privileges which the library is able 

 to extend in connection with the lending of its books outside of the 

 Department are necessarily limited, and, as far as known, they 

 have not been abused nor has the lending of the books interfered 

 perceptibly witli the work of the Department. But even if the 

 work were interfered with to some extent, as an offset to this, and 

 by far overbahmcing it, must be considered the many favors and 

 benefits wliich scientists connected with the Department have 

 enjoyed tlirough the generous polic}^ of other libraries in lending 

 books for use in the work of the Department. An analysis of the 

 items borrowed for use outside of the city showed tliat about two- 

 tliirds of them were periodicals. "Wlicn some clioap and simple 

 method of exact reproduction is perfected, the })robloms connected 

 with tlie interlibrary loans will be greatly reduced. It will then be 

 feasible, when only parts of volumes are needed, to niake copies of 

 the articles to sentl out of the city instead of sending the volumes. 



