THE LIBRARY. 733 



there are many evidences of the need of greater cooperation than 

 now exists. There is at the present time an excellent sj^irit in this 

 matter, but the general \villingness to cooperate needs to be put in 

 more concrete form. One of the greatest diflicultios in the way at 

 present is the lack, except in a few cases, of real familiarity on the 

 part of the librarians of the bureaus and divisions with the methods 

 and work of the main Library and a similar lack of familiarity on the 

 part of the main Library with the work and needs of the bureau and 

 division libraries. This unfamiliarity is no doubt due largely to 

 the fact that the bureau and division libraries as now organized are 

 independent in their administration as far as the main Library is 

 concerned. It seems desirable that some provision be made by law 

 whereby it \vill be legally possible for assistants from the main Library 

 to be detailed temporarily to the bureau and office libraries, and 

 librarians from the bureau and division libraries detailed temporarily 

 to the main Library. Such an arrangement, the main object of 

 which would be to familiarize those engaged in any part of the work 

 with the library work of the whole Department, would without doubt 

 result in greater cooperation and increased efficiency in the library 

 work of the whole Department, and would also be an advantage in 

 emergencies arising from the absence of assistants. In recommend- 

 ing legal provision for such an interchange of libraiy assistants in 

 the Department without formal transfer on the salary rolls there is 

 no thought of making the changes compulsory in any case. To bring 

 about the desired results the interchange must in every instance 

 be acceptable to the bureau or division concerned as well as to the 

 Library. 



There can be Httle doubt that the solution for the Department of 

 the problem of indexing and the closely related problem of biblio- 

 grapliical work rests largely with the librarians of the various bureaus 

 and offices, for they come in closer contact with the work of the 

 bureaus and divisions and are therefore better able to know their 

 needs. If throngh cooperation this special knowledge is put at the 

 service of the main Library the combined efforts ought to do much 

 toward placing the indexing and the bibliographical work of the 

 Department on a more satisfactory basis. 



AGRICULTURAL LIBRARIES SECTION. 

 (AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.) 



Special mention is made of the annual conference of the American 

 Library Association held at Mackinac Island Jime 30 to July 7, 1910, 

 in view of the fact that the two sessions of the Agricidtural Libraries 

 Round Table held in coimcction with the meeting represented tlie first 

 attempt to bring together librarians of agricultural libraries and those 

 interested in agricultural literature for the discussion of their sj^ecial 

 nroblejus. ^lr. J. I. W3'er, jr., director of the New York State 

 Library, presided as chairman at the two sessions. The titles of the 

 napers presented were as follows: (1) Agricultural libraries; (2) 

 IVaveling libraries for farmers; (.3) Agricultural collections in public 

 libraries; (4) Agricidtural literattn-e in the reference library; (5) 

 Instruction of students in the use of agricultural and scientific litera- 

 ture; (0) Relation of the experiment station library to the college 



