LIBRARY. 327 



to offer temporary appointments to assistants in agricultural college 

 libraries who wished to have experience in this Library. Librarians 

 or library assistants from four agricultural libraries availed them- 

 selves of this opportunity, namely, the Nebraska College of Agricul- 

 ture, the Agricultural College Library of the Iowa State College, the 

 Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and the Kansas State Agricultural 

 College. The experience gained in this Library will, it is believed, 

 be helpful to the agricultural libraries represented, and it will also 

 be an advantage to this Library to have been brought in closer touch 

 with agricultural college libraries. 



Library staff meetings were held each month from October, 1917, 

 to June, 1918. 



WAR SERVICE. 



In addition to its normal and regular duties to the Department, 

 the Library has endeavored to render assistance in other war activi- 

 ties of the Government by lending two of the library assistants, 

 one for two weeks and the other for a month, to the Committee on 

 Public Information for the work of preparing an information file 

 of Govermnent activities and officials, and by helping in the food con- 

 servation campaign. The Librarian was appointed in June, 1917, as 

 chairman of the American Library Association food information 

 committee, and in that capacity as well as through the Library has 

 endeavored to aid in various ways in the work for food conservation 

 and increased production. In August, 1917, a circular letter was 

 sent to the public libraries of the country calling attention to the 

 opportunities for libraries to serve in this work. Lists on food sub- 

 jects have also been prepared and publications of the Department 

 on these subjects have been. sent in quantities to libraries for dis- 

 tribution. 



BUREAU, DIVISION, AND OFFICE LIBRARIES. 



The usual work of the branch libraries in the bureaus, divisions, 

 and offices has continued along the lines reported in previous years, 

 and there have been no new undertakings of importance or changes 

 in organization. On account of the expansion of the Bureau of 

 Markets,, due to new war activities, the work of the library of the 

 bureau has been affected to a greater extent than the work of other 

 bureau libraries. 



The table following gives certain statistics with regard to the 

 various libraries and the names of the librarians in charge. Addi- 

 tional statistics with regard to the use of the books in these various 

 libraries are given in Appendix 1. An account of their bibliographi- 

 cal work and other activities is given on preceding pages of this 

 report. 



