THE LIBRAKY. 677 



USE OF THE LIBRARY. 



About 1,200 Of the books charged to the bureau are kept on the shelves in the 

 library when not in use, the others being charged out permanently to the labora- 

 tories and offices in the bureau. How to care properly for the books so depos- 

 ited, when used by a large laboratory force and by those from other laboratories, 

 has been one of the problems difficult to solve, ns the books are frequently taken 

 from their places and no record left. The Office of Pathological Collections and 

 the Office of Economic Collections, which have the two largest deposits of this 

 kind, have recently cooperated with the library, to the extent of designating an 

 i'.ssistant. who is to be responsible for the books and is to keep charges for those 

 taken from their places. It is hoped that eventually this plan may be followed 

 by all laboratories where there are any books permanently filed. Because of the 

 large number of books deposited in laboratories it is considered necessary to 

 take a yearly inventory. This is done in the spring or summer. 



The books kept in the bureau library represent only a small proportion of 

 those used by the force. Many are borrowed daily from the main Library, from 

 other libraries in the city, and from out of town. The number of books circu- 

 lated during the past year was 14.984, as compared with 15,114 in the previous 

 year. This shows a decrease of 130 books for the year, but the decrease is prob- 

 ably more apparent than real, as several sets of periodicals which were formerly 

 kept at the main Library have been brought to the bureau, with the result 

 that they are consulted frequently in the library room, and therefore no record 

 is kept of their use. 



PERIODICALS. 



About 550 periodicals are received by the Bureau of Plant Industry library. 

 The circulation of the current periodicals is apparently greatly appreciated, and 

 on the whole this privilege is not abused. Recently blanks have been provided 

 for the purpose of informing the library of an individual's intended departure 

 from the city and of his desire to have the sending of periodicals to him tem- 

 porarily discontinued. It is hoped that these blanks will serve as a reminder 

 that the Library wishes this information. During the past year the average 

 circulation per day of current periodicals was 87, as compared with 75 in the 

 previous year. 



CATALOGUES. 



Before the libraries of the Offices of Botanical Investigations and Vegetable 

 Physiological and Pathological Investigations were combined each had its cata- 

 logue, both of which are now in the reading room of the bureau library. As the 

 two catalogues have been described in detail in a recent circular (No. 87) of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry they will not be described here. 



DUPLICATES. 



The Library receives daily duplicates of department and station literature, 

 and of periodicals and separates, which come by mail to the various offices of 

 the bureau. The department duplicates are sent to the document section, the 

 station duplicates to the Office of Experiment Stations. The periodical dupli- 

 C'tes are listed, the list being sent to the main Library, where it is incorporated 

 with the list of duplicates to be sent to the agricultural college and experiment 

 station libraries. 



REFERENCE AND BIBLIOGRAPHICAL WORK. 



In addition to the circulation and care of books, the Library does reference 

 and bibliographical work, especially verifying and editing bibliographies which 

 are to be included in bureau publications. In this connection the Library has 

 felt the need of an established bibliographical form for department publications. 



BOOKS BOUGHT FOR OUT-OF-TOWN STATIONS. 



The bureau library keeps the records of all books bought from bureau funds 

 for out-of-town stations. Books bought on requisition are delivered to the 

 Library, where they are recorded and labeled with a bookplate, showing by what 

 office they were bought and to what station they are to be sent. In the cases of 



