316 ANNUAL E'EPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



BINDING. 

 Fanny L. Paeker, in Charge. 



The number of books and periodicals sent to the Government 

 Printing Office for binding was 4,064, an increase of 701 as compared 

 with the previous year. In addition to the books and periodicals 

 permanently bound, 2,000 were laced in temporary binders and 1,728 

 pamphlets were stajDled in pamphlet binders. No record was kept 

 of the large number of reports, missing numbers, etc., added to 

 volumes already in temporary binders. Although a larger number 

 of books were sent to the Government Printing Office than in the 

 previous year, the actual number of volumes returned was less, 

 owing to the fact that many of the books have remained in the 

 bindery six or seven months, the work of the bindery being much 

 congested on accounty of emergency war requirements. 



AFFILIATED ACTIVITIES. 



As has been noted in previous- reports, the main Library and the 

 bureau and division libraries are charged to a considerable extent 

 with duties which are not ordinarily considered a part of library 

 work, such as editorial work, translating, care of mailing lists, care 

 of photographs and lantern slides, and general secretarial work. 

 These duties may be described as affiliated or related activities. 



The main Library has supervision of the foreign mailing lists of 

 the various bureaus, divisions, and offices and has charge of the mis- 

 cellaneous distribution of the publications of the department sent as 

 exchanges to foreign countries. This work is of direct value to the 

 Library in connection with the work of obtaining exchanges. It is 

 administered as a part of the Periodical Division. The Library 

 maintains a consolidated list, arranged geographically, of all the 

 addresses appearing on the foreign mailing lists of the various 

 bureaus. This list comprises at the present time approximately 3,200 

 addresses. 



Certain of the bureau libraries are also called upon to do work in 

 connection with the distribution of the publications of their respec- 

 tive bureaus, namely, the libraries of the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 the Bureau of Entomology, the Dairy Division, and the Office of 

 Farm Management. As the domestic mailing lists of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry are extensive, the care of the lists is* an important part 

 of the work of the library of that bureau. 



During the latter part of the fiscal year the Library was requested 

 to prepare a subject index to the domestic mailing lists ^ maintained 

 by the various offices of the department, to be used in connection with 

 the emergency distribution of publications made necessary by the 

 war. The making of this index proved an interesting problem, and 

 it is believed that if the plan were further developed it would prove 

 a valuable aid in the distribution of department publications. The 

 present distribution of publications by bureaus lacks flexibility and 

 does not meet satisfactorily the needs of institutions and individuals 

 desiring to receive publications on certain subjects. 



^The domestic mailing lists ore not filed in the library. 



