810 ANNUAL KEPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



is proportionately small and can be carried on along with the work 

 of the inventory. 



TRANSLATING. 



During the past year 350 letters in foreign languages were referred 

 to the Library for translation by the Library translator. In addition, 

 17 articles, comprising 73 pages, were translated. 



MAILING LISTS AND EXCHANGES. 



In the report for last year the work of the Library in connection 

 with the mailing lists for Department publications was described 

 somewhat in detail. The work has been continued along the same 

 lines therein described, with only a few minor changes. Certain parts 

 of the work which were formerly attended to by the Library have been 

 transferred to the Division of Publications in order to carry out more 

 consistently the general policy recommended by the Department 

 Committee on Economy and ElTiciency of confining the work of the 

 Library in connection with the distribution of the department 

 publications to the super\'ision of foreign mailing lists and the do- 

 mestic "libraries list," and to the distribution of the publications to 

 foreign institutions, societies, officials connected with agriculture, 

 and exchanges. In other words, the Library has been relieved of that 

 part of the work which does not especially belong to or concern it 

 and has been continued in charge of those parts of the work which 

 are of value in obtaining exchanges. The cooperation of the Divi- 

 sion of Publications with the Library in the matter of obtaining ex- 

 changes has been especially helpful. 



BUREAU, DIVISION, AND OFFICE LIBRARIES. 



In the report of the Library for the previous fiscal year was in- 

 ckidod a general description of the organization and administration 

 of the various bureau, division, and office libraries, and also somewhat 

 detailed reports from the various libraries. As their work has been 

 carried on along the same lines during the past year and since there 

 are no new undertakings or changes of special Importance to report, 

 it seemed best to omit the separate detailed reports for the present 

 year and to incorporate the statistics of the use of these branch libra- 

 ries with those of the main Library. The bibliographical work car- 

 ried on in the Bureau and Divisi(m libraries has been described above 

 in the paragraph on bibliographical work. There is frequent evi- 

 dence of the fact that the service of the Library is being improved 

 through the increased cooperation between the main Library and the 

 branches. 



RELATION OF THE LIBRARY TO THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGES 



AND EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



As the national agricultural library, connected with the national 

 institution for agricultural research, it has been the aim of this 

 library to extend its services as far as possil)le to the investigations in 

 agricultural science throughout the country. The land-grant colleges 

 and experiment stations, though State institutions, are supplied in 

 part by funds given by the National Government to the States to be 



