APPENDIX 8. 



REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF 



SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE. 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 

 tions of the United States Bureau of the International Catalogue of 

 Scientific Literature for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1921 : 



All volumes of the fourteenth annual issue have been published, 

 completing the catalogue through the year 1914. Financial condi- 

 tions, brought about by the war and the excessive advance in the 

 cost of publication, have since made it necessary to temporarily sus- 

 pend printing the catalogue. Much of the material for 1915 and 

 subsequent years is in the hands of the London central bureau ready 

 for publication as soon as financial support is assured and publica- 

 tion costs are more nearly normal. 



The work of this bureau during the year has consisted in collect- 

 ing data from periodicals regularly publishing scientific papers, of 

 which there are about 550 in the United States. In addition to these 

 there are over 400 occasionally containing scientific matter. Book 

 notices, reviews, and publishers' lists and the publications received 

 through exchange by the Smithsonian Institution are also system- 

 atically used in order to make sure that no paper coming within the 

 scope of the catalogue is overlooked. Reference slips are prepared 

 for each paper thus collected, and the contents classified to conform 

 to the International Catalogue subject schedule. Practically all of 

 the classification is done by specialists, and much difficulty is ex- 

 perienced in obtaining suitable aid for this part of the work, owing 

 to the very limited funds available. This lack of funds has always 

 seriously interfered with the work of the bureau ; but as much of the 

 data through the year 1920 have been classified and are now held 

 pending the resumption of publication, it is hoped that by the time 

 it is called for by the central bureau most of the index cards will be 

 ready, and that when the published volumes have been brought up 

 to date a larger annual appropriation will be granted, so that all cur- 

 rent publications may be immediately dealt with. 



When it is considered that between 25,000 and 30,000 reference 

 cards have annually been furnished by this bureau, some idea of the 

 amount of expert and clerical labor involved is apparent. 



As a resume of the history of the enterprise was published in the 



report of this bureau for the last fiscal year, it is unnecessary to again 



repeat it excepting to state that financial difficulties have not been 



relieved, although, owing to assurances made by influential delegates 



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