90 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1912. 



that time for the better accommodation of the Library of Congress. 

 The Smithsonian Library then contained about 40,000 volumes. Its 

 transfer from the Smithsonian building in nowise checked its growth. 

 It increased in extent with every succeeding year, and in 1895 the 

 record entries had reached 314,500, including books, pamphlets, peri- 

 odicals and parts of periodicals, and maps, exclusive of certain small 

 special collections not incorporated in the " Smithsonian deposit." 

 The Institution at that time currently received more than 3,045 sepa- 

 rate publications of learned societies, periodicals, and magazines, of 

 v/hich 1,565 related to pure science, 704 to applied science, and 77G 

 to art, literature, trade, and a variety of other subjects. The small 

 special collections mentioned above, known as the secretary's library, 

 the office library, the library of the Astrophysical Observatory, the 

 library of the National Zoological Park, the emploj^ees' library, the 

 Exchange Service collection, and the law reference library aggi'e- 

 gated about 10,000 publications in 1896. 



In 1897 the Smithsonian library was transferred with tlie Library 

 of Congress to the new building provided for the latter and placed 

 in the east stack and in a large room adjoining the same. It was 

 subsequently transferred to another room, which was specially 

 equipped with metal bookcases. 



It is not possible to ascertain the exact number of books, pamphlets, 

 and other publications contained in the Smithsonian library at the 

 present tune without making an actual enumeration of them, an 

 operation which would be attended by many difficulties. It may be 

 said, however, that at the close of the fiscal year 1912 the accession 

 entries had reached a total for the contents of the library of 508,788, 

 including books, pamphlets, periodicals and parts of periodicals, and 

 maps and charts, exclusive of the small special collections already 

 mentioned. 



While the Institution has acquired by donation or otherwise many 

 rare and valuable books and collections of books relating to other 

 subjects than the sciences, the original program laid down by Secre- 

 tary Henry has been closely followed, and the Smithsonian library 

 deposited in the Library of Congress consists mainly of scientific 

 periodicals and the transactions and proceedings of learned societies. 

 With possibly one exception, it contains the most important collec- 

 tion of these classes of publications to be found anywhere in the 

 world. 



The increase in the activities of the National Museum which fol- 

 lowed the great influx of collections from the United States Fish 

 Commission and from the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and the 

 erection of a separate Museum building made it imperative that 

 large numbers of books on natural history, the arts, museum admin- 

 istration, and other subjects should be permanently available for the 

 scientific and administrative staff, for use ii* identifying and classi- 



