Appekdix 7. 

 REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE. 



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

 ations of the United States Bureau of the International Catalogue 

 of Scientific Literature for the year ending June 30, 1912 : 



The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature is an organi- 

 zation consisting of 32 regional bureaus representing the principal 

 countries of tl)e world. Control over the entire enterprise is vested 

 in an international convention which meets at regular stated inter- 

 vals. The regional bureaus supply to a central bureau in London 

 classified index citations to the scientific literature published Avithin 

 their several regions. 



The duties of the central bureau consist in editing and publishing 

 the citations thus forwarded. The published catalogue comprises 

 17 annual volumes, one for each of the following-named subjects: 

 Mathematics, mechanics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, 

 mineralogy, geology, geography, paleontology, general biology, bot- 

 any, zoology, anatomy, anthropology, physiology, and bacteriology. 

 Each countr}^ cooperating supports its own regional bureau, this sup- 

 port in most cases being in tlie form of direct governmental grants. 

 The maintenance of the central bureau, which bears the cost of editing 

 and publishing the catalogue, is dependent on the funds received 

 from the sale of the published A'olumes. 



The Royal Society of London has stood financial sponsor for the 

 enterprise since the beginning of the undertaking in 1901, and it has 

 been through the generous financial assistance of this body that the 

 publication of the work has been possible. 



The organization has now been at work over 10 years, and the 

 published results have met the exacting requirements of a classified 

 index to the vast scientific activities of the day ; but the price of the 

 work to subscribers, although below the cost of publication, is so 

 large that its usefulness is greatly limited. For this reason a perma- 

 nent endowment is urgently needed in order that the central bureau 

 may have a fixed income independent of the sum derived from the 

 sale of the published volumes. It is believed that if such an endow- 

 ment could be obtained the cost of the catalogue could be reduced 

 possibly to one-half its present subscription price, Avhich is $85 per 

 year. This reduction in price would undoubtedly largely increase 



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