38 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



pressioii of the wish of the Regents that in the new buikliug a hall or 

 balls worthy of this really magnificent collection of a quarter of a mill- 

 ion titles should be exclusively devoted to it, under the name of the 

 " Smithsonian Halls", or in any such other method as may point it out 

 as an acquisition of national importance due to the Institution under 

 the Eegents' care. 



It will be remembered that a small portion of these volumes, repre- 

 senting in number something like one-twentieth of the whole, is ordi- 

 narily retained for consultation in the ^National Museum. 



A certain limited number of books, chietiy of works of reference, 

 obtained by purchase from the Smithsonian fund, is kept in the Smitli- 

 sonian building, under the titles of "The Secretary's Library" and 

 " Editor's Library." 



With these exceptions, it will be understood that a large part of the 

 Smithsonian exchange system, and a considerable portion of the best 

 rooms in the main building of the Smithsonian, continue to be given to 

 this portion of the Library of Congress without any return. 



On April 1, 1887, upon the resignation of Miss J. A. Turner, who had 

 for many years performed the duties of librarian with the greatest dili- 

 gence and faithfulness, the provisions for the care of the books supplied 

 to the Congressional Library were reorganized under the regulations 

 which I had prepared upon my appointment as assistant secretary.* 

 Mr. John Murdoch, formerly assistant librarian in the National Mu- 

 seum, was appointed librarian in Miss Turner's place, and was also 

 given the charge of the collection of books kept in the Museum as a 

 working library for the use of the curators and other officers. 



A force of three clerks was detailed to report to the librarian, in 

 order to enable him to carry out the new regulations, which require 

 greater j^roraptness in disposing of accessions than it was possible to 

 effect when one person alone was emi^loyed on this work. All acces 

 sions received during any week must now be completely recorded and 

 ready for a final disposition to be made of them on the Saturday of the 

 same week. All accessions, as heretofore, except the comparatively 

 few retained for use at the Institution, and certain medical publications 

 which are specially loaned to the library of the Surgeon-General's Oflice, 

 U. S. Army, are sent to the Library of Congress. 



Publications retained for the use of the Institution must, under the 

 regulations, be entered and ready for use within twenty-four hours 

 from the time they are received. 



A "full entry" of any publication, according to the regulations, is 

 " to consist of both a day-book and a ledger account entry." 



The day book is simply a continuation of the old Smithsonian record 

 of accessions, in which the running numbers reached on June 30,1888, 

 182,050. The ledger account is supi^lementary to the manuscript cata- 

 logue in thirteen large bound volumes, called "Publications of Learned 

 * These regulatione are given in Appendix V. 



