190 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 195 6 



During the past year 184 persons borrowed 4,996 slides from the 

 lending collection. The centers throughout the country which dis- 

 tribute the National Gallery of Art film, report that approximately 

 55,538 viewers throughout the country saw the film in 298 bookings. 



Members of the Education Department prepared and recorded 34 

 broadcasts for use during intermission periods of the National Gallery 

 concerts. 



The printed Calendar of Events announcing all Gallery activities 

 and publications is distributed monthly to a mailing list of approxi- 

 mately 5,100 names. 



LIBRARY 



The most important acquisitions to the Library this year were 2,140 

 books, pamphlets, periodicals, subscriptions and photographs pur- 

 chased from private funds made available for this purpose. Gifts 

 included 296 books, pamphlets, and periodicals, while 663 books, pam- 

 phlets, periodicals, and bulletins were received on exchange from other 

 institutions. More than 400 persons other than Gallery staff spent time 

 in the Library for study or research during this fiscal year. More than 

 600 reference requests were answered by telephone. 



The Library is the depository for photographs of the works of art 

 in the collections of the National Gallery of Art. A stock of repro- 

 ductions is maintained for use in research occupations by the curatorial 

 staff and other departments of the Gallery ; for the dissemination of 

 knowledge to qualified sources ; for exchange with other institutions ; 

 for reproduction in scholarly works; and for sale at the request of 

 any interested individual. 



INDEX OF AMERICAN DESIGN 



The Curator in Charge of the Index of American Design continued 

 to take part in the orientation program for United States Information 

 Agency personnel with a series of eleven 50-minute illustrated lectures 

 given in the National Gallery auditorium. 



A new project of lecture notes for 20 loan sets of 2-x-2" color slides 

 was begun, for the purpose of making the slide sets more useful to 

 students and lecturers. Arrangements have been made to offer Index 

 slide sets for sale to individuals and institutions. 



Approximately 668 persons (566 of whom were new users) studied 

 Index material during the fiscal year for the purpose of special 

 research, exhibition, gathering material for publication and design, 

 and by those wanting to become familiar with the collection. 



There were 37 sets of 2-x-2" color slides (consisting of 1,444 slides 

 in all) circulated in 84 bookings in 18 States and Alaska. 



