38 report of the secretary. 



Government Document Exchange. — The exchange of official publica- 

 tions of the United States Government for those of most other foreign 

 nations bas been continued, as in previous years, under tbe auspices of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, in accordance with the law of Congress, 

 and a large number of valuable publications have been sent to agencies 

 designated by their respective countries. 



Previous reports contain full details of the arrangement. The essen- 

 tial points consist in the receipt by the Joint Library Committee of Con- 

 gress of fifty extra copies of all Government publications to be used in 

 the distribution. 



I regret to say that comparatively few of the nations, even of those 

 which had formerly agreed to enter upon an exchange, have carried out 

 their promises 5 and it is a somewhat serious question as to whether our 

 own self-respect will permit us to continue all these transmissions with- 

 out corresponding returns. We cannot, of course, ask for the equiva- 

 lent in bulk, as no nation prints so large au amount of official matter as 

 the United States does. It is, however, not too much to ask that what- 

 ever may be published, however small in quantity, shall be forwarded. 



Some of the most important nations are conspicuous by their absence 

 from this arrangement, notably Germany, with which we have found it 

 impossible to make any arrangement. Great Britain, which, until 1883, 

 has not been on our list, has, during the year, made the most satisfac- 

 tory arrangements, and it is expected that a large number of works of 

 important character will be received and transferred to the Library of 

 Congress. 



It is of course understood that this entire transaction was intended 

 by Congress to be for the benefit of the Library of Congress, and all the 

 publications when received are immediately transferred to Mr. Spofford's 

 care. 



LIBRARY. 



The usual steady increase in the number of books reported by the 

 library as received is indicated for 1883 — 12,675 pieces, as against 11,779 

 of 1882. These are, for the most part, obtained by exchanges ; to a less 

 extent by absolute donations, and still less by purchases. As heretofore, 

 these books have been transferred on arrival to the Library of Congress, 

 exceptiug where purchased expressly for the use of the National Museum, 

 or needed for the service of that branch of the Institution ; all serials, 

 however, being regularly transferred. 



In many cases we have been enabled to obtain a second series of 

 many important .journals and publications of societies, in exchange for 

 the volumes of the Bulletins and Proceedings of the National Museum, 

 which are eagerly sought after, and the acquisition of which is consid- 

 ered to be a matter of great importance. 



In this latter establishment the same system as heretofore has been 

 continued — namely, that of allowing all books on special subjects to be 

 taken charge of by the curators of those branches, while mixed or 



