122 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1941 



older serial volumes still standing unbound on the shelves and to 

 hundreds of new ones added the last fiscal year. As it was, the 

 library of the National Museum sent to the bindery 800 volumes ; that 

 of the Astrophysical Observatory, 50; of the National Collection of 

 Fine Arts, 59 ; of the Freer Gallery of Art, 38 ; and of the National 

 Zoological Park, 11 — a total of 958, only about one-half the number 

 of volumes completed during the year by these libraries. 



NEEDS 



First among the needs, then, is adequate funds for binding, to the end 

 that the publications — some of them almost priceless now, in the light 

 of the destruction that is taking place abroad — may be safeguarded 

 for the permanent use of the Institution. 



Another need, which has become acute, is that of more shelf room 

 for the collections, especially those of the National Museum library. 

 Unless this can soon be provided, it may be necessary to resort to the 

 unfortunate measure of placing some of the less-used files in dead 

 storage. 



And, finally, five new positions should be established, for the follow- 

 ing : An assistant librarian, to take charge of the acquisition depart- 

 ment; a junior librarian and a library assistant to strengthen the 

 under-staffed preparation department, especially the catalog division ; 

 a junior typist, to relieve the catalogers of much clerical routine; a 

 messenger, to serve primarily the libraries of the Institution proper. 



Respectfully submitted. 



WiiiLiAM L. CoRBiN, Libra/nan. 

 Dr. C. G. Abbot, 



Secretary^ Smithsonian Institution, 



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