REPORT OF THE SECRETARY 135 



NATIONAL OALLFRY OF ART LIBRARY 



Wlic'ii in r.'iiO (ho X;i(ion;il (Jallcry of Art was set apart as a pcp- 

 arato Govornniont bureau under the administrative charge of the 

 Smithsonian Institution, its library ceased to be a sectional library 

 of the National Museum and became a major unit of the Smithsonian 

 library system. Since that time the collection, already an imjiortant 

 nucleus of works on tine art, both American and foreign, has grown 

 yearly by carefully selected additions, until it now contains 1,01)8 

 volumes and 1,1CC pamphlets. Small as the collection still is, it 

 almost fills the space available for books in the present limited gallery 

 (juarters in the Natural History ]kiilding and will soon need more 

 room there unless in the early future a special building is provided 

 for the gallery. "WTien that is at hand, the collection can be ade- 

 quately shelved, and be permitted to grow more rapidly, to meet the 

 expanding needs of the gallery. The library was increased during 

 the year just closed by 97 volumes and 60 pamphlets. Most of these 

 were purchased or received in exchange, but not a few were gifts, 

 especially from Dr. "William H. Holmes, director of the gallery. The 

 number of periodicals entered was 271. 



rKEER GALLERY OF ART LIBRARY 



The library of the Freer Gallery of Art is one of the most unique 

 in the Smithsonian library system. Centering, as it does, primarily'' 

 in the interest of the Freer Gallery in the arts and cultures of the 

 Far East, India, Persia, and the nearer east, it richly supplements 

 for the purpose of research — especially with its publications in the 

 Chinese and Japanese languages, some of which are very rare — the 

 corresponding collections in the Library of Congress. It also has to 

 do somewhat with the life and works of various American painters, 

 notably James McNeill Whistler, many of whose pictures are the 

 possession of the gallery, and with the famous biblical manuscripts 

 of the fourth and fifth centuries, known as the Washington Manu- 

 scripts, which the gallery is so fortunate as to own. 



The main collection numbers 4,362 volumes and 2,998 pamphlets; 

 the special collection designed for the use of the field staff of the 

 gallery, 814 volumes and 500 pamphlets. The former was increased 

 during the last fiscal year by 93 volumes and 229 pamphlets. The 

 number of volumes bound was 29. During the year, thanks to the 

 generous cooperation of the gallery, the work of reclassifying and 

 recataloguing the library was undertaken. In this connection 1,134 

 cards were prepared and filed in the new dictionary catalogue. This 

 work will be continued the coming year. 



