78 ANNUAL EEPOET SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 19 3 2 



before. The number of cards added to the catalogue was 12,055, or 

 862 more than in 1931 ; the number added to the Museum shelf lists, 

 1.244 ; and the number prepared for the union shelf list in the Smith- 

 sonian Building, 1,741. The items sent to the 35 sectional libraries 

 numbered 5,726 volumes and parts. The number of volumes sent to 

 the bindery was 1,480. The Smithsonian library obtained in ex- 

 change for the Museum 1,377 volumes and parts that were lacking 

 in its sets, 287 more than in 1931. The loans during the year to the 

 staff of the Smithsonian Institution and its branches totaled 9,096 

 publications, or 1,875 more than in 1931. Two-thirds of these were 

 made at the loan desk in the Natural History Building and one- 

 third at the recently established loan desk in the Arts and Industries 

 Building. The number of publications borrowed from the Library 

 of Congress was 2,662, and elsewhere 477; the number sent back 

 to the Library of Congress was 2,800, and to other libraries 532, 

 These figures show a considerable increase over those for 1931. 

 Loans were made to many libraries in Washington and to some out- 

 side. The questions answered by the reference assistants were even 

 more numerous and difficult than usual, some involving a great deal 

 of research. Most came from the scientific staff and the public in 

 general, but many from visiting scientists from various parts of 

 the country. Increased attention was given by the catalogue division 

 to the analysis of standard sets, with a view to making the catalogue 

 as complete a key as possible to these publications. 



The sectional libraries were somewhat changed during the year. 

 Those of mechanical technology and mineral technology became that 

 of engineering, those of American archeology and Old World arche- 

 ology that of archeology, and a sectional library of agricultural his- 

 tory was begun. These libraries, now 35 in number, are as follows : 



Administration. 



Administrative assistant's oflace. 



Agricultural history. 



Anthropology. 



Archeology. 



Biology. 



Birds. 



Botany. 



Echinoderms. 



Editor's office. 



Engineering. 



Ethnology. 



Fishes. 



Foods. 



Geology. 



Graphic arts. 



History. 



Insects. 



Invertebrate paleontology. 



Mammals. 



Marine invertebrates. 



Medicine. 



Minerals. 



Mollusks. 



Organic chemistry. 



Ptileobotauy. 



Photography. 



Physical anthropology. 



Property clerk's office. 



Reptiles and batrachiaus. 



Superintendent's office. 



Taxidermy. 



Textiles. 



Vertebrate paleontology. 



Wood technology. 



