EEPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 16 



The Library of Congress. — By the joint resolutious of 18G7 and 18G8, 

 above referred to, the " works published in foreign countries, and es- 

 pecially by foreign Governments," that may be obtained by our inter- 

 national exchanges, are directed '-to be deposited in the Library of 

 Congress." This great national institution thus becomes the beneficiary 

 of this branch of the service, and it is a matter of public interest that 

 such returns should be placed on their broadest basis. 



From the last annual report of the Librarian, Mr. A. 11. Spolfbrd (for 

 the calendar year 1885), the following remarks are quoted as here 

 eminently appropriate : 



"Under the authority of these acts [above cited j the publications of 

 the United States have been sent regularly each year to thirty-eight 

 foreign Governments, whose officers responded favorably to overtures 

 for regular exchanges. Very inadequate returns^ however, have been 

 received from some countries, while from others very rich and impor- 

 tant stores of documents, including legal, political, historical, and scien- 

 tific publications, have come to hand. Eepeated eftbrts have been made 

 by correspondence conducted with foreign Governments, through the 

 Smithsonian Institution and the Department of State, to secure more 

 adequate returns from- the Governments to which the publications of 

 the United States (an extensive and costly series) have been so liberally 

 supi^lied through a long series of years. Very slight results, Jiotcever, 

 have attended these endeavors. A few desultory returns were occasion- 

 ally received, followed by an entire stoppage of the transmission of 

 documents. The results of the exchanges thus far has been to supply 

 the Library with many publications of permanent value and with many 

 more fragmentary sets of laws, journals, reports, and miscellaneous 

 publications, the principal value of which to the collection depends 

 ujion the completeness of tlie series. The deficiencies in all these series 

 are very extensive, thus depriving Congress of that full access to the 

 current legislation and condition of foreign countries which is so im- 

 portant to those seeking ofdcial information thereon. 



It has long been apparent that no permanent improvement in the 

 very defective operations of these international exchanges can be ex- 

 pected until some sj)ecial agency is organized in Europe to give personal 

 attention to the practical business of securing full returns of all Govern- 

 ment publications. The distribution of documents is scattered in most 

 Governments among different bureaus, with no common head. More- 

 over, jnost Government publications are issued by arrangement with 

 private publishing houses, instead of by Government presses, thus 

 rendering the books to a partial extent publications to which a commer- 

 cial value is attached, and comi)licating the question of exchange with 

 that of a pecuniary valuation of publications given and received. In 

 very few countries is there any general law regulating this matter, 

 while the various international conferences held at Paris and at Brussels 

 with a view to the adoption of a uniform system of exchanges have 

 ftiiled to enlist the co-operation of several of the most important Euro- 

 pean Governments. Moreover, there are issued many si^ecial publica- 

 tions wliich ca,n be obtained only by special efforts. An agent of the 

 United States, either constantly upon the ground, or visiting periodically 

 at regular intervals the bureaus of the Government in the various coun- 

 tries, supplied with full lists both of our wants and of the publications, 

 regular and special, of the Government presses, would furnish a per- 



