10 EEPOET OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1902. 



duct investigations on material kept here in their charge, and in whose 

 results the Museum shares. 



Many collections have, from time to time, been transferred by the 

 Geological Survey, the Fish Commission, the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, and other branches of the Government to the custody of the 

 Museum in advance of their final working up, in ordei- to provide for 

 their safe storage and to secure the better facilities for study here 

 afforded. Under this arrangement the amount of research work car- 

 ried on in the Museum l)uilding has been greatly increased. 



Though having little means to expend for field work, members of 

 the Museum staff" are occasionally given opportunities to participate in 

 the explorations of other Government bureaus or of private expedi- 

 tions, in connection with which special researches may be carried on, 

 though the chief ad\antage results from the acquisition of new and 

 valuable material and a knowledge of the conditions under which it 

 occurred in nature. 



AS AN EDUCATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The educational side of the ^luseum is intended to consist mainl}^ 

 of an exhibition of all the classes of objects which it represents, so 

 mounted, installed, and labeled as to directly interest and instruct the 

 general public. The principal difficulty incident to the proper installa- 

 tion of such a collection, conceding all the space requin^d, lies in the 

 selection of its parts, so that while enough is displayed to convey the 

 amount of information which it is intended to impart, the visitor shall 

 not be ov^erburdened or confused with details. While this policy is 

 being followed in the National Museum so far as its means permit, 

 the lack of room has alwa3^s prevented a complete or satisfactory 

 development of the plan, and every succeeding year the conditions in 

 this respect grow worse instead of better through the increased t-rowd- 

 ing of the halls. The advances in recent years have been chiefiy in 

 the methods of display, in th(^ character of indiA'idual and group 

 mountings, and in the labeling, in all of which directions exceptional 

 progress has ))een made. 



A year ago it was announced that all of the halls designed for pub- 

 lic u.se were then for the first time permanently open, though none 

 were above addition or improvement, while in some the arrangement 

 was entirely provisional. This was only accomplished ])y the transfer 

 of large quantities of material to outside storage, but during the past 

 year it has unfortunately been again necessary to shut off one of the 

 most attractive halls in order to furnish increased space for work- 

 rooms. 



In this connection it seems appropriate to refer to the work of Dr. 

 Goode, than whom no museum administrator ever had a better under- 

 standing of the public needs. He labored earnestly and conscien- 



