100 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1940 



SOME OTHER ACTIVITIES 



Mention has just been made of two indexes that are in preparation. 

 A third was undertaken late in the year — a card index of the explora- 

 tions with which the Smithsonian or one of its bureaus has at any time 

 been connected. Both the scientists and the library staff have fre- 

 quently felt the need of such a file — and to the future historian it will, 

 of course, be of great value. For it will make instantly available the 

 essential facts pertaining to each expedition — for example, dates, 

 places, personnel, scientific results, with exact references to published 

 accounts — taken part in by the Institution since 1846. 



Another important piece of work was checking the records for 

 periodical holdings in various libraries of the system, in the interest 

 of the second edition of the Union List of Serials now being prepared. 



Still another special task — one that required considerable time on the 

 part of two or three members of the staff, as well as of several W. P. A. 

 employees — was the transfer and rearrangement of the publications 

 that had for years been shelved along the sides of the main hall of the 

 Smithsonian Building, to cases set up in the alcoves at the ends of the 

 hall. In their new locations the most consulted of these collections 

 are more accessible than they were before. 



Again, the staff sorted by subject about 3,000 reprints and separates 

 and assigned them to the sectional libraries of the National Museum; 

 added substantially to the card index of auction prices brought by 

 works of art — a project begun the previous year for the library of the 

 National Collection of Fine Arts; nearly completed the inventory of 

 the technological library, with revision of the records as necessary; 

 did further special cataloging for the botanical library; and made 

 notable progress in the library of the Bureau of American Ethnology 

 in eliminating material not pertinent to the work of the Bureau and 

 in reclassifying and rearranging the remaining collections. 



And, last but not least, by the joint effort of the staff and the W. P. A. 

 workers the listing of the longer runs of duplicate serials in both the 

 east and west stacks was well advanced. As fast as these lists were 

 finished they were submitted to the libraries of the Institution that 

 they might check the publications they needed. A few of those not 

 wanted were sent to the library of the Department of Agriculture to 

 fill gaps. And many were used in special exchange for other publica- 

 tions required in the work of the Smithsonian. 



BINDING 



Owing to lack of funds, it was possible to send to the Government 

 bindery only a small proportion of the volumes waiting to be bound. 

 The library of the National Museum sent 714 ; that of the Astrophysical 



