ANNOUNCEMENTS. 



'^HERE are three objects to be pursued by the Academy 

 -■- which will increase its usefulness and (?ive it strength. 

 The first of these pertains to the library, the second to the 

 museum, and the third to scientific investigation. 



THE LIBRARY. 



By a system of exchanges we have secured about 5000 vol- 

 umes of scientific literature — much of it consisting of the 

 transactions of scientific societies in all parts of the world 

 where such organizations exist. Much of this matter is of 

 great value and can be found in no other publications. It 

 represents the front wave of progress and is of highest in- 

 terest to investigators, only needing such cataloguing and 

 classification as will make it available for ready consultation. 

 There is in the state-house a large collection of books, and 

 considerable scientific literature, outside of the collection of 

 the Academy. All these books belong to the state, inasmuch 

 as they have been bound and cared for through state appro- 

 priation, and it is expected that they will still be sustained by 

 public funds. The state library was originally simply a law 

 library, in charge of the supreme court, who directed its man- 

 agement and appointed the librarian. Later this library came 

 to include many miscellaneous books, departmental reports, 

 Smithsonian publications, dictionaries, encyclopedias, books 

 of reference, as well as some sets of valuable scientific and 

 literary journals. At a later date the state accepted the do- 

 nation of $5000 to maintain the Stormont medical library, and 

 a large collection of medical books from the library of Doctor 

 Stormont became the nucleus of this department, which was 

 also placed in charge of the officers of the state library, but 

 the Kansas Medical Society, through a committee, recommends 

 the volumes to be purchased with this fund. 



In 1899 the Traveling Libraries Commission went into 

 operation, in charge of the state librarian, the president of 

 the federated clubs, and three other persons, appointed by the 

 state library directors. This library includes books of a more 

 popular character given to or purchased for the commission 

 or sent out by the librarian from the state library. This de- 



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