16 ANNUAL EEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1942 



tions: a Brief Handbook"; a paper by Frank C. Hibben on "Evi- 

 dences of Early Occupation in Sandia Cave, New Mexico * * *," 

 which throws more light on the earliest occupants of this continent ; 

 a new edition of the "Handbook of the National Aircraft Collection," 

 by Paul E. Garber ; and another volume in the series on life histories 

 of North American birds by Arthur Cleveland Bent, "Life Histories 

 of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies." 

 The continued demand for the Smithsonian volumes of tables, in 

 large part from war agencies, necessitated a reprinting of the Smith- 

 sonian Meteorological Tables and the Smithsonian Physical Tables. 



LIBRARY 



In common with the scientific libraries of international scope, the 

 Smithsonian library suffered severe disruption from the impact of 

 the war. Publication of scientific books and periodicals declined 

 abroad, and those that were issued were obtainable only with great 

 difficulty if they could be obtained at all. After Pearl Harbor, of 

 course, library exchanges ceased with nearly all countries except 

 those in the Western Hemisphere. The brighter side of the picture, 

 however, is the service the library has been able to render to war 

 agency officials, not only by providing access to published informa- 

 tion, but also by putting inquirers in touch with members of the 

 Institution's staff having specialized knowledge and by arranging 

 introductions to outside sources. Taking advantage of the decreased 

 amount of time devoted to foreign exchanges, the library staff grasped 

 the opportunity of recataloging older material that has long needed 

 attention and of strengthening and extending domestic exchanges. 

 As usual many gifts came to the library from associations and in- 

 dividuals, noteworthy among them being 724 publications fi-om the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, 68 from the 

 American Asspciation of Museums, and a library of some 2,000 items 

 on Copepoda assembled by the late Dr. Charles Branch Wilson and 

 presented by his son, Carroll A. Wilson. The most important of 

 the changes in the library personnel was the retirement on January 

 31, 1942, of William L. Corbin, librarian for more than 17 years, and 

 the appointment to succeed him of Mrs. Leila F. Clark, who had been 

 assistant librarian in charge of the National Museum library since 

 1929. The year's statistics show 5,685 accessions, bringing the library's 

 total holdings to 867,200 ; 229 new exchanges arranged ; 4,040 "wants" 

 received; 4,775 volumes and pamphlets cataloged; 29,826 cards filed 

 in catalogs and shelflists ; 12,258 periodicals entered ; 9,978 books and 

 periodicals loaned; and 1,400 volumes sent to the bindery. 



Respectfully submitted. 



C. G. Abbot, Secretary. 



