APPENDIX 6 

 Report on the International Exchange Service 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the activi- 

 ties of the International Exchange Service for the fiscal year ended 

 June 30, 1953 : 



The Smithsonian Institution is the official United States agency for 

 the exchange vs^ith other nations of governmental, scientific, and lit- 

 erary publications. The International Exchange Service, initiated 

 by the Smithsonian Institution in the early years of its existence for 

 the interchange of scientific publications between learned societies and 

 individuals in the United States and those of foreign countries, serves 

 as a means of developing and executing in part the broad and compre- 

 hensive objective, "the diffusion of knowledge." It was later desig- 

 nated by the United States Government as the agency for the trans- 

 mission of official documents to selected depositories throughout the 

 world, and it continues to execute the exchanges pursuant to conven- 

 tions, treaties, and other international agreements. 



The number of packages of publications received for transmission 

 during the year increased by 20,324 to the yearly total of 1,021,938, 

 and the total weight of the packages of publications increased by 

 29,475 to the yearly total of 855,102 pounds. The average weight of 

 the individual package increased to 13.38 ounces, as compared to the 

 13.18-ounce average for the fiscal year of 1952. The publications 

 received from both the foreign and domestic sources for shipment are 

 classified as shown in the following: table : 



The packages of publications are forwarded to the exchange bureaus 

 of foreign countries by freight or, where shipment by such means is 

 impractical, to the addressees by direct mail. The number of boxes 



93 



