APPENDIX 9 



REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF 

 SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE 



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

 tions of the United States Regional Bureau of the International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature for the fiscal year ending June 30, 

 1931. 



The routine work of the bureau, consisting mainly of compiling 

 necessary records of current American scientific publications to be 

 indexed for the catalogue when publication is resumed, has been 

 continued. 



In compliance with the resolution passed at the last international 

 convention held in Brussels in July, 1922, this bureau has been kept 

 in existence. This resolution, unanimously adopted, was " That the 

 convention is of opinion that the international organization should 

 be kept in being through mutual agreement to continue as far as 

 possible the work of the regional bureaus until such time as it may be 

 economically possible to resume publication." Complying with the 

 intent of the resolution, this bureau has been continued, though with 

 a force of only two employees, in order to keep the enterprise alive 

 with the lowest possible expenditure of money. Each year part of 

 the regular annual congressional appropriation has reverted to the 

 Treasury ; this year, out of the appropriation of $8,145, only $5,624. 

 was spent, and thus $2,521 will revert. 



This bureau is making every effort through the chairman of the 

 executive committee, in whom authority to reorganize is vested, to 

 influence the other bureaus to take the steps necessary to resume 

 publication, but on account of depressed financial conditions still ex- 

 isting and the disorganized political situation in some countries no 

 definite plan has yet been advanced. This is a situation to be de- 

 plored, for nothing has ever taken the place of the catalogue, and its 

 need in the world of science becomes ever more obvious. Aside from 

 the necessary cooperation by the regional bureaus in furnishing clas- 

 sified references for the Catalogue, a capital fund estimated at $75,- 

 000 is needed to refinance the central bureau, the editing and pub- 

 lishing center of the enterprise, and it seems probable that when a 

 definite plan is presented some of the great endowed foundations 

 interested in this and similar fields will provide this comparatively 

 small sum. 

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