144 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1931 



actions of learned institutions and societies, and scientific and 

 technical journals. To the scholar, therefore, particularly in the 

 fields of natural history, physical science, and technology, the deposit 

 offers a wealth of material. 



During the last fiscal year the Institution sent to the deposit 

 20,879 publications — an increase of 1,735 over the year before — or 

 2,626 volumes, 12,775 parts of volumes, 4,393 pamphlets, and 1,085 

 charts. Of these, 4,565 were dissertations. Of the charts, 883 were 

 maps and atlases which the Smithsonian, in the course of the reor- 

 ganization of its library system, had selected as worthy of preserva- 

 tion in its main library. Some of these were important manu- 

 script maps; many of the others were also new to the division of 

 maps in the Library of Congress. 



The number of publications obtained by the Smithsonian library 

 in exchange to meet special needs in the deposit was 2.364, or 159 

 more even than in 1930, when the records showed more than a two 

 and a half fold increase over 1929 and almost a fivefold increase 

 over 1928. This steady growth in the exchange service of the 

 library on behalf of the deposit is worthy of note. 



In addition to the publications sent to the deposit, several thousand 

 documents of foreign governments, which were received by the 

 Smithsonian library, were forwarded, without being stamped and 

 entered, to the division of documents in the Library of Congress. 



It might be added that toward the close of the year the Smith- 

 sonian library, with the aid of the National Museum, especially the 

 section of photography, took steps, at the happy suggestion of the 

 chief of the Smithsonian division in the Library of Congress, to 

 have portraits made of the founder and five Secretaries of the 

 Smithsonian Institution to be hung in that division with those of 

 other prominent scientists already there. When they are finished, 

 they will be presented for this purpose. 



NATIONAL MUSEUM LIBRARY 



In the library system of the Smithsonian Institution the library 

 of the United States National Museum ranks next in size and in- 

 fluence to the Smithsonian deposit. Its 2 major and 36 minor col- 

 lections are largely on natural history and technology. Tlie cata- 

 logued items of the library total 79,407 volumes and 109,129 pam- 

 phlets. During the fiscal year 1931 the accessions to it were 2,528 

 volumes and 832 pamphlets, an increase of 375 over 1930. Many of 

 these came by gift, more by purchase, but most by exchange. 



The year was one of much progress, in which the staff went far 

 toward making the library a more complete and available instrument 

 in the research work of the museum. This was the result partly of 

 the appointment to the Museum and other permanent library rolls 



