National Scientific and lidiicational Institutions. 3^1 



In return for its own i)ublications the Institution has received the great 

 collection of books which form its library'. 



This library, consisting of more than a quarter of a million volumes 

 and parts of volumes, has for over tweut}' years been deposited at the 

 Capitol as a portion of the Congressional Library-, and is constantly 

 l)eing increased. In the last fiscal year nineteen thousand titles were 

 thus added to the national collection of books. 



Chiefly through its exchange .system the vSmithsonian had, in 1865, 

 accumulated about forty thotisand volumes, largel}^ publications of 

 learned societies, containing the record of the actual progress of the 

 world in all that pertains to the mental and physical development of the 

 human family, and affording the means of tracing the history of at lea.st 

 every branch of positive science since the days of revival of letters until 

 the present time. 



The books, in many cases presents from old European libraries, and 

 not to be obtained by purchase, formed even then one of the best collec- 

 tions of the kind in the world. 



The danger incurred from the fire of that year, and the fact that the 

 greater portion of these volinnes, being tuiboinid and crowded into in.suf- 

 ficient space, could not be readily consulted, while the expen.se to be 

 incurred for this binding, enlarged room, and other purposes connected 

 with their use threatened to grow bej'ond the means of the Institution, 

 appear to have been the moving causes which determined the regents to 

 accept an arrangement by which Congress was to place the Smithsonian 

 library with its own in the Capitol, .subject to the right of the Regents 

 to withdraw the books on paying the charges of binding, etc. Owing 

 t(j the same causes (which have affected the Library of Congress it.self) 

 the.se principal conditions, except as regards their custody in a fireproof 

 building, have never been fulfilled. 



The books are still depo.sited chiefly in the Capitol, but though they 

 ha\-e now increased from 40,000 to ftilly 250,000 volumes and parts of 

 volumes, forming one of the most valuable collections of the kind in 

 existence, they not only remain unbound, but in a far more crowded and 

 inaccessible condition than they were before the transfer. It is hardly 

 nece.ssar}' to add that these facts arc deplored by no one more than by 

 the lyibrarian of Congress. 



The purchasing power of the publications of the Institution, when 

 offered in exchange, is far greater than that of money, and its benefit is 

 exerted chiefly in behalf of the National lyibrary, and also, to a consid- 

 erable extent, in behalf of the National Mu.seum, 



The amount expended during the past forty years from the private 

 fiind of the Institution in the publication of books for gratuitous distri- 

 bution has been $350,000, a sum nearly half as great as the original 

 Smithson bequest. 



NAT MUS 97, PT 2 2 1 



