8 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1897. 



as it has no facilities for doing- such work, nor is it considered expedi- 

 ent that the curators should expend their time in assaying material 

 sent for tlie purpose of furthering purely commercial interests. The 

 thousands of letters containing requests for information on almost 

 every conceivable topic are all carefully answered. These now number 

 from 1L>,000 to 15,000 a year. Not only is much of the time of the 

 curators consumed in furnishing data for replies, but where the request 

 shows ii Ixrna fide desire for scientific information, publications bearing 

 upon the subject are carefully selected and forwarded, free of charge, 

 to the applicant. 



Additional remarks on the work of the Museum in public education 

 nmy be found on pages 18-20 of the lieport of the National Museum 

 for 181)5. 



The library of the Museum, which was established primarily as an 

 aid to the curators in their Museum work, is now under excellent con- 

 trol and is increasing rapidly. Sectional libraries have been established 

 in every department and section, whereby each curator has close at hand 

 such books as he may desire to consult in his special field of work. 

 The privileges of consulting the books in the main collection are freely 

 extended to a limited number of persons who, although not officially 

 connected with the Museum, have given satisfactory evidence of their 

 desire to avail themselves of the benefits to be derived from access to 

 the library. 



Popular courses of lectures have been frequently provided, and, in 

 addition, the lecture hall has been placed at the disposal of societies 

 desiring to hold their meetings in the Museum, or to give lectures on 

 si)e(;ial educational topics. 



To sum up the policy and aims of the Museum, it may be said that 

 the leading ideas kept in mind are to aid in the education and eleva- 

 tion of the masses, and to promote the advancement of scientific 

 research, (1) through the medium of the collections exhibited; (2) by 

 aftbrdiug to specialists access to the "reserve" collections; (3) by the 

 identification of specimens; (4) through the agency of the library; (5) 

 by the donation of specimens to educational institutions; (0) by the 

 distribution of its publications; (7) by its lecture courses, and (S) by 

 imparting special information through correspondence. 



