REPORT OF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR. 29 



balk of the descriptive labels are, as a rule, printed by the Interior De- 

 jjartinent. Dnriuj:: the year 18S4, however, the Museum onice printed 

 about L'jOUU labels, or uearly one-half of all that were printed. These 

 were chiefly labels for the collections sent to the expositions. 



Of each descriptive label there are twenty copies priuted, ten on 

 cardboard (gray or herbarium) and ten on white paper; the former to be 

 shown with the objects aud for the reserve tile, and the latter for mak- 

 injr catalogues of the collections and for general distribution to donors 

 and to other museums. The labels i)riuted for the Fisheries collections 

 which were sent to the London Exhibition in 1883 have been reprinted 

 in IJulletin 27 of the Museum, and i'orm a complete index to the numer- 

 ous objects of fishing implements aud vessel models composing the col- 

 lections. 



The care of the labels requires the entire time of one man. As soon 

 as received from the printer, a sample of each label is put in the scrap- 

 book series, as juany as are needed for immediate use are sent to the cu- 

 rator in charge of the collections, and the remainder of the labehs are 

 filed in unit drawers, where they are arranged numerically by depart- 

 ments. An index is kept, by means of which a label, designated by its 

 number, can be referred to at once in the scrui)-book aud files. 



13. PROGRESS OF GENERAL AND INCIDENTAL WORK. 

 (a) Library. 



During the past year the usefulness of the library has been gradu- 

 ally increasing, although no very important additions have been re- 

 ceived. The additions for the year numbered about TOO books and 

 l)amphlets, including many works of permanent value and practical 

 uti lity. Few purchases have been made, the principal sources of growth 

 being through exchange, gift, and deposit. The various departments 

 of the Government, especially those engaged in scientific research, have 

 made many valuable contributions. The trustees of the British Mu- 

 seum have presented a large series of the catalogues and regular pub- 

 lications of that institution. Progress has been nuule during the year 

 in the efibrt to classify systematically the books in the library, but the 

 work has been greatly retarded owing to the insutticient force. The 

 classilication referred to is absolutely necessary for the i)roper admin- 

 istration of the library, and it is hoped that it may soon be practicable 

 to jirovide adeciuatc means for this purpose. 



The library system may be briefly described, as follows : In the cen- 

 tral library are retained all books treating of more than one subject, 

 such as periodicals, proceedings of societies, serial reports, dictionaries, 

 and cy<;lopedias, together with such monographs as are not desired in the 

 sectional libraries, which are in the several ]\Iuseum laboratories under 

 the charge of their respective curators. To the sectional libraries are 

 assigned only those works which relate directly to the work of the sec- 



