OEGANIZATION OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 23 



symbol is a, it means that the answer is to be signed by the person to 

 whom It is referred. 



All letters referred are to be returned to the officer from whom they 

 are received. It a copy of any letter, or portion of letter, is desired, 

 which the Curator has no facilities for making-, the passage should br 

 marked and the symbol C with signature added. The copies will be 

 made by the Museum copyist. 



All letters are to be filed in the archives of the Museum, according to 

 the specifications of the section relating to Archives, LXXVI. They 

 will there be always readily accessible. 



LETTERS — REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION. 



XLIV. 



Officers of the Museum will pay prompt attention to any requests for 

 information which may be referred to them for action, it being considered 

 an imi)ortant part of the work of the Museum to attend to such matters 

 fully, courteously, and promptly. The rule of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion that each day's mail shall be attended to on the day of its receipt, 

 is to be followed in the Museum also. 



CONFERENCES AND COMMUNICATIONS. 



XLY. 



The symbol C indicates that a ])ersonal conference is desired. 



The Director will confer personally with the officers of the Museum in 

 his office in the afternoon, or in his visits to the several departments. 



Every commnuication on Museum business, whether it be an announce- 

 ment or a request, should be made in the form of a written memoranduui. 

 The same should be done if any action is decided upon as the result of 

 ji conference. It is recommended that in communications between offi- 

 cers of the Museum, the stylograph be used, since this affords a means 

 of i)ieserving duplicate copies of the communication. 



XLVI. 



EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS USED IN BUSINESS OF THE SMITHSONIAN 

 INSTITUTION AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS 



Action to he tal-en. 

 L. Library. 



i¥. For files of the Museum. 

 /iS. r(nMiles of the Sinilhsoninn Institution. 

 F. For files of the United States Fish Commission. 

 A. Answer. 

 a. Prepare answer, 

 r. To be read, and coutents noted. 

 C. Personal conference desired. 

 Ic. To be kept until article announced arrives and to be then returned. 



(501) 



