113 



ation by the public, because the cards will be misplaced, as, 

 under similar circumstances, they always have been, requir- 

 ing much time and vexation in their rearrangement — neither 

 are they convenient for use by any one, having outgrown 

 the limits of their former sufficient receptacle ; what is now 

 needed is a set of separate trays, with elevated sides and 

 back and open front, in each of which the cards belonging 

 to a few letters can be placed, with rods passing through 

 punched holes in the cards, so as to prevent their removal, 

 but permit their readiest examination by all ; this method 

 has been found to succeed admirably in other places, and 

 would seem to be pecuharly suited to our wants ; it would 

 become a j^ermanent aiTangement, because leaving nothing 

 to be desired in convenience, the only change required by 

 the extension of the Library would be the addition of simi- 

 lar trays. 



Much work still remains to be done in order to place the 

 Library in the condition of ready reference and safety which 

 its value demands. Yery many of the pamphlets yet remain 

 to be catalogued and placed upon the shelves before they can 

 be of any use to the members ; at present they are piled up 

 in heaps awaiting their turn. The whole Library is also in 

 a somewhat unsafe condition so long as we have no sej^a- 

 rate catalogues wherein the books are arranged according to 

 shelves, or what are generally called alcove catalogues; at 

 present the only means of knowing whether a book has been 

 lost is to look for it on the card catalogue after the attention 

 has been specially called to it ; on that account I am unable 

 to report whether or not any books have been lost the past 

 year ; a day or two with the alcove catalogue will suffice to 

 tell whether any and what books are missing or misplaced in 

 the whole Library, a work which, without such aid, would 

 certainly require the constant toil of one person for more 

 than a month. 



Few pei-sons are aware of the time necessarily consumed 

 in preparing a book for the shelves ; take, for instance, a vol- 

 ume of Transactions of some Foreign Academy — it is re- 

 ceived through the Smithsonian Institution accompanied by 

 a written blank from them to be signed : it has first to be 



PROCEEDI>-GS B. S. >-. H.— VOL. X. 8 FEBEUARY, 1866. 



