Thirty-ninth Annual Meeting. 9 



ACCESSIONS. 



During the past year we have received not less than 500 unbound vol- 

 umes, pamphlets, and parts of volumes, which are filed away and await 

 the time for binding. Several hundred volumes are now in a greater or 

 lesser state of completeness, and in some cases missing numbers will be 

 difficult to secure. Some of them may be purchased, but it will require 

 much correspondence, and will be impossible always to get complete sets, 

 though we may have complete volumes. 



Over fifty bound volumes have come to us during the year, the larger 

 portion of these being from the Smithsonian, and other government depart- 

 ments in Washington. Many of these are of great value, bulky, finely il- 

 lustrated, and would be a valuable acquisition for any library. 



Our library has a good many volumes in foreign languages, which will 

 interest only a small number of our members, but it is important to have 

 one collection in the state where these foreign books may be consulted. 



In government publications like those of the Smithsonian, of the Geo- 

 logical Survey, and of the Agricultural Department, our files are duplicated, 

 both in the State Library and in the State Historical Society. The latter 

 has the most complete collection found in our state-house of these books. 



CATALOGUING. 



The usefulness of a library depends largely on a convenient catalogue. 

 In the Transactions, from volume X et seq., much space has been given to 

 the librarian's reports, wherein catalogues and lists of accessions to the 

 library have been published. The library contains a card catalogue, where 

 the volumes are grouped by countries and by titles. From our Transac- 

 tions, volumes XIV to XVIII, inclusive, in the librarian's reports, may be 

 found a record which gives substantially the contents of our library. There 

 is also an authors' card catalogue and a subject card catalogue, on which 

 considerable time has been spent. To complete these according to modern 

 library standards, with cross-references, etc., will require much labor as 

 well as skill. Before undertaking any very complete system of cataloguing, 

 it may be well to consider our connection with other libraries and book col- 

 lections in the state-house, and see whether a common union and manage- 

 ment of these is not feasible. Needless duplication of books could be 

 avoided, expense of binding saved, and, more important than all, a single 

 and complete catalogue might be kept where it could be found, if any de- 

 sired volume was available anywhere in the state-house. 



PURCHASE OF NEW BOOKS. 



Funds available for buying new books have been applied this year to re- 

 printing volumes IV to VII of our Transactions. Money will be further 

 needed to secure missing numbers in the volumes of exchanges above al- 

 luded to, and it is desirable to have our material bound as early as possible. 

 From membership fees and dues a small income is assured which may be 

 applied to the library and to other Academy work. 



After report o£ the treasurer and secretary, President Marvin 

 named the following committees: 



On nominations : Willard, Wooster, and Cady. 

 On resolutions : Knaus, Bailey, and Yates. 



