762 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [DeC. , 



regulation library cards, arranged in drawers in three sections 

 devoted to authors, subjects and periodicals. It was begun in 

 1885, is the basis of the catalogue now in use and meets measur- 

 ably the requirements of modern library administration. The 

 clerk also did much good work in the endeavor to secure supplies of 

 deficiencies from corresponding societies. 



Mr. William J. Fox was appointed messenger March 26, 1888. 

 Proving himself intelligent and trustworthy in the performance 

 of such work as was assigned him, he was promoted to the position 

 of Assistant Librarian in 1890, and has since been efficient iu 

 forwarding the interests of the Academy. 



To provide for the supposed wants of students the experiment 

 of keeping the library open until 10 P.M. was begun in 1873 and 

 continued until 1876, when it was abandoned as not serving any 

 useful end on account of the extremely limited number of members 

 using the books in the evening. 



A catalogue of duplicates was printed and distributed in 1899. 

 A number of sales have been effected, but the larger part of the 

 collection remains yet on hand. 



Up to 1847 the library had been arranged in connection with 

 the Museum, manifestly to the great discomfort of students who, 

 as Dr. Zantzinger says in his report for that year, were excluded 

 from the hall when it was open to the public. The society then 

 occupied the building at the corner of Broad and Sansora streets 

 (Plate C), into which it had moved from Twelfth and Sansom streets 

 (Plate B) seven years before. During the year mentioned the books 

 were arranged in a department expressly designed as a library 

 and meeting room at the western end of the ground floor. The 

 Librarian was then required to be on duty during part of the fore- 

 noon, his place being supplied in the afternoon by the Chairman 

 of the Curators. The eastern hall, in which the collections of 

 minerals and fossils had been arranged, was given up to the Library 

 in 1855, and was used from 1857 as a meeting room. Finally the 

 western section, formerly used for this purpose, was divided in 

 two by a partition of cases erected from time to time by the liber- 

 ality of Dr. Thomas B. Wilson, thus providing on the floor and 

 gaUery additional room and placing the library in the condition 

 in which it remained until removal to the present building in 1876. 

 The present system of alternating alcoves and study rooms with the 



