100 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1914. 
catalogue, and much has been done toward securing, in connection 
with this work, parts of publications. 
The moving of the biological, anthropological, and general refer- 
ence series of the library to the new building having been completed 
in the previous year and the rearrangement of the publications on 
the shelves taken up, attention was given to the finishing of this 
latter task. 
DUPLICATE MATERIAL. 
For many years the Museum library was overcrowded to such an 
extent that the shelves had overflowed and it was impossible to 
have a proper arrangement of the books. With these publications 
were many duplicates which had been received by gift and other- 
wise from the very beginning. 
Among the duplicate material were many volumes of United States 
Government documents duplicating publications already on the 
shelves, and these, being of no further use to the Institution, were 
transferred to the superintendent of documents, in accordance with 
law. 
BINDING. 
The lack of sufficient funds for the binding of publications is a 
serious question. This will obstruct the work in the future more 
than in the past, unless an adequate sum can be set aside, so that 
all the volumes may be bound and made ready for reference. To 
prepare a volume for binding and then to be obliged to take out 
parts of it urgently needed by the staff makes it incomplete, and 
should that part be lost the volume may remain incomplete, inas- 
much as the publications which the Museum needs for its work are 
published in limited editions and it is often impossible again to 
secure them for binding when there is money available for the 
purpose. 
During the year 690 volumes were prepared for binding and sent 
to the Government bindery for that purpose. 
GIFTS. 
Many important gifts were received by the library during the 
year, the estate of Miss Lucy Hunter Baird being one of the donors. 
The following members of the staff presented publications: Dr. 
William Healey Dall, Dr. O. P. Hay, Dr. C. W. Richmond, Dr. Edgar 
A. Mearns, Mr. Alfred Klakring, and Dr. Harriet Richardson Searle. 
BAIRD LIBRARY. 
Spencer Fullerton Baird, second secretary of the Smithsonian In- 
stitution, gave his valuable scientific library to the United States 
National Museum when the Museum library was founded. He re- 
