98 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1917. 



Before Doctor Langley came to the Smithsonian Institution as As- 

 sistant Secretary he had made a collection of what had been pub- 

 lished relating to aeronautics. Later, when he became Secretary and 

 published his epoch-making works " Experiments in Aerodynamics " 

 and " Internal Work of the Wind," the number of publications was 

 gradually growing, so that when his successful experiments were 

 made with the heavier-than-air models the Institution had the most 

 complete library of aeronautical literature in the United States. 

 With this collection of books as a basis, a bibliography was prepared 

 by me to cover all existing literature up to 1909. Since that time 

 the securing of publications has continued, and every possible effort 

 has been made to have it complete. Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, 

 a Regent of the Institution, has also shown an interest in this collec- 

 tion by contributing his entire working library of books and news- 

 paper clippings relating to aeronautics, arranged and mounted, which 

 is a valuable addition in supplementing the series already in the 

 Institution. 



There are now on hand 1,009 volumes and 83 titles of periodicals. 

 With the close of the year a second part of the bibliography of 

 aeronautics is in preparation by me for the National Advisory Com- 

 mittee for Aeronautics, at the suggestion of the Secretary, which will 

 complete the references from 1909 to the end of 1916. 



Art room. — No additions have been made to the collection of pub- 

 lications relating to art in the art room, in view of the fact that all 

 of those relating to the fine arts have been placed in the sectional 

 library of administration for use in connection with the National 

 Gallery of Art, and those relating to the. reproductive processes for 

 engraving have been placed in the sectional library of the division 

 of graphic arts in the Museum. 



Employees'' library. — The condition of the employees' library has 

 remained practically the same as last year, witli no additions. If 

 money were available it could be used to great advantage in adding 

 some of the latest literature in fiction and other classes. The library 

 has been in constant use, and 304 volumes were circulated during the 

 year. 



John Watts de Peyster collection. — This collection of Napoleona 

 is probably the most unique collection of publications relating to 

 Napoleon in the United States, and was brought together by Gen. 

 John Watts de Peyster to include works relating to Napoleon as a gen- 

 eral. It covers the period from the end of the Napoleonic wars to the 

 present great struggle. There are many calls for these publications, 

 and some means must be found to make them available. So far it 

 has not been possible to do this with the present staff, and a cata- 

 loguer with a knowledge of French history should be employed for 

 the special purpose of cataloguing this collection. Every effort is 



