REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 95 



gations and the need of reference works for the curators in their 

 study of the collections which were moved from the Smithsonian 

 Building to the separate building erected for the Museum. 



A nucleus was begun in the northwest corner of the Museum build- 

 ing with a collection of publications for the most part made up of 

 standard zoological and industrial works and bound pamplets, com- 

 posing the library of Spencer Fullerton Baird, second Secretary of 

 the Smithsonian Institution, which he had presented to the Museum. 

 The Library has grown steadily until it now occupies not only the old 

 rooms, but additional larger quarters in the new building as well as 

 space for the special libraries in the various sections. Within a year 

 after the first books had been brought together there were 5,450 

 volumes and 4,750 pamphlets; in all, 10,200 publications. Now, in 

 the thirty-fifth year of its existence, there are 45,818 bound volumes, 

 76,295 pamphlets, forming a collection of 122,113 titles, from which 

 the duplicates have been removed. 



The system of arrangement has been modified to some extent, but 

 the plan upon which the Museum library was organized has been 

 continued, in that the general library has retained all books treating 

 of more than one subject, such as periodicals, proceedings of socie- 

 ties, dictionaries, and encyclopedias, together with such monographs 

 as are not constantly needed in the sectional libraries; and the sec- 

 tional libraries have had assigned to them only those publications 

 which relate to the work of the department or division. A little more 

 than a year ago the general library and works relating to anthro- 

 pology, biology, and geology were moved to new quarters in the 

 new building, where up-to-date facilities for the consultation of 

 publications haA^e been provided. 



This left the old rooms where the library had had its inception 

 free, and the space thus made vacant is now being used for the 

 accumulation of another collection of works of reference of equal 

 importance relating to history and the collections of arts and indus- 

 tries of a technical nature, which are being developed in the older 

 Museum Building. While this library has but recently been started, 

 the indications are that it will have a growth equal to that of the 

 parent library, and it promises to become one of the most important 

 technical series of publications in the country. 



The establishment of sectional libraries of special reference works 

 bearing on the collections has been of importance to the curators, 

 and the number has been increased in proportion to the growth of 

 the Museum. Beginning with 8 in 1881, there are now 33 collections 

 of publications on special subjects. 



Considering the ways and means for adding to the library in the 

 early days, its growth has been remarkable. The library for the first 

 18 years was dependent largely for its increase upon the exchange 



