38 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1909. 
ance that the new structure would be finished during the winter or spring of 
1909, no appropriation was requested or obtained for continuing the occupancy 
of the rented buildings, in which, for many years, large quantities of museum 
specimens and other property have been housed. As these buildings had to be 
surrendered at the end of the year it became necessary to transfer nearly all of 
this material in bulk to the new building, where it occupies a large part of one 
of the exhibition floors. Under more favorable circumstances it would have 
been unpacked and assorted beforehand. 
AS good progress was made in the sorting, classifying, labeling, and cata- 
loguing of the accessions of the year as was possible under the adverse condi- 
tions and with the relatively small staff of experts attached to the Museum. 
The examination of the collections resulting in many important scientific con- 
tributions, in which a number of specialists connected with other establishments 
have participated. 
The exhibition collections have been added to and changed only in minor 
ways, principally in connection with the loan collection of art textiles, tech- 
nology, history, and historic archeology. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
Of duplicate material, chiefly natural history, separated from the collections 
in the course of recent studies, over 9,000 specimens arranged in classified sets 
for educational purposes were distributed to many high-grade schools and 
colleges throughout the country. About 10,000 duplicates were used in making 
exchanges with museums and other scientific establishments, from which an 
equivalent in new material has been or will be received. To specialists in 
different fields connected with other institutions, both at home and abroad, 
about 19,000 specimens were sent for examination, all of which, except some 
of the duplicates, will be returned to the Museum. A large part of the work 
on these loan collections is being carried on directly in the interest of the Na- 
tional Museum. 
The number of visitors to the public halls was a little less than a quarter of 
a million, which is about the annual average. This is in striking contrast with 
the records of Jarge museums in other places, where the hours of opening are 
extended to evenings and Sundays for the benefit of the working people. While 
the additional cost involved in the extra. hours of heating and the employment 
of a few more watchmen would be inconsiderable, the means at the disposal of 
the museum have never been quite sufficient to accomplish this worthy purpose. 
It is hoped that this matter may be satisfactorily adjusted in connection with 
the- new building. 
The publications issued by the Museum consisted of the annual report for the 
year ended June 30, 1908; volumes 34 and 385 and part of volume 36 of the 
Proceedings; 3 bulletins and parts of 2 other bulletins. They comprised 
91 separate papers and memoirs, all of which except the administrative report 
were descriptive of Museum collections. In addition, a number of papers of the 
same character were printed in the Quarterly Issue of the Miscellaneous Col- 
lections of the Smithsonian Institution and elsewhere. 
The additions to the library, which is restricted to the subjects covered by 
the activities of the Museum, consisted of 2,680 books, 3,671 pamphlets, and 227 
parts of volumes, which increased the total contents of the library to 36,244 
volumes and 56,010 unbound papers. The annual appropriation of $2,000 for 
the purchase of books, periodicals, and pamphlets required for the classification 
of collections, is wholly inadequate to meet the needs of this work, and should 
be at least doubled. For a large part of its increase the library is dependent 
