72 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 



EXCHANGES. 



The establishing of new exchanges and the securing of missing parts to 

 complete sets of publications in the Smithsonian Library required the writing 

 of 2,G00 letters, resulting in the addition of about 100 periodicals and in the 

 receipt of about 3,200 missing parts. 



The mail receipts numbered 32,647 packages, and 3,500 packages were re- 

 ceived through the International Exchange Service. The publications con- 

 tained therein were stamped and distributed for entry from the mail desk. 



About 4,453 acknowledgments were made on the regular forms in addition 

 to the letters which were written in acknowledgment of publications received 

 in response to the requests of the Institution for exchange. 



New exchanges of the annual reports of the American Historical Association 

 from the allotment agreed upon for that purpose resulted in the acquisition 

 of a number of publications of historical societies throughout the world, which 

 were added to the Smithsonian deposit in the Library of Congress. 



READING ROOM. 



The periodical bins in the reading room were rearranged and, as already 

 mentioned, a new finding list was made out on cards which were arranged 

 alphabetically. Publications.no longer consulted were transferred to the per- 

 manent sets, either in the Smithsonian deposit or in some one of the libraries 

 of the Government branches of the Institution to which they belong. This 

 gives the Institution and its branches a thoroughly useful periodical reading 

 room. 



As many of the publications kept in this room are not to be found in other 

 American libraries, they are consulted not only by Washington investigators, but 

 by some from other centers. During the year the scientific staff of the Institu- 

 tion and its branches made use of 131 bound volumes of periodicals, and 

 2,949 parts of scientific periodicals and popular magazines. In addition, the 

 various bureaus of the Government continue to avail themselves of the oppor- 

 tunity to use these publications, as well as those in the sectional libraries of 

 the branches of the institution, and the library is frequently visited by in- 

 vestigators from all parts of the world. 



ART ROOM. 



No additions were made to the art objects or engravings in this room during 

 the past year. With the additional space available for the use of the Division 

 of Graphic Arts in the National Museum, it is expected that some of the 

 engravings will be exhibited there. 



THE EMPLOYEES' LIBRARY. 



The books added to this library by purchase numbered 13, and one publica- 

 tion was presented. By binding, 415 volumes of periodicals were made available 

 for circulation. The total number of books borrowed was 1,S76. A number 

 of books selected especially for the purpose were sent to the National Zoological 

 Park, as in previous years. 



LIBRARIES OF THE SMITHSONIAN BRANCHES. 



United States National Museum. — The congestion in the museum library 

 reported last year has been relieved to a certain extent by the temporary 

 employment of four cataloguers and the assignment of space on two of the 



