APPENDIX 8 



REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF 

 SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE 



Sir : I have the honor to submit the following report on the opera- 

 tions of the United States Regional Bureau of the International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature for the fiscal year ending June 

 30, 1923. 



As the success of this international enterprise, in common with all 

 undertakings dependent on international cooperation, is necessarily 

 controlled by world politics, it has been the hope of all interested in 

 the International Catalogue that each year conditions would develop 

 which would make reorganization possible and justify resumption of 

 publication. As international affairs, both political and financial, 

 are apparently still far removed from normalcy, the affairs of the 

 catalogue are practically in the same condition as they were in 1922. 

 As was noted in the last annual report, the Smithsonian Institution 

 submitted a statement of its position to an international convention 

 held in Brussels in July, 1922, to consider the affairs of the catalogue. 

 This statement carried with it a suggestion whose object was to keep 

 the international organization in existence, it being generally con- 

 ceded that should the countries who are now and have been for the 

 past 22 years officially cooperating in the support of the enterprise 

 be for any reason disunited it would be practically impossible to 

 ever regain their interest and support. Though these suggestions 

 were printed in the last report of this bureau, they are in part 

 reprinted here, as on them were based the resolutions to continue the 

 regional bureaus until reorganization could be accomplished : 



It is the belief of the Smithsonian Institution 



1. That a classified subject and author index to the literature of science is 

 needed. 



2. That no better means exists of attaining the end sought than by carrying 

 out the original plan of the International Catalogue based on international 

 cooperation, guided by uniform rules and schedules modified to meet changes 

 in the several sciences, and, when possible, broadened in scope to include the 

 allied technical branches of these sciences. 



3. That every effort should be made to cooperate with all similar enterprises, 

 including abstracting agencies, existing or projected, not only to prevent dupli- 

 cation of labor, but also to better serve the demands of those in need of 

 bibliographic aid. 



Ill 



