Appendix VI. 



REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1900. 



Sir: I liave the honor to present herewith the report of the operations of the 

 library of the Smithsonian Institution for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1900. 



The accession numbers in the record book rmi from 413773 to 431970. 



The additions to the Secretary's library, the office library, and the Ubrary of the 

 Astrophysical Observatory number 386 volumes and pamphlets and 1,484 parts of 

 volumes, making a total of 1,870 and a grand total of 25,571. The gain in volumes 

 and pamphlets and loss in parts of volumes, as shown in the above statement, is 

 accomited for l:)y the system of recording accessions begun January 1, 1900. 



It has been the practice liitherto to record in the accession book each separate 

 item, and while this plan rendered it possible to have a permanent record of every 

 publication, the labor involved became very great. The necessity for it had disap- 

 peared to a certain extent since the use of card records, and after careful considera- 

 tion it seemed best to institute the system of recording only completed volumes of 

 periodicals and transactions (which form the bulk of the Institution's library) in the 

 accession book. 



In accordance with the general plan for the increase of the library, 808 letters were 

 written for new exchanges and for completing series already in the library. As a 

 result 213 new periodicals were added to the list, and 309 defective series were either 

 completed or added to, as far as the publishers could supply the missing parts. 



The library of the National ^Museum has been increased during the year by 

 15,606 liooks, immphlets, and parts of jjeriodicals, 6,988 of which were from the 

 Smithsonian Institution, and the remainder directly to the INIuseum, secured either 

 by gift, purchase, or exchange. The Museum library now consists of a central refer- 

 ence library and of 27 sectional libraries, and the collection is constantly growing in 

 size and value. A more detailed account of its operations is presented in connection 

 with the report of the Museum. 



Besides the jieriodical room and the reference room, tlie library of the Institution 

 now includes several small but carefully selected collections: The Secretary's library, 

 the art collection, the sectional li])rary of Aerodromics, and the law reference section. 

 The small collection of the Astrophysical Observatory and of the National Zoological 

 Park are also under the Librarian's care. All the library interests of the Institution 

 and its bureaus, with the single exception of the Bureau of Ethnology, are centered 

 in one office. 

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