﻿110 
  ANNUAL, 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1922. 
  

  

  time 
  arrives 
  the 
  stock 
  of 
  complete 
  sets 
  already 
  published 
  should 
  be 
  advertised 
  

   for 
  sale 
  at 
  a 
  price 
  within 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  libraries 
  and 
  institutions, 
  

   many 
  of 
  whom, 
  although 
  desiring 
  this 
  unique 
  reference 
  work, 
  were 
  prevented 
  

   from 
  subscribing 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  original 
  cost. 
  

  

  Were 
  the 
  price 
  reduced 
  even 
  to 
  one-fourth 
  of 
  the 
  original, 
  stock 
  on 
  hand 
  

   at 
  that 
  figure 
  represents 
  a 
  sufficient 
  sum 
  to 
  meet 
  all 
  outstanding 
  obligations 
  

   and 
  leave 
  a 
  surplus 
  for 
  working 
  capital. 
  

  

  The 
  intention 
  in 
  preparing 
  this 
  statement 
  was 
  to 
  take 
  into 
  con- 
  

   sideration 
  all 
  existing 
  conditions, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  

   suggestions 
  are 
  indorsed 
  by 
  the 
  convention, 
  the 
  organization 
  may 
  be 
  

   kept 
  in 
  being 
  through 
  the 
  continued 
  activities 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  re- 
  

   gional 
  bureaus 
  and 
  that 
  when 
  international 
  conditions 
  become 
  more 
  

   stable 
  the 
  central 
  bureau 
  will 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  meet 
  its 
  financial 
  obligations 
  

   and 
  resume 
  publication. 
  

  

  When 
  in 
  1896, 
  1898, 
  and 
  1900, 
  the 
  representatives 
  of 
  practically 
  

   all 
  the 
  civilized 
  nations 
  and 
  foremost 
  scientific 
  institutions 
  met 
  in 
  

   London 
  to 
  consider 
  and 
  formulate 
  organic 
  rules 
  making 
  possible 
  

   cooperation 
  between 
  all 
  nations 
  recording 
  scientific 
  investigations, 
  

   it 
  was 
  their 
  intention 
  not 
  only 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  catalogue 
  and 
  index 
  of 
  

   published 
  records 
  as 
  an 
  aid 
  to 
  investigators 
  and 
  bibliographers, 
  

   but 
  also 
  to 
  establish 
  international 
  cooperation 
  to 
  aid 
  in 
  developing 
  

   and 
  making 
  available 
  to 
  all 
  those 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  concerned 
  in 
  scientific 
  

   matters 
  the 
  world's 
  output 
  of 
  scientific 
  records. 
  The 
  material 
  for 
  

   the 
  17 
  annual 
  volumes 
  of 
  the 
  International 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  Scientific 
  

   Literature 
  issued 
  for 
  the 
  years 
  1901 
  to 
  1914, 
  inclusive, 
  was 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  by 
  some 
  33 
  regional 
  bureaus 
  and 
  published 
  by 
  the 
  central 
  

   bureau 
  in 
  London. 
  This 
  unique 
  international 
  cooperative 
  organiza- 
  

   tion, 
  in 
  the 
  main, 
  still 
  exists 
  and 
  although 
  actual 
  publication 
  has, 
  for 
  

   financial 
  reasons, 
  been 
  suspended 
  pending 
  a 
  more 
  nearly 
  normal 
  con- 
  

   dition 
  in 
  international 
  finance 
  and 
  politics, 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  collecting 
  

   and 
  preparing 
  for 
  publication 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  scientific 
  research 
  is 
  

   still 
  going 
  on. 
  It 
  would 
  now 
  seem 
  advisable 
  to 
  consider 
  how, 
  until 
  

   the 
  catalogue 
  can 
  be 
  again 
  published, 
  these 
  records 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  

   available 
  and 
  to 
  plan 
  for 
  the 
  future 
  improvement 
  and 
  extension 
  of 
  

   the 
  catalogue 
  service. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  methods 
  of 
  furnishing 
  information 
  of 
  the 
  published 
  

   records 
  of 
  scientific 
  investigations 
  are 
  : 
  Card 
  indexes 
  and 
  periodical 
  

   bibliographies; 
  abstract 
  journals; 
  year 
  books, 
  cumulative 
  cata- 
  

   logues, 
  and 
  indexes. 
  

  

  To 
  prepare 
  any 
  of 
  these, 
  a 
  complete 
  list 
  of 
  journals 
  is 
  needed 
  

   but 
  unfortunately 
  no 
  such 
  complete 
  current 
  list 
  now 
  exists. 
  One 
  

   of 
  the 
  first 
  needs 
  of 
  the 
  catalogue 
  organization, 
  when 
  publication 
  is 
  

   resumed, 
  will 
  be 
  to 
  bring 
  its 
  own 
  list 
  of 
  journals 
  up 
  to 
  date, 
  the 
  

   last 
  supplement 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  list 
  having 
  been 
  published 
  in 
  1904, 
  

   making 
  the 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  journals 
  listed 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  5,627. 
  Since 
  

  

  