ORGANIZATION OF THE U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM. 23 



symbol is «, it means that tlie auswer is to be signed by the person to 

 whom it is referred. 



All letters referred are to be returned to the officer from whom they 

 are received. If a copy of any letter, or portion of letter, is desired, 

 which the Curator has no facilities for making, the passage should hd 

 marked and the symbol with signature added. The copies will be 

 made by the Museum copyist. 



All letters are to be tiled in the archives of the Museum, according to 

 the speciiications of the section relating to Archives, LXXVI. They 

 will there be always readily accessible. 



LETTERS — REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION. 



XLIV. 



Officers of the Museum will i^ay i)rompt attention to any requests for 

 information which may be referred to them for action, it being considered 

 an important part of the work of the Museum to attend to such matters 

 fully, courteously, and promi^tly. The rule of the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion that each day's mail shall be attended to on the day of its receipt, 

 is to be followed in the Museum also. 



CONFERENCES AND COMMUNICATIONS. 



XLV. 



The symbol C indicates that a personal conference is desired. 



The Director will confer personally with the officers of the Museum in 

 his office in the afternoon, or in his visits to the several departments. 



Every communication on Museum business, whether it be an announce- 

 ment or a request, should be made in the form of a written memorandum. 

 The same should be done if any action is decided ui^on as the result of 

 a conference. It is recommended that in communications between offi- 

 cers of the Museum, the stylograph be used, since this affords a means 

 of j)reserving duplicate copies of the communication. 



XL VI. 



EXPLANATION OF SYMBOLS USED IN BUSINESS OF THE SMITHSONIAN 

 INSTITUTION AND THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Action to he taken. 

 L. Library. 



M. For files of the Museum. 

 S. For files of the Smithsonian Institution. 

 F. For files of the United States Fish Commission. 

 A. Answer. 

 a. Prepare answer. 

 r. To be read, and contents noted. 

 C. Personal conference desired. 

 fc. To be kept until article announced arrives and to be then returned. 



