APPENDIX 6 
REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE SERVICE 
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report on the activities 
of the International Exchange Service for the fiscal year ended June 
30, 1948. 
The Smithsonian Institution is the official United States agency for 
the exchange with other nations of governmental, scientific, and 
literary publications. This exchange is carried on throughout the 
world under various conventions, treaties, and other international 
agreements. 
The number of packages received for transmission during the year 
was 760,119, an increase over the previous year of 56,321. The weight 
of these packages was 812,189 pounds, an increase of 38,214 pounds. 
The average weight of the individual package is approximately 1 
pound, 1 ounce, as compared with the average of the previous year of 
1 pound, 2 ounces—an indication that the institutions are shipping 
less of the material that was held during the war. The material re- 
ceived from both foreign and domestic sources for distribution is 
classified as shown in the following table: 
Packages Weight 
Number Number Pounds Pounds 
United States parliamentary documents sent abroad _-_ 346; 7687 (eee Se eel oer 1633262) S se eee 
Publications received in return for parliamentary docu- 
I CUS Se ee ee ee ee Sacre 95,200) | eee ance a 6, 993 
United States departmental documents sent abroad__-_- 18670205 | Seen eee 2245063 nese -e 
Publications received in return for departmental docu- 
MILO GS ie ne a ea ee eee ee ee | eee Bee. AED 3,102) 4/43 Fe 12, 034 
Miscellaneous scientific and literary publications sent 
abroad ees 5252-2 a2 see ee LOStG357 |e oee een ee 34610408 | See 
Miscellaneous scientific and literary publications re- 
ceived from abroad for distribution in the United 
States: se eee so Se Te ee 0 eer ire Devs es OREO (| aes ie et 59, 192 
Notalscctses cases) ws bose i ecnascwdewe eee sece 731, 423 28, 696 733, 970 78, 219 
Granditotaloassoe22 = 2 eee eee eee ee 760, 119 812, 189 
The packages are forwarded partly by mail direct to the addressees 
and partly by freight to the foreign exchange bureaus. The number 
of boxes shipped to the foreign exchange bureaus was 3,107, an in- 
crease of 529. Of the boxes shipped 533 were for depositories of full 
sets of the United States Government documents furnished in ex- 
change for the official publications of foreign governments for deposit 
85 
