96 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1915. 



of the publications of the Museum descriptive of its collections in 

 the various fields of science. This plan for increasing the library was 

 very successful, but it did not provide books of reference, in part 

 published at a loss, which could only be secured by purchase. In 

 1898 an appropriation of $2,000 was made by Congress for the pur- 

 chase of such books, but this sum was barely adequate then, and 

 while the appropriation has been continued, it has not been in- 

 creased. This lack of sufficient funds will be more keenly felt in the 

 very near future, owing to the present conditions in Europe and the 

 inability of the scientific societies and institutions abroad to supply 

 even exchange copies. 



ACCESSIONS. 



The Museum library now contains 45,818 volumes, 76,295 pam- 

 phlets and unbound papers, and 124 manuscripts. The accessions 

 during the year covered by this report number 2,209 volumes, 2,530 

 pamphlets, and 183 parts of volumes. 



CATALOGUING. 



The books catalogued number 1,550, pamphlets 2,530, and the 

 total number of cards made 4,664; completed volumes of periodicals 

 catalogued, 756; parts of publications, 183; parts of periodicals, 

 9,805 ; new periodical cards made, 389. 



The old catalogue of the Museum library was entered on cards 

 of about twice the size of the standard card now in use without suffi- 

 cient information for the proper identification of the publication. 

 For a number of years the recataloguing of these publications on 

 standard cards has been carried on as the other work permitted until 

 at the present time only the publications in the sectional libraries 

 remain. With the continued increase in the work it is hardly pos- 

 sible to do more than recatalogue 100 volumes in a year, but with ad- 

 ditional help this work could be completed at once, and would be of 

 great value to the Museum in connection with reference work. 



EXCHANGES. 



The existing conditions in Europe have interfered to some extent 

 with the securing of new exchanges as well as with the receipt of 

 publications which have been coming for many years. In the matter 

 of exchanges and the securing of publications needed to complete 

 the series 297 letters were written, with the result that many new 

 titles of publications issued in series were added to those already 

 coming. The receipts of publications from abroad have been de- 

 layed, and in many cases the institutions and societies are holding the 



