REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 97 



sets and series until it will be safe to transmit them. Also, for 

 economic reasons, only limited editions with fewer pages are issued, 

 which gives a special value to those received. 



LOANS. 



The use of the library has been largely by the scientific staff of 

 the Museum, but other departments of the Government, particu- 

 larly the Department of Agriculture, have availed themselves of the 

 opportunity of consulting the publications relating to the various 

 branches of science. During the year the loans from the general 

 library numbered 12,492 publications, which includes 5,272 books 

 assigned to the sectional libraries. 3.020 books borrowed from the 

 Library of Congress, 111 from the Department of Agriculture 

 library, 72 from the United States Geological Survey, 44 from the 

 Army Medical Museum and Library, and 13 from other places. From 

 the Museum shelves there were borrowed 3,960 volumes. 



One of the important matters considered during the latter part 

 of the year was the return of books that had been borrowed from 

 the Library of Congi-ess on the older records, and while only the 

 charges for books coming under the first three letters of the alphabet 

 were acted upon, the indications are that those running back as far 

 as 1876 will be cleared up. During the year 3,437 books were re- 

 turned to the Library of Congress and 294 to other libraries. 



BINDING. 



The binding of volumes received in separate parts is still a serious 

 matter, and it is hoped that some provision can be made at an early 

 date, so that all of them may be bound. To cite an instance, there are 

 now in the technical series of recently catalogued works over 100 

 volumes that should be bound at once, in order that they may be 

 preserved intact. 



There were 812 volumes prepared for binding and sent to the Gov- 

 ernment bindery. 



GIFTS. 



Gifts of importance have been received from the following per- 

 sons: Dr. Charles Doolittle Walcott, Mrs. Richard Eathbun, Dr. 

 William Healey Dall, Dr. Oliver Perry Hay, Dr. Charles W. Rich- 

 mond, Mr. George C. Maynard, Dr. Robert W. Shufeldt, Mr. Austin 

 Hobart Clark, Mr. Robert Ridgway, Dr. Joseph Xelson Rose, Dr. 

 I. M. Casanowicz, Mr. William R. Maxon, and also the library of 

 the late Dr. Theodore Xicholas Gill has been presented by Mr. 

 Herbert A. Gill. 



