106 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1916. 



NATIONAL MUSEUM LIBRARY. 



The library of the National Museum has been handicapped, as has 

 almost every library in the country, by the nonreceipt of many 

 European publications on account of the war. 



Accessions. — There are now in the Museum library 47,713 volumes, 

 79,241 pamphlets and unbound papers, and 124 manuscripts. During 

 the year just closed the accessions numbered 1,895 volumes, 2,873 

 pamphlets, and 72 parts of volumes. 



Cataloguing. — New material was entered as received and sent out 

 to the shelves or to the sectional libraries, so that it would be avail- 

 able at once to those interested. The recataloguing from the larger 

 cards to the standard size, and the identification of the publications 

 has been continued. 



The new publications catalogued numbered 914 books, 3,157 pam- 

 phlets, and the total number of cards made was 4,669. The periodi- 

 cals and parts of publications catalogued numbered 9,674, and peri- 

 odical cards were made for 25 new publications; 2,025 section cards 

 Avere made for periodicals assigned to sectional libraries, and 460 

 new periodical cards were written for the Museum library record. 



There were recatalogued 135 books, 275 pamphlets, necessitating 

 the making of 415 cards. 



Exchanges. — Notwithstanding the conditions abroad, the efforts to 

 secure missing parts and new exchanges have been continued. In 

 connection with this work 257 letters were written, with the result 

 that many parts that were lacking were supplied and many new 

 titles were secured. 



Loans. — During the year the loans from the general library num- 

 bered 12,085 publications, which includes books assigned to the sec- 

 tional libraries, 4,978; 3,228 books borrowed from the Library of 

 Congress, which included those from the Smithsonian collection; 

 207 from the Department of Agriculture library; 100 from the 

 United States Geological Survey; 50 from the Army Medical 

 Museum library; and 11 from other places. From the Museum 

 shelves there were borrowed 3,511 volumes, and 1,899 section cards 

 were made. 



Binding. — The binding of the publications that have come to the 

 Museum in parts, or paper covers, in order that they may be prop- 

 erly cared for and saved from destruction, is still a serious matter, 

 as many remain unbound. It was possible this year to bind more 

 than last year, which has relieved the situation; but it will take 

 several years, at the present rate, to catch up with the needs of the 

 library in this direction. 



