REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 95 



EXCHANGES. 



Through correspondence, 140 new periodicals were added during 

 the year to the great collection of scientific journals contained in the 

 Smithsonian deposit, together with 1,704 parts needed to complete 

 volumes in the various series. 



The matter of the completion of sets in the Smithsonian deposit 

 received special attention. Revised want lists for Belgium, Den- 

 mark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and 

 Switzerland were taken up, and, so far as possible, the needed parts 

 were supplied. These lists were additional to the regular want cards 

 received separately from the Library of Congress. As a result of 

 the work carried on in this direction during the year, 192 parts of 60 

 different publications were sent to the Library of Congress to com- 

 plete sets of periodicals in the Smithsonian deposit and 1,475 missing 

 parts needed to complete volumes of 173 different series of publica- 

 tions of learned societies and scientific institutions. For other divi- 

 sions of the Library of Congress 37 parts of 16 sets were supplied. 



In exchange for annual reports of the American Historical Asso- 

 ciation a number of publications of European historical societies 

 were obtained for the library, as in previous years. 



READING ROOM. 



The rearrangement of the reading room in the Smithsonian build- 

 ing mentioned in last year's report was completed. Two new oak 

 tables have been provided, a large one for readers and a smaller one 

 with bins for periodicals. All the doors have been removed from 

 the cases of pigeonholes for periodicals which stand against the 

 walls and proper space made for desks and aisles. By these changes 

 the appearance of the room has been much improved and the period- 

 icals made more readily accessible. The latest issues of about 262 

 domestic and foreign scientific periodicals are now constantly at 

 hand and are consulted by the staff of the Institution and its 

 branches, the scientific officers of various governmental establish- 

 ments in Washington, and students generally. The series of large 

 accession books formerly kept in the reading room have been re- 

 moved to the adjoining office and placed in a special case. A partial 

 rearrangement of the contents of the room farther to the east was 

 effected during the year for the purpose of making the encyclopedias, 

 dictionaries, gazetteers, and other books of general reference more 

 readily accessible. This room contains the transactions of the vari- 

 ous academies of the world and other similar series which are con- 

 stantly needed for reference by the scientific staff of the Institution. 



