Relation of the Federal Govei'nment to Research 



245 



Physical Equipment 



Tlie Library no'^v occupies the largest building in 

 the world appropriated exclusively to library purposes 

 (35 acres of floor space in the Main Building and An- 

 nex). Congress has dealt generously in the pi'ovision 

 of the original structures and their maintenance. 

 They are essentially modern buildings in the sense that 

 they are completely fireproof structures and that 

 illumination, ventilation, and the necessary functions 

 of housekeeping are under full and economical control. 



In the Main Building the arrangements for the ac- 

 commodation of books and other bibliothecal material 

 are flexible; order and access are everywhere assured; 

 catalog and collections are in every case contiguous; 

 mechaniotti invention (^jneiunatic tubes, mechanical 

 carriers, elevators, etc.) and adequate staff facilitate 

 quickness of service. Suitable, and in some instances 

 (e. g., Rare Book Eoom, Coolidge Auditorium, Union 

 Catalog Room) adequate quarters have been provided 

 for nearly every special activity; 54 study rooms and 

 150 study tables aid lengthy research. 



The Annex is designed to multiplj' all these facilities, 

 to enahle a more exclusive appropriation of the Main 

 Building to service to Congress by bringing together 

 on the main floor divisions closelj' connected — Law, 

 Legislative Reference — and to purely bibliothecal ac- 

 tivities, to secure to the several divisions a fuller 

 scope for development and at the same time complete 

 control and readier use of their collections, to permit 

 the segregation of important research material, to ex- 

 tend to serious investigators the facilities of 172 addi- 

 tional study rooms and two special reading rooms. 



Bibliographical Organization 



The Catalog 



The Public Catalog. — The importance of the catalog 

 as a bibliographic tool depends upon (1) the scope of 

 the collection which it comprehends, and (2) the 

 soundness of the scheme according to which it is pre- 

 pared, together with the care with which that scheme 

 has been followed. Of the collections notice has been 

 taken above. Of (2) it may be said that the scheme 

 of cataloging followed is standard, with an elaboration 

 made necessary by the unusual problems here encoun- 

 tered. The processes of cataloging for the public 

 catalog have been summarized as follows: 



By the word "cataloging" we mean the preparation of 

 printed or other duplicated entries according to standard rules 

 whereby these entries are rendered usable for all library and 

 bibliographic purposes. This involves the authoritative in- 

 vestigation of author headings by research or correspondence; 

 transcription of title, collation, contents, etc., according to 

 standard rules ; duplicate entry under joint authors, editors, 

 translators, subjects, title, catchword title, etc., etc., and the 

 integration of all these entries by a network of cross refer- 



ences ("see" and "see also") tracers, authority cards, guide 

 cards, etc., which converts the catalog from a mere assemblage 

 of cards into an organic unit designed to meet all needs of all 

 classes of searchers — in other words, a luiiversal apparatus as 

 distinguished from mere check lists, want lists, "location" lists, 

 inventories, and other partial or temporary lists designed to 

 meet only occasional or temporary needs. (Annual Report of 

 the Librarian, JUdS, p. 241, footnote.) 



Included in the public catalog are all books in the 

 Roman alphabet, whether in the general or special 

 collections, and all books in non-Roman alphabets in 

 the general collections. There are many analytical 

 entries of importance. To secure accuracy and ser^•- 

 iceability there have been developed in the cataloging 

 department many processes and tools wdiich greatly 

 facilitate these ends. Some of these, such as the list 

 of subject headings, the rules for cataloging serials 

 and the publications of learned societies, etc., have been 

 given, by publication, to the library world; others, 

 such as the admirable reference collection, the invalu- 

 able corpus of authority cards, the proximity to the 

 records of the Copyright Office, the use of the Union 

 Catalog, and the procedure of direct reference to an 

 author for information concerning himself, can hardly 

 elsewhere be dujjlicated. 



The resulting catalog of more than six million cards, 

 forms perhaps the most closely organized of dictionary 

 catalogs in the world; and in its field (that represent- 

 ing the special strength of the Library's collections) 

 unrivaled. It is basic for American bibliogi-aphy. 



Catalogs of Special Collections. — A number of cata- 

 logs have been prepared covering special material 

 found in the general collections. Each of the separate 

 divisions has, besides, catalogs of the material in its 

 custody. Certain of these catalogs have been published. 

 A number of the most important of them are listed 

 below in very brief form. Those which have been 

 published are marked with a superior figure. 



General collections : 



Biographical references. 



Genealogical references. 



Heraldic illustrations. 



American and English genealogies.' 2d ed. 1919. 



The Collections of John Boyd Thacher in the Library of 

 Congress.^ Incunabula. Books relating to the French Rev- 

 olution. Early Americana. Autographs relating to the 

 French Revolution. Autographs of European notables. 

 Miscellanea and bibliographic apparatus. 3 v. 1931. 

 Division of Manuscripts: 



Calendars of numerous collections. 



General catalogue of the collections, by collection with inven- 

 torial notes. 



Handbook of manuscripts, 1918.' 



List of nis. collections ... to July 1931.' 1932. 



Calendar of John Paul Jones mss.' 1903. 



Calendar of the correspondence of George Washington with 

 the Continental Congress.' 4 v. 1915. 



» Published. 



