The Smithsonian Library 291 



cations for those of foreign museums, and of scientific socie- 

 ties, and of specialists in natural history. Little, if anything, 

 however, comes in not obtained under similar circumstances 

 by the exchanges of the Smithsonian Institution. 



" 1 



In 1887 the present Secretary, Mr. S. P. Langley, when 

 Assistant Secretary, in charge of the library and exchanges, 

 inaugurated a new policy for the further increase of period- 

 ical and serial literature in the library of the Institution. He 

 obtained, by correspondence with a large number of scientific 

 men as well as through the aid of institutions of learning, an 

 extensive list of learned societies and scientific periodicals, 

 embracing thirty-six hundred titles, a fair proportion of 

 which have since been added to the library by the exchange 

 of publications. He drew up, at the same time, a code of 

 regulations for the conduct of the library, which, with one or 

 two additions, is still in force. 



The library of the Smithsonian Institution, whose incep- 

 tion and development have been sketched above, consists of 

 a methodical collection of the transactions of learned socie- 

 ties and scientific periodicals, and publications of acade- 

 mies and universities, throughout the world, made by steady 

 effort, on a systematic plan, for a half century, and reinforced 

 by liberal purchases in the early years to secure the back sets 

 of important publications of this kind. 



A collection of this sort was the ideal from the beginning. 

 It was proposed in the first letter for the plan of the library 

 sent by Professor Jewett to Professor Henry, before the for- 

 mer came to the Institution. In his fifth Report, Professor 

 Henry, speaking of the collections of transactions and pro- 

 ceedings of learned societies, said : 



" In a few years it is believed as complete a collection of 

 these will be gathered as it is possible to obtain." 



1" Smithsonian Report," 1882, page 34. 



