NOTE. 



A motion was made in 1876 in the Academic Council of Harvard 

 University, by Prof. N. S. Shaler, that a Committee be appointed 

 to confer with the authorities of other libraries in the vicinity of the 

 University, and to devise some plan of more effective co-operation in 

 the gathering- of books for the use of investigators in science. This 

 Committee met gentlemen representing the Boston Public Library, the 

 Boston Society of Natural History, the American Academy of Arts 

 and Sciences, and the Boston Athenaeum. The}' came to an under- 

 standing concerning the separate fields in which their respective li- 

 braries should aim to be complete. As a part of the same general 

 scheme of co-operation, nine of the principal libraries of Boston unit- 

 ed with the Library of the University and issued, in December, 1878, 

 "A List of Serial Publications now taken in the principal libraries of 

 Boston and Cambridge," pp. 30, large octavo, double column. The 

 titles had against them indications of the libraries in which the works 

 could be found, and the most considerable part in the list w r as that 

 of science and technology. The several libraries gave such ad- 

 ditional encouragement as authorized the Committee of the Academic 

 Council to report a general agreement that one of the first steps 

 for further effective co-operation would be the preparation of a biblio- 

 graphical list of all scientific serials, published in the past as well 

 as now in progress. They also recommended that Mr. Samuel 

 II. Scuddkb be employed to prepare the manuscript of the list, and 

 that the Library of the University, under authority from the President 

 and Fellows, be given charge of its publication. This authority was 

 obtained April 29, 1878, and shortly after, the composition of the type 

 bcgaff at the College Press, while the press-work followed at the es- 

 blishment of John Wilson & Son. The work has gone on with such 

 speed as other engagements of the printing office allowed. Some 

 delay has necessarily been consequent upon the revision of the proofs 

 in such a manner as to secure completeness of enumeration and ac- 

 curacy of statement. The size of the volume as completed exceeds 

 that promised in the prospectus. 



The Library has no funds for the issue of such publications. If 

 this is to be the beginning of a series of works such as may be prop- 



