l)ers'' of certain classes of literature, whicli form a cojifused juin})lc 

 of ujiintelli<;ible characters on the title-pages of so luan}^ of the Depart- 

 ment's pamphlets. 



If the publications of each publishing office could be confined 

 within the two series '"'bulletins'"' and " circulars," for which pro- 

 vision is made under each office in the classification; or if, in case of 

 continued issues, they could be given a series title and series number 

 of their own, such series title and series number to appear on the title- 

 page (not on the cover or in the back title) of each publication, nuich 

 of the confusion and oft-complained-of "multiplication of number- 

 ing"' would be done away with. 



Another great boon to librarians would be the adoption by the 

 Department of a "whole number,"" to be assigned to all publications 

 of the Department, ncrmatter by which bureau issued, serially in the 

 order of issue, printed in small type in an inconspicuous place on the 

 title-page, or at the heading of an article, and applied without reser- 

 vation to ever^^thing issued Avhich the Department considers a "pub- 

 lication." This "whole number," howevei", not to supersede the 

 series numbers of the publishing bureaus, but to take the place of all 

 other title-page numbers. 



In compiling lists of the publications of the Departments, every- 

 thing issued by a Department, except circular letters and cards and 

 notices of a purely office character, should ])e listed; and yet it is 

 found in many instances almost impossible to determine what the 

 Department considers a "publication, liiiii'jMiumbered issues being 

 of but a temporar}" character, while an unnumbered card or circular 

 maj^ be of importance, and if discarded would be regarded as a serious 

 omission. 



" Whole numbers" are now used by manj^ of the publishing offices 

 to designate a certain class of literature, ])ut to be of practical value 

 the number must be applied by the Department, and should appear 

 on everything issued which it considers a "publication." Librarians 

 could then easily keep track of the publications and be sure when 

 they had them all, whereas now no one knows wdiat constitutes a com- 

 plete set of the publications of any of the great Departments. 



A carefully assorted and beautifully bound collection of many of 

 the publications of the Department, whicii proved of great value in 

 compiling this list, is safely entombed in a vault in the grounds of the 

 Department; its li})rary has a fair repres(>ntation of the ])u)>lications; 

 whil(> most of the scientific bui-eaus retain tiles of at least the last 

 editions of their works; but in no one place, nor in all combined, does 

 the Dei)artment possess anything like a complete Hie of its valuable 

 literature. This, however, is not surprising, for in all the well- 



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