REPORT 



OF THK 



COMMITTEE ON THE LIBRARY, 



FOR THE YEAR 1885. 



There has been little in the affairs of the Library during the 

 present year which needs especial notice. The income of the 

 tStickney Fund and the Society's appropriation have been expended 

 in the usual manner ; the Card Catalogue has made the same 

 progress as last year — as much, that is, as the amount expended 

 upon it would lead us to expect ; and the List of Accessions to 

 the Library which will be published with this report will show that 

 the rate of increase has been about the same as in former years. 



Very early in the year an impression was found to exist that the 

 library was declining in usefulness, although, year by year, it was 

 increasing in bulk ; that not only were the books less consulted 

 but many useless ones were bought. These criticisms are such as 

 any member has a right to make. The,-Committee on the Library 

 understands that it is responsible to the Society for its acts, and 

 that any mistake or negligence ought to he promptly noticed. It 

 deems itself fortunate in having had ten months to consider the first 

 of these criticisms, — that the books are less used, — for it has been 

 able by observation and inquiry during that time to discover that 

 such is not the case. The idea arose from the fact that the 

 number of entries in the Librarian's record-book have decreased 

 during the last few years ; but, had the examination of these 

 entries been carried further back, it would have been found that 

 their number has always fluctuated, sometimes falling oft" to a 

 remarkable extent in a single year, only to overrun its former 

 limit in another year or two. For instance, in 1874 the .number of 

 books taken out was seven hundred and fiftv-eight ; in f875 it was 



