348 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the monthly list of extension publications of the State agricultural 

 colleges has been continued. 



In her report for the year the librarian of the Bureau of Plant 

 Industry calls especial attention to the periodical circulation. The 

 following is quoted from her report : 



For several years one of the most pressinj? problems facing tlie Department 

 Library as a whole and the Bureau of Plant Industry in particular has been 

 that of the circulation of current periodicals. The work in connection with 

 this service has grown to such proportions that in the case of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry it was breaking under its own weight and was failing in its 

 purpose of being '* current circulation," since the number of persons receiving 

 the botanical journals most used in the bureau was so large that many of 

 them necessarily received the journals vei'y late, even those of which we had 

 more than one copy. Imperfect as it was, however, any suggestion that the 

 circulation be discontinued was met with universal protest, many asserting 

 that it was the most valuable service rendered by the Library. An analysis 

 of the situation showed that some means of acquainting the workers with the 

 contents of the journals, so that they might request those actually containing 

 articles of interest, would probably serve their needs quite as well as the 

 circulation of the periodicals themselves, so it was finally decided to list 

 the author entries indexed for the botanical catalogue and circulate these 

 lists in mimeograph form every two weeks. The first list was sent out in 

 February, 1919, and the circulation of the periodicals containing articles 

 indexed was discontinued, the journals being held for a week after receipt 

 in the reading room of the Bureau of Plant Industry library. Other periodicals, 

 such as chemical, medical, farm and trade papers, etc., still circulate as 

 formerly. The entries in the mimeographed lists are arranged under the titles 

 of the publications containing the articles, so that those receiving the list 

 may request from the Library any containing articles of interest. These 

 requests are filed in order of their receipt, and, after the reserve period, the 

 publications are sent to each borrower in turn. The reserve period of one week 

 enables any who feel that they must see all periodicals to examine them in 

 the Library. The mimeographed list of articles indexed is sent currently to 

 about 200 persons in Washington or in the field and a few outside the Depart- 

 ment who have especially requested it. 



The following are the results of this change of plan as observed by the 

 periodical desk after about four months' trial: 122 journals have been removed 

 from circulation. The number of special requests has considerably increased, 

 but there is an appreciable decrease in the work of the periodical assistant, 

 as practically all the work of preparing and distributing the mimeographed 

 list is done by a clerical assistant and messengers. The saving of wear and 

 tear on the journals is considerable. Many periodicals which, wdien circulated, 

 were kept by the bureau for an indefinite period are now returned to the 

 Department Library very promptly. One copy of a periodical will now serve 

 in most cases where two copies were purchased for circulation in this bureau. 



The work of the Bureau of Plant Industry library in connection 

 with the distribution of the bureau publications and the maintenance 

 of the classified mailing lists continues as in former years. Other 

 bureau libraries, namely, those of the Bureau of Entomology, the 

 Dairy Division, and the Office of Farm Management, also are charged 

 with the care of mailing lists. 



In summarizing the work of the various branch libraries mention 

 should finally be made of the duties which devolve upon several of 

 them in connection with the purchase of books and periodicals for 

 " field use." The Bureau of Chemistry, Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Forest Service, and the Bureau of Markets spend very considerable 

 sums each year for books and periodicals needed by the laboratories 

 and field stations maintained by these bureaus outside of Washing- 

 ton. The records in connection with these purchases are kept by 

 the libraries of the bureaus. 



