BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 163 



A teachers' library of about 7000 volumes is maintained by the 

 museum and includes the best publications on philosophy, psychology, 

 education, school management, science, and literature; text books used 

 in our own and othe-r countries; reference books giving information on 

 all the material in the museum; and the best educational journals. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH. The museum was established by the board 

 of education in 1905 as an outcome of the Louisiana Purchase Exposi- 

 tion held in St. Louis in 1904. Large amounts of valuable illustrative 

 material and of educational exhibits were secured through donation 

 or purchase from exhibitors representing all parts of the world, and 

 these formed the nucleus of the museum. To fill in gaps in these col- 

 lections, much valuable material was donated by the Field Museum 

 of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institution, the Philadelphia 

 Commercial Museums, and the Public Museum of Milwaukee. The 

 board of education made a liberal annual appropriation for pur- 

 chase of new material and for the general maintenance of the institu- 

 tion. The growth of the museum during its brief existence has been 

 remarkable; in the first year 5000 collections were sent to the schools, 

 in the second 11,500, in the third 22,500, and in the fourth 25,000. 

 During the year 1908-9, the schools ordered 3368 books from the 

 teachers' library. 



FINANCIAL SUPPORT. An appropriation of $7800 from the board 

 of education, for the year 1909-10. 



BUILDING. The museum is at present housed in several rooms 

 of Teachers College and the Wyman school. 



ADMINISTRATION. By a director, who is also assistant super- 

 intendent of schools, responsible to the board of education. 



SCOPE. The purpose of the museum is public school work. The 

 material is arranged in accordance with the course of study, and is 

 made accessible in the following manner: The schools of the city are 

 divided into five sections. Each section has a delivery day once a 

 week. The principal of a school which has its delivery day on Monday 

 confers with his teachers on the preceding Friday and ascertains what 

 material they desire from the museum to illustrate their work during 

 the following week. On a blank issued by the museum the principal 

 then inserts the catalog numbers of the collections his teachers desire 

 and sends this blank to the custodian of the museum. On Monday 

 morning the museum wagon delivers all the material ordered by that 

 school and takes back what was used during the preceding week. 

 Books from the teachers' library are delivered in the same manner. 



PUBLICATIONS. The museum has published catalogs of the cir- 



