REPORT 



OF THE LIBRARY COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE, 



1863. 



»♦ 



The report submitted by the Library Committee to the Institute, 

 at its stated meeting in the month of December, was merely a brief 

 statement of its operations up to that period. Your committee now 

 beg leave to submit their Annual Report, as directed by section 49 

 of the by-laws. 



The present and past year have been rendered memorable in the 

 annals of our history, and but little encouragement has been offered 

 to make any unusual efforts to extend the usefulness of this branch 

 of the Institute, either to its members or to the public. Yet, while 

 surrounded with discouraging influences, your committee have not dis- 

 ponded in their labors, although they have not been disposed to 

 make the usual annual additions of books to the library. They have 

 consequently restricted their purchases to such books as seemed abso- 

 lutely necessary to supply the wants of those members whose pursuits 

 are more particularly of a scientific character. 



Their monthly meetings have been held regularly, at all of which 

 a quorum of members have been present; and many of them have 

 been attended by the whole committee. 

 The number of volumes in the library, at the date of the 



last report was ,. — 8,332 



There has been added during the year by purchase 36 



By subscription - 23 



exchanges _^ 34 



donations 62 



— 155 



Total volumes in the library 8,477 



It may not be uninteresting to the Institute to know that your 

 committee are somewhat extensively connected by correspondence 

 and exchanges with kindred institutions, both in our own and other 

 countries ; they, therefore, deem it not inappropriate to specify them. 

 They comprise the following : 



Austria. — Engineers' Society, Vienna. 



Garden Culture Society, Vienna. 



