42 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1888. 



of withdrawal of each ; another shows the titles of all that have been 

 returned with the date of withdrawal and return. These two files thus 

 give a complete history of our dealings with the Congressional Library. 



When a book is received from the Library its title is immediately 

 written on a slip, which is stamped with the date and filed at once. On 

 its return to the Library of Congress this slip is removed from the file 

 of "Borrowed," stamped with the date, and filed as " Eeturned." This 

 system, which has been in operation since the latter part of March, has 

 proved entirely satisfactory. 



The card- catalogue by authors has been continued, and 2,829 titles 

 have been added to it during the year. It is still impossible to begin 

 the much-needed catalogue of subjects. 



Sectional libraries. — An inspection of the sectional libraries was be- 

 gun April 2, 1888, and completed June 15, 1888. All the sectional 

 libraries were visited by the librarian in person, and the books found 

 in them carefully compared with the receipts given by the gentlemen 

 in charge of the sections. At the same time the titles of all books per- 

 manently assigned to each sectional library were transferred from the 

 ordinary "call-cards" to a special form of receipt (approved by the 

 Secretary). These sectional library receipts are filed separately from 

 the receipts given by curators and others for books borrowed by them 

 .personally and not for the use of the section. Thus the receipts for 

 each sectional library form a catalogue of the books in that library. 

 At the close of the inspection each curator was furnished with a list of 

 the books in his sectional library. 



The sectional libraries, the establishment of which has been author- 

 ized, are nineteen in number, namely: (L) Administration; (2) Archae- 

 ology; (3) Assistant Secretary Smithsonian Institution; (4) Birds; 

 (5) Chief Clerk Smithsonian Institution ; (6) Editor Smithsonian In- 

 stitution; (7) Ethnology; (8) Fishes; (9) Insects; (10) Lithology and 

 Physical Geology; (11) Mammals; (12) Marine Invertebrates; (13) 

 Materia Medica; (14) Mesozoic Fossils; (15) Metallurgy and Eco- 

 nomic Geology; (16) Mineralogy; (17) Mollusks and Cenozoic Fossils ; 

 (18) Plants, recent and fossil ; (19) Textiles and Foods. 



Of these, Kos. 1, 3, and 5 have never been organized, while it has 

 been found convenient for purposes of administration to divide the 

 library of the section of Minerals into two divisions — (a) consisting 

 chiefly of works on chemistry, and kept in the office of the honorary 

 curator and under his immediate charge, and (b) containing most of the 

 strictly mineralogical books, and kept in the mineral laboratory, in 

 charge of the assistant curator. 



The following is the result of the inspection : 



Archceology. — This library was organized December 14, 1887, on the 

 appointment of the new curator, and therefore not reinspected. On 

 June 1, 1888, it contained 50 volumes and pamphlets and 13 parts of 

 serials. When the Eau Memorial Library is entered and catalogued it 

 will be assigned to this section. 



