Appendix III. 

 REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report on the operations of 

 the international exchange service during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1908 : 



In addition to carrying out the second term of the clause of the will estab- 

 lishing the Smithsonian Institution — " the diffusion of knowledge among 

 men " — which was the occasion for the inauguration of this work in 1850, the 

 ever-increasing usefulness of the system of international exchanges continues 

 an important aid in the advancement of scientific knowledge throughout the 

 world. Hundreds of thousands of works, containing, among other matters of 

 importance, the details of the latest discoveries and inventions, are annually 

 brought to this country, while a knowledge of everything of like nature 

 originating here is, through this medium, disseminated abroad. 



The growth of this system to its present comprehensive proportions has been 

 made possible through the action of Congress and of our Government in 

 negotiating treaties to place the exchange of government and scientific and 

 literary publications upon a definite, legal, international footing. A resolution, 

 approved March 2, 1867, provides that 50 copies of all documents printed by 

 order of either House of Congress, and also that 50 copies of all publications 

 issued by any department or bureau of the Government shall be placed at the 

 disposition of the Joint Committee on the Library for exchange with foreign 

 countries through the agency of the Smithsonian Institution. By a subsequent 

 resolution, which was approved March 2, 1901, the number of sets of documents 

 to be exchanged with foreign countries was increased to 100 — the results of this 

 governmental exchange through the Institution to inure to the benefit of the 

 Library of Congress. 



In addition to these two acts of the Congress of the United States, an im- 

 portant convention was signed at Brussels in 1886, which resulted for this 

 country in a treaty for the international exchange of ofiicial documents and 

 scientific and literary publications, ratified by the Senate and proclaimed by 

 'the President in 1889. Many nations not parties to this convention have since 

 accepted its provisions and are conducting international exchange bureaus. 



The appropriation by Congress for the service during the fiscal year ending 

 June 30, 1908, was $32,200 (an increase of $3,400 over the preceding year), 

 and the sum collected on account of repayments was $3,352.69, making the 

 total available resources for international exchanges $35,552.69. Through' this 

 increase in the appropriation it was possible to inaugurate a system of work 

 which has long been in mind — that of actively seeking returns from foreign 

 countries for the exchanges sent to them by this Government and its depart- 

 ments and bureaus. Heretofore, although there has been some effort on the 

 part of the Institution to secure proper returns, and the bureaus themselves 

 have taken the matter up from time to time, the United States has been almost 

 entirely dependent upon the good will of foreign establishments; but in Feb- 

 ruary, 1908, an active and definite campaign was entered upon to secure 

 reciprocal returns, the exchange bureau doing the work and bearing the ex- 

 pense. The result has already been more than satisfactory, but the effort is so 

 recent that its full fruition could hardly be expected within the year. A number 



53 



