46 EDITORIAL. 



and journals, then amounting to some two hundred subscriptions and 

 probably one thousand manuals and sets of periodicals, were transferred 

 to the closed cases installed therein and the writer was appointed librarian.- 

 Even before that date, the library had been the recipient of a large 

 number of documents of the United States and foreign governments and 

 of a considerable amount of material in the form of reprints and separate 

 monographs on scientific subjects. From that time to the present, addi- 

 tions of similar publications as gifts and as exchanges have contributed 

 in no small measure to the value of the library. 



It was expected that the building provided for by Act No. 156 would 

 be ready for use by July 1, 1904, but long before this the library so far 

 outgrew its restricted quarters that a larger room was assigned to it 

 in a dwelling which was rented early in 1904 for the accommodation of 

 a part of the laboratory work. Here the books were shelved in open 

 wooden cases, the legs of which were placed in petroleum cans as a pro- 

 tection against the attacks of white ants, with which this building was 

 infested. 



Before the end of August, 1904, this space had become so crowded 

 that in order to locate a new periodical set in place on the shelves, it 

 was often necessary to move all the books in from eight to ten cases. 

 It was, therefore, a great satisfaction to change from these crowded 

 quarters to the present library rooms in the Laboratory Building on 

 Calle Herran on September 1 of that year. Here provision had been 

 made for shelving from 30,000 to 40,000 volumes, two stack rooms each 

 24 by 16 feet having been added after the original plans for the building- 

 were drawn. However, the growth of the library since 1904 has been 

 so rapid that the limits fixed in 1901 have now been reached and the 

 need for more room is urgent. It is hoped that this may be met by 

 the construction of a fireproof building, equipped with standard library 

 furnishings of all kinds and provided with the best modern lighting 

 and ventilating systems. 



The books in the Calle Herran building were placed upon open shelv- 

 ing of a standard adjustable type, with metal stacks and wooden shelves. 

 These have proved satisfactory, although constant supervision is neces- 

 sary to prevent rusting of the metal brackets and screws. 



Aside from adequate shelving, the care of books in the Tropics presents 

 many problems unknown in a temperate climate. Constant attention is 

 necessary to prevent them from being damaged by insects and mold. 

 Fortunately, the library has as yet suffered no serious loss from these 

 enemies, but the methods of combating them are still experimental, hence 

 it is not certain that the books are free from danger. 



Act jSTo. 156 providing only for a biological laboratory, including 

 pathology and medicine, and a chemical laboratory, therefore it was 

 natural that these two divisions of the library should have been em- 



