EDITORIAL. 47 



phasized from the beginning and that they should lead in the number 

 of volumes and parts on the shelves at the present time. As the work 

 of the laboratory developed along other lines, demands for literature 

 on many new subjects arose. With the transfer of the Government 

 botanist, who had previously been connected with both the Bureau of 

 Agriculture and the Bureau of Forestry, a number of valuable works 

 were added and orders were placed for many more. The demand for 

 systematic and economic investigations of the insect life of the Islands 

 led to the appointment of an entomologist and for this work an effort 

 was made to collect the literature on this subject, especially that relating 

 to the Philippines, which had appeared in so many different publications. 

 Next came the organization of the Serum Institute, and with it a great 

 demand for works on veterinary subjects and on immunity and serum 

 therapy. Later a natural history collector was transferred from the 

 former Philippine Museum and for the proper identification and descrip- 

 tion of his collections many important works in general zoology, mam- 

 malogy, and ornithology were needed. 



On October 20, 1904, the Secretary of the Interior, at a meeting of 

 the Bureau Chiefs of his Department, proposed a plan for collecting all 

 books and ]3eriodicals belonging to the different Bureaus of the Depart- 

 ment of the Interior into one general scientific libraiw, property re- 

 sponsibility to rest with the central librarj', all orders to be sent from it, 

 and every effort made to keep periodical files complete for the various 

 Bureaus, they to withdraw books needed for regular work from the 

 central library on memorandum receipt. By this plan, it was hoped 

 that unnecessary duplication in the purchase of expensive works would 

 be avoided, that information concerning the location of any particular 

 scientific publication would be readily available, that, with a minimum 

 of effort, all volumes of periodicals and serials could be completed and 

 bound promptly, and that eventually a central catalogue might give 

 necessary information concerning all works, while duplicate sets of 

 catalogue cards for books retained in the various Bureaus could be fur- 

 nished, at little expense, with each collection withdrawn, and finally, 

 that more money might become available for the purchase of scientific 

 books. Much of this has been accomplished, but a great deal remains to 

 be done. The check on duplication apparently has been considered 

 •successful, since this point was one emphasized in the establishment of 

 the Philippines Library Board by Act Xo. 1935, effective May 20, 1909. 

 A large number of volumes have been bound for other Bureaus, and 

 information furnished in many instances concerning the location of 

 particular scientific works. 



Under this arrangement about 6,800 volumes were added to the central 

 library. In order to have a record of this new material and to convey 

 to interested persons some idea of the resources of the scientific collec- 



