12 Thirty-fourth Annual Report 



have from time to time been purchased have taxed our means to the 

 utmost. In the past years the forming of a library for the Mu*seum 

 has been discouraged on the ground that the State Library should serve 

 all purposes of reference for those working in the Museum. It appears 

 to me, however, that the time has arrived when such a position should 

 be abandoned. The Museum needs a working library, in which should 

 be found the current literature of the sciences from all parts of the 

 world, as well as standard scientific works. 



The catalogue of our library, which I shall communicate to your 

 Board, will show how meagre are our resources in this respect. 



Were we allowed a thousand copies of our own reports, and a like 

 number of the volumes of the Palaeontology (which, in fact, should be 

 regarded as emanating from the Museum), we should be in a position 

 to open a correspondence and exchange with the more important scien- 

 tific societies of America and Europe, and thus accumulate a library of 

 great value and importance without costing the State any more money 

 than is at present expended in publication ; and it would simply be 

 diverting from the present course of sale and distribution this num- 

 ber of copies, which would inure to much greater final advantage to 

 the State than as at present disposed of. Upon the subject of a 

 Museum Library I have made a special communication to the commit- 

 tee on the State Museum. 



Respectfully submitted, 



JAMES HALL, 

 Curator. 



Appendix A. — Distribution of duplicate fossils and minerals. 

 " B. — List of species and specimens of Cephalopoda, 



added to the arranged Museum collections. 

 " C. — Additions to the State Museum collections. 

 " D. — Additions to the library. 



