■20 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



IX. — PROGRESS made in the Arrangement and 

 Description of the Collections, and Account 

 OF Objects added to them in the Year 1903 

 (Bloomsbury). 



Department of Printed Books. 



I. Arrangemient. — The works added to the collection during 

 the past year have, as far as possible, been placed on the 

 shelves of the Library according to the system of classifica- 

 tion adopted in the Museum. 



The press-marks, indicating their respective localities, have 

 been marked on the inside and affixed to the back of each 

 volume. 



The total number of these press-marks amounts to 

 74,875 ; in addition to which 37,404 press-marks have been 

 altered in consequence of changes and re-arrangements 

 carried out in the Library ; 30,332 labels have been affixed 

 to books and volumes of newspapers, and 115,497 obliterated 

 labels have been renewed. 



The process of attaching third-marks to the books in the 

 New Li]3rary with the view of accelerating their delivery 

 to readers has been continued ; 18,670 books have been 

 thus marked during the year, and the corresponding altera- 

 tions, amounting to 96,984, have been carried out in the 

 General and Hand Catalogues ; 566 volumes of country 

 newspapers have also been numbered, and 2,107 index-slips 

 have been written for London and Country Newspapers. 



The work of collecting together and re-arranging the 

 Incunabula in glazed cases has made considerable progress 

 during the year. 



The number of stamps impressed upon articles received 

 has been 412,046. 



4,282 presses of books and newspapers have been dusted in 

 the course of the year. 



II. Catalogues. — {a) Cataloguing. — 46,269 titles have 

 been written (the term ''title" applying equally to a main 

 title and to a cross-reference). Of these, 33,853 were written 

 for the General Catalogue, 2,762 for the Map Catalogue and 

 9,654 for the Music Catalogue. 



(6) Printing. — 30,076 titles and 592 index-slips for the 

 General Catalogue, 1,317 for the Map Catalogue and 15,138 

 for the Music Catalogue have been prepared for printing 

 during the year; while 30,230 title-slips and 882 index- 

 slips for the General Catalogue, 1,317 title-slips for the Map 



