BRITISH MUSEUM 



GENERAL PROGRESS AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



The total number of visitors to the Museum showed a sudden and 

 remarkable fall, the figures being 1,083,527 as against 1,254,711 in 

 1931 ; this is the lowest number since 1926. The number of Sunday 

 visitors, on the other hand, rose to 129,199 from 104,909 in 1931, and 

 is the highest yet on record. 



The total number of students and enquirers who visited particular 

 departments was 291,064, a considerable rise on the highest recorded 

 previous figure for the years since the war, viz. 285,538 in 1930. 



The number of volumes supplied to readers in the Reading Room 

 (exclusive of those on the open shelves) was 2,026,920, a very large 

 increase on the preceding year (by 416,571 on 1,610,349). The number 

 of readers was 238,030, an average of 775 daily (29 more than in 1931) 

 and the average number of books asked for increased again from 

 7-11 to 8-51. The number of readers in the Newspaper Room (which, 

 owing to the transfer to Colindale, was open for 127 days only) fell 

 from 17,853 to 8,044, but the number of visitors to the Newspaper 

 Library at Colindale (where the Reading Room was opened on 

 23 August), rose from 215 to 1,979. During the year, 12,942 volumes 

 were used by readers, of which 770 were sent to Bloomsbury for the 

 purpose before the transfer. 



In the Department of Manuscripts 38,854 Manuscripts and 4,047 

 Charters and Seals were issued for study (both increases on 1931), and 

 the number of persons to whom Magna Charta was shown rose again 

 from 29,068 to 29,920. The number of Students was 11,528. 



The Lectures of the Official Guide -Lecturers were attended by 

 approximately 30,900 persons, an increase of 633 on the previous year's 

 attendance. 



The number of books and MSS. issued for photography showed a 

 rise, 5,195 as against 4,427, but still less than in 1930 (5,412). Other 

 objects from the collections issued for photography numbered 2,664. 

 (These figures do not include prints from existing official negatives). 

 A total of 24,657 photostats or photographs of MSS. was taken, the 

 increase of 1931 (17,974) being due to 9,100 specially taken for the 

 Library of Congress. In the Department of Coins and Medals, 250 

 electrotypes and 5,542 casts were made, against 480 and 5,076 in 1931. 



The output of the Photographic Studio is shown by the following 

 figures (in which those mentioned in the preceding paragraph are 

 included, and the numbers for 1931 shown in brackets) : negatives, 

 3,234 (3,501) ; prints, 7,844 (9,449) ; photostats, 24,938 (22,020) ; 

 lantern-slides, 545 (1,122) ; shdes issued on loan 2,834 (2,653). 



The sales of publications of the Trustees were : Catalogues and 

 major publications, 6,100 (8,200 in 1931) ; Guide Books, 16,000 

 (20,050) ; Postcards, monochrome and coloured, 469,600 (553,750) ; 

 Reproductions, 20,250 (23,500). 



The proceeds of sales (gross, including the new edition of the General 

 Catalogue of Printed Books) amounted to £9,442 (£12,093 in 1931). 



