BRITISH MUSEUM 6 



GENERAL PROGRESS AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Visitors. 



The increase in the number of visitors to the British Museum, which 

 began in June 1933, continued until May 1934, the exhibition of the 

 Codex Sinaiticus being primarily responsible for large attendances in 

 January and the early months of the year. The figures for the months 

 following May show small decreases, with the exception of those for 

 the holiday month of August. The grand total of 1,192,849 is the 

 largest since 1931. 



The visitors attending the free lecture tours of the Official Guide 

 Lecturers were 22,447 (26,979 in 1933), and the visitors conducted by 

 the authorised guides, for whose services moderate fees are payable, 

 numbered 9,742. 



Stiidents. 



The Reading Rooms of the Library, including the Colindale News- 

 paper Library, the Map Room and the State Paper Room, received 

 255,271 visits as compared with 252,825 in 1933. The service of books 

 to the Reading Rooms was carried on under difficulties caused by 

 reconstruction work now in progress ; the number of volumes supplied 

 to readers was 2,220,964, as compared with 2,326,547 in 1933. 



42,388 Manuscripts and 4,289 Charters and Seals were issued in the 

 Students' Room of the Department of Manuscripts, and Magna Charta 

 was exhibited to 51,406 visitors. 21,795 volumes were consulted in the 

 Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts. 



The total number of visits paid by students to the various Depart- 

 ments of the Museum is higher than any recorded since 1913. 



Photography and Casts. 



The number of books issued for photography was 3,564 ; 2,225 

 Manuscripts were photographed with a total of 18,790 photographs and 

 photostats taken. From other Departments of the Museum 3,086 

 objects were photographed. 



A new price list of casts was issued during the year and the production 

 of both casts and new moulds was steady. In the Department of 

 Coins and Medals 6,311 casts and 185 electrotypes of coins have been 

 made, beside casts of objects from other Departments of the Museum. 



Stvdio. 



The output of the Photographic Studio is shown in the following 

 table : — 





1932 



1933 



1934 



Negatives 



Prints 



Lantern Slides 



Photostats 



3,234 



7,844 



545 



24,938 



3,374 



9,642 



1,075 



21,695 



3,429 



8,750 



1,302 



22,993 



