ACCOUNTS, ESTIMATES, &C. OF BUITISH MUSEUM. 



VII. — PROGRESS made in the Cataloguing and Arrangement of the Collections 

 and Account of Objects added, in the Year ending 25th December 185 3. 



Department of Printed Books. 



1. Works added to the Collection during the year have been placed on the shelves of the 

 Library as soon as catalogued. The press-marks, indicating their respective localities, have 

 been affixed to each volume, title, and entry in the Catalogue, The total number of these 

 items amounts to 102,618. 



II. Cataloguing: — (a.) New General Catalogue. — 1. The number of titles written for 

 this Catalogue amounts to 45,932 ; of these 1,133 titles have been transcribed fourfold. In 

 addition to this, 13,604 titles of Pamphlets in the Royal Library have also been transcribed 

 fourfold. 



(b.) Supplementary Catalogue:^ — 1, The number of titles written for this Catalogue amounts 

 to 30,079, besides 829 Chinese ; in all, 30,908. 



2. The number of titles transcribed fourfold for the Supplementary Catalogue is 35,986, 

 besides 3,253 index shps. The number of title slips inserted is 135,688 ; viz., 122,676 in 

 three copies of the Supplementary Catalogue and 13,012 index slips in four copies of 

 indexes to various long headings. This insertion has rendered it necessary, in order to 

 preserve the alphabetical order of the names and headings, to take up and reinsert 43,100 

 titles in each of the three copies of the Supplementary Catalogue, and 2,477 slips in each 

 of four copies of the indexes ; and to add to each copy of the Supplementary Catalogue 

 3,507 leaves. By the insertion of these leaves the number of volumes of each copy of the 

 Supplementary Catalogue has been extended from 300 to 305, and the indexes now fill four 

 volumes. Nineteen new indexes have been made for as many long headings, and the 24 

 already in existence have been kept up, 



3. The number of entries made in the Hand Catalogue of the periodical publications is 

 529. 



(c.) Maps. — 1. The new titles and cross-references for maps amount to 6,087. 



2. The number of titles for the Map Catalogue transcribed fourfold is 12,130. 



Of these, 9,977 have been inserted in each of two copies of the Map Catalogue. This 

 insertion has rendered it necessary (for the purpose of maintaining the strict alphabetical 

 arrangement) to take up and re-insert in each of the two copies of the Catalogue 625 titles. 



3. A collection of Charts, forming part of the Royal Library, the titles of which had not 

 been inserted in the printed Catalogue of that collection, has been catalogued ; and the titles, 

 866 in number, transcribed fourfold. Three copies of these titles have been laid down, 



(d.) Music. — 1. The titles and cross-references written for this collection are 4,629. 



2. 1,598 titles have been transcribed fourfold. The number of titles inserted in each of 

 three copies of this Catalogue is 1,670. This insertion has rendered it necessary to take 

 up and re-insert 534 titles in each copy, and to add 110 leaves in each copy. 



III. Binding. — The number of volumes bound is 17,696 in 14,925, including 5,671 

 Pamphlets, and 1]1 volumes of Catalogues. The number of volumes repaired is 1,512. 

 219 Alaps have been mounted. 



IV. Heading Room Service. — 1. The number of books returned to the shelves of the 

 General Library from the Headinji Rooms is 126,754; to those of the Royal Library, 1 1,152; 

 to those of the Grenville Library, 804 ; to the Closets in which books are kept from day to 

 day for the use of the Readers, 110,532; making a total of 249,240, or 862 per diem. 

 Adding the number of volumes returned to the shelves of the Reading Rooms, about 

 167,560, the whole amounts to 416,800, or 1,442 per diem. 



2. The number of Readers has been 66,782; on an average, 231 per diem, the Reading 

 Rooms having been kept open 289 days ; each Reader has therefore consulted, on an 

 average, upwards of six volumes per diem. 



V. Additions. — 1. The number of volumes added to the Library amounts to 14,397 

 (including Maps and Newspapers), of which 960 were presented, 7,730 purchased, and 

 5,707 acquired by copyright. 



2. The number of parts of volumes is 12,456 (including Maps and Music), of which 70 

 were presented, 5,438 purchased, and 6,948 acquired by copyright. The total number of 

 Newspapers acquired is 521, which have been bound in 421 volumes. Of these, 455 (viz., 



186 



* This Catalogue contains the Books acquired since Midsummer 1847. 



176. B 



