ACCOUNTS, ESTIMATES, &C. OF THE BUITISH MUSEUM. 



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

 and Account of the Objects added, in the Year 1858. 



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 marked on the inside and affixed to the back of each volume; also, on the title and 

 entry in the Catalogue. The marking of an extra copy of the King's Catalogue (viz. from 

 letters L to Z, inclusive) has been completed. The total number of these press-marks 

 amounts to 142,231. 



II. Cataloguing : — (a.) ]Veiv General Catalogue. — The number of titles and cross- 

 references written for this Catalogue amounts to 35,605. The number of titles tran- 

 scribed fourfold for this Catalogue is 9,827 and also 297 index slips; 17,343 title slips 

 and 358 index slips have been incorporated into each of two copies of this Catalogue. 

 This insertion has rendered it necessary, in order to maintain the alphabetical arrangement 

 of the titles, to take up and re-insert, in each of two copies, 14,704 title slips, and 97 index 

 slips, and to add to each copy 819 new leaves. The amalgamation of letter G, of the 

 Catalogues (with the exception of the heading " Great Britain ") has been completed, and 

 two copies, each in 74 volumes, bound. One of these copies has been placed in the Reading- 

 Room. 



(b.) Supplementary Catalogue. — 1. The number of titles and cross-references written for 

 this Catalogue is 24,925, besides 1,462 for the Hebrew Catalogue, and 282 for the Chinese 

 Catalogue ; in all, 26,669. 



2. The number of titles transcribed fourfold for the Supplementary Catalogue is 32,017 j 

 besides 8,270 index slips. In consequence of the crowded state of the Supplementary 

 Catalogue the title slips have been taken up, re-arranged, and re-laid down, with the addi- 

 tion of 19,335 new titles. The numbers so laid down are, in each of two copies, 187,318, 

 and in a third copy 192,061, altogether 566,697. 8,256 index slips have been laid down in 

 each of three copies, and 176 in each of two copies have been removed and re-inserted in 

 order to maintain the alphabetical arrangement. The Supplementary Catalogue has been 

 re-bound in 413 volumes. 



3. The number of entries made in the Hand Catalogue of the Periodical Publications is 

 206. 



(c.) Carbonic Hand Catalogue. — 48,044 title slips have been mounted on cartridge paper 

 for this Catalogue, and incorporated with the general series. 



(d.) Maps. — The new titles and cross-references written for maps amount to 3,266. 

 The number of titles transcribed fourfold for this Catalogue is 3,239. Indexes have been 

 made to 34 volumes of maps and charts, comprising 3,500 entries. 



(e.) Music Catalogue. — The new titles and cross references written for this catalogue 

 amount to 4,220. The number of titles incorporated into each of three copies of this 

 Catalogue is 8,536. This incorporation has rendered it necessary, in order to maintain the 

 alphabetical arrangement, to remove and re-insert in each copy 17,597 title slips, and to 

 add to each copy 1,179 new leaves. 



III. — The number of volumes bound is 15,295 in 13,971, including 2,547 Pamphlets. 

 The number of volumes repaired is 1,333. 882 Maps and Charts have been mounted, and 

 197 Admiralty Charts inserted in volumes. 



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

 General Library from the Readino; Room is 177,590; to those of the Royal Library, 

 12,428; to those of the Grenville Library, 687; and to the Closets in which books are kept 

 from day today for the use of the Readers, 122,192. Adding the number of volumes 

 returned to the shelves of the Reading Room, about 564,000, the whole amounts to 

 876,897, or 3,044 per diem. The number for the year 1857 was 675,119, or 2,032 per 

 diem. 



2. The number of Readers has been 122,103 ; on an average 424 per diem, the Reading 

 Room having been kept open 288 days ; each Reader has consulted, on an average, seven 

 volumes per diem. In 1857 the number of Readers was 93,963, or 332 per diem. 



36— Sess. 2. B Y.— Additions. 



