REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 77 



5. Any book or periodical injured, defaced, or lost, while in the possession of the 

 borrower, must be Teplaced by a new copy. 



6. Before a book is borrowed it must first be submitted to tbe librarian for 

 registry. 



7. No person will be permitted to take more than one book and magazine at a 

 time. 



8. Tbe librarian is authorized to suspend or refuse the issue of books to persons 

 violating any of the above rules. 



The members of the staff and the employees of the institution have already begun 

 to use this library, and I feel sure that it will be a source of instruction and pleasure 

 to many. 



EXCHANGE SERVICE. 



For the Exchanges the attempt has been made to secure as good a collection of 

 directories and books containing addresses as possible. The greater part of such 

 publications are received in exchange, but some few have been purchased. 



LAW REFERENCE LIBRARY. 



The work of the Institution and its bureaus requires the reference to so many 

 public documents and law books, that the necessity has been found for the establish- 

 ment of a small collection of works on this subject. These are provided by the Insti- 

 tution and are for the present deposited in the office of the chief clerk of the National 

 Museum. 



LIBRARY OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



The Museum library has received during the year 441 books, 797 pamphlets, aud 4,926 

 parts of periodicals. Four hundred and seven volumes, 1,148 pamphlets, and 11,817 

 parts of periodicals belonging to the Smithsonian deposit have been temporarily 

 retained for the National Museum. The late Dr. G. Brown Goode had formed a col 

 lection of scientific works relating more especially to museum work and natural 

 history, which, during his lifetime, had always been at the disposal of his associates 

 in the Museum. The work of the Museum would have been seriously hampered had 

 this collection gone elsewhere. By an arrangement with his executor, an offer of 

 the collection was made to the Institution, and its value having been appraised by 

 Dr. Theodore Gill and niyself, the Secretary applied to Congress for a special appro- 

 priation for the purchase of this collection. This has been duly authorized by Con- 

 gress, and in the coming year this valuable library, consisting of 2,900 volumes, 18,000 

 pamphlets, and 1,800 autographs and engravings, will become the property of the 

 National Museum. 



Over 3,000 volumes were placed in the sectional libraries during the past year, 

 3,500 books were borrowed and returned, and 17,127 books were consulted in the 

 library itself. This indicates a greater use of the library than at any time heretofore. 

 A more detailed account of the operations of the Museum library, together with a 

 list of accessions by gift, will be found in the report of the National Museum. 



PURCHASE OF BOOKS. 



In the legislative, executive, and judicial act approved by the President on March 

 15, 1898, the following proviso was contained : 



That hereafter law books, books of reference, and periodicals for use of any 

 executive department, or other Government establishment not under an executive 

 department, at the seat of Government, shall not be purchased or paid for from any 

 appropriation made for contingent expenses or for any specific or general purpose 

 unless such purpose is authorized and payment therefor specifically provided in the 

 law granting the appropriation. 



As this portion of the act became effective immediately upon its passage no books 

 could be purchased during the remainder of the fiscal year. It has therefore been 



