78 REPOET OF THE SECRETAEY. 



found necessary in the estimates under the Smithsonian Institution for the coming 

 year to provide in some way for the purchase of hooks absolutely indispensable for 

 the bureaus of the Institution. An appropriation of $2,000 for the purchase of 

 books for the National Museum was authorized by Congress, and for other bureaus 

 special clauses permitting "the purchase of necessary books and periodicals" were 

 introduced in the sundry civil act passed July 1, 1898. 



The correspondence carried on was largely in accordance with the general instruc- 

 tion for the increase of the library or for completing imperfect series. One thousand 

 and eighteen letters were written, with the result that 427 new exchanges have been 

 added to the list and 329 defective series either completed or filled out as far as the 

 publishers were able to make good missing parts. The lists, collected under the 

 Secretary's direction have been exhausted, but so many new periodicals and socie- 

 ties have sprung up that the year has been fully occupied in undertaking to secure 

 these new publications. I beg to recommend that this work be continued in the 

 future on two lines — first, by a methodical attempt to secure the publications of 

 the new learned societies which have been established all over the world, and sec- 

 ondly, to secure, where possible, the newer scientific and technical periodicals. The 

 care of correspondence and the revision of lists in connection with this work has 

 grown in magnitude, and more could be done if more aid could be had. Only 

 trained assistants with a knowledge of foreign languages could do this work, as the 

 correspondence received is in all modern languages, even including modern Greek. 



The Secretary of State nominated the Secretary of the Institution and myself dele- 

 gates to the second conference on an international catalogue of scientific literature, 

 to be held in London during the coming autumn. 



Respectfully submitted. 



Cykus Adler, Librarian. 



Mr. S. P. Langley, 



Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



