30 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



of such a work. So impressed were the members of the convention 

 with its importance, that " the business committee were requested to 

 consider the expediency of memorializing Congress to procure the 

 preparation of such a manual through the agency of the Smithsonian 

 Institution." 



Every week, and almost every day, applications are made at this 

 Institution, by letter or by visitors, for information which a book of this 

 kind, would contain. The answers have to be many times repeated. 

 I have consequently had the intention of preparing such a manual. 

 The collections for the purpose are mostly made. The volume of sta- 

 tistics and descriptions of libraries was an important antecedent. The 

 development of the catalogue system must also precede any s}^ stem atic 

 and well considered work of the kind. The period has now come for 

 the fulfilment of this design, and I hope to be enabled and to be 

 authorized to devote such time as may be necessary to its execution. 



The library interest has become in this country one of rare magni- 

 tude and importance. Nothing can be done by the government, by 

 this Institution, or by individuals here, which tends to promote the 

 establishment or the efficiency of libraries, without being noticed and 

 gratefully appreciated by all the intelligent and educated men of all 

 parties and names, in every city and almost every village and hamlet 

 throughout the land. Every city has its library, so has almost every 

 village, and so have a large number of our common schools. Familiar 

 as this fact is to many of us, it presents a new phase of society, and 

 one indicative of mighty influences. The library is the necessary com- 

 plement of the school. To teach children to read, and then give them 

 nothing to supply the desire awakened, is mockery. It is reading 

 rather than school-training which has produced the general intelligence 

 of the American people. These libraries must be of various grades — 

 the school and social library of popular English books of history, biog- 

 raphy, and general literature for reading; the larger collections in cities 

 for more general study" and reference; and the great central library for 

 learned investigations. These should all be linked and bound together 

 in one voluntary yet harmonious s\'stem. Such is the general wish 

 most emphatically expressed — a wish which the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion may do much to cherish and to realize. , 



It now remains for me to speak of the progress which has been made 

 during the year upon the catalogue system. 



A new and greatly enlarged and improved edition of the report, con- 

 taining an account of the system, rules for the preparation of catalogues, 

 and (as examples under the rules) the catalogue of the bibliographical 

 works in the Smithsonian library, has been prepared and stereotyped. 

 An edition of a thousand copies, as far as to the examples, has been 

 printed. The printers have since been employed upon the catalogue 

 of the Library of Congress, and consequently the work upon the 

 report has been suspended. It would require but a few weeks and an 

 inconsiderable additional expenditure of money to complete this work. 

 The calls for it are frequent, and I feel very desirous of being able to 

 answer them at an early day. The book will probably contain about 

 three hundred pages. 



At the last session of the Board of Regents, a resolution was passed, 



