24 REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 



files. To ascertain this, each title in the list must be laboriously com- 

 pared with the records of the library, running back frequently for 

 many years. Again, should a learned society, publishing transactions, 

 or the publishers of a journal mentioned in this list, be found to have 

 received Smithsonian publications without making any adequate return, 

 the records of the distribution of publications must be searched, in order 

 to find the exact amount of publications furnished, that upon this the 

 Institution may base its demand for a return. 



It will be seen that the publications in question fall naturally into 

 four classes. 



(1) Journals which receive the Smithsonian publications, and which 

 are not to be found in the library of the Institution. 



(2) Journals which receive the Smithsonian publications, but which 

 make either no return or an inadequate return for these. 



(3) Journals which regularly exchange with the Institution, but of 

 which the files in the library are for any reason defective. 



(4) Journals which regularly exchange with the Institution, and of 

 which the library possesses a complete file. 



When each of the 3,600 titles has been assigned to its proper place 

 in one of these four classes, a letter must be written to each one of the 

 journals belonging to the first three classes, as follows : To the first class, 

 offering to exchange; to the second, calling attention to the fact that 

 the Institution has received no adequate returns for its favors, and to 

 the third, asking for the volumes or parts of volumes required to com- 

 plete the files. 



It will thus be evident that a work of no small magnitude remained 

 to be performed after the list of journals was prepared. A careful esti. 

 mate showed that it would require the entire time of a competent clerk 

 for at least twelve months to perform the necessary routine work. As, 

 however, the Institution was not in a position to employ an extra clerk 

 for work which would be so largely for the benefit of the Library of 

 Congress, the matter was allowed to rest here. 



The desirability of the plan, however, commended itself so strongly 

 to me that I could not willingly see it given up and the large amount 

 of labor already expended remain uufruitful. Accordingly, towards 

 the latter part of the past fiscal year, I presented the matter to Mr. A. 

 E. Spofford, tbe Librarian of Congress, who, recognizing the advantages 

 that would accrue to that Library from carrying out the plan, consented 

 to defray the expense of the necessary clerical work from his owu ap- 

 propriations. Tbe work was accordingly begun on June 1, 1889, and 

 will be carried on continuously under the immediate supervision of the 

 librarian, Mr. John Murdoch. 



It is estimated that of the 3,600 titles under consideration, at least 

 one-half, or 1,800, will prove to be new and desirable accessions to the 

 library, while the work done in endeavoring to complete broken series 

 must prove to be of great value. 



