Appendix VII. 



REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF SCIENTIFIC LIT- 

 ERATURE : REGIONAL BUREAU FOR THE UNITED STATES. 



Sib : I have the honor to submit the following report on the operations of the 

 regional bureau for the United States of the International Catalogue of Scien- 

 tific Literature for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1907 : 



This work is carried on under the authority of Congress, in accordance with 

 the following item in the sundry civil appropriation bill : 



International Catalogue of Scientific Literature : For the cooperation of 

 the United States in the work of the International Catalogue of Scientific Liter- 

 ature, including the preparation of a classified index catalogue of American 

 scientific publications for incorporation in the International Catalogue, the ex- 

 pense of clerk hire, the purchase of necessary books and periodicals, and other 

 necessary incidental expenses, five thousand dollars, the same to be expended 

 under the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



The International Catalogue of Scientific Literature is a classified subject 

 index of current scientific literature published in London in 17 annual volumes, 

 the result of the combined cooperative work of regional bureaus established in 

 all of the civilized countries of the world. All of the principal governments 

 of the world are lending their aid to this important international undertaking. 

 Each country collects, indexes, and classifies the current scientific literature pub- 

 lished within its borders and furnishes to the central bureau in London the 

 material thus prepared for publication in the annual volumes. The cost of 

 preparation is borne by the countries taking part in the enterprise. The cost 

 of printing and publishing is paid by the subscribers to the Catalogue. The 

 enterprise was begun in 1901, and for the first five years of its existence the 

 work in the United States was done through the Smithsonian Institution at 

 the expense of its fund. For the present fiscal year Congress appropriated the 

 sum of $5,000 to continue the work thus begun, and it was carried on as hereto- 

 fore. The persons in charge of the work up to that date had been employees 

 of the parent Institution, and being entirely familiar with the work, and having 

 shown intelligence and devotion in carrying it out, they were, upon request, 

 included in the classified civil service by an Executive order dated July 14, 1906. 



One volume a year is devoted to each of the following-named subjects : Math- 

 ematics, mechanics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteoi'ology (including ter- 

 restrial magnetism), mineralogy (including petrology and crystallography), 

 geology, geography (mathematical and physical), paleontology, general biology, 

 botany, zoology, human anatomy, physical anthropology, physiology (including 

 experimental psycology, pharmacology, and experimental pathology), and 

 bacteriology. 



The citations are secured by regularly going through all of the journals 

 listed to be examined, by a daily search through the large number of publica- 

 tions received by the Smithsonian Institution, and by the examination of all 

 available lists. Nevertheless, so diverse are the places of publication in the 

 United States that even this careful scrutiny was not considered sufficient, and 

 there was compiled from the authors records in this office a list of papers, 



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