68 Report of the President 



convenient, well lighted and serviceable library and reading 

 room for those wishing to consult books on these subjects. 



In order to make more serviceable the large number of 

 scientific periodicals which are regularly received by the 

 library, plans have been adopted for installing cases along the 

 side walls of the present reading room. Upon the top shelf 

 of each case will be placed the new accessions where they can 

 be consulted before taking their places on the stacks. The 

 lower shelves will contain the encyclopaedias, lexicons, diction- 

 aries and the more important books of reference. Upon the 

 remaining shelves will be placed the current numbers of the 

 scientific periodicals as soon as they are received. It is well 

 known that frequently a most important contribution remains 

 for a long time unnoticed because of the inaccessibility of 

 the periodical in which it happens to appear, and it is hoped 

 therefore that this arrangement will afford all those interested 

 in natural history a means of keeping pace with the more 

 important writings. 



The equipment of a general reading room with popular and 

 non-technical books on natural history in a place readily 

 accessible to the public has so far progressed that a small 

 room on the second floor is being furnished with suitable tables 

 and cases and will soon be open. It is hoped that as a result 

 of this experiment a more intelligent use of the Museum 

 exhibits and a more extensive use of its Library will ensue. 



The Department of Maps and Charts has been merged 

 with that of the Library, and the collection, at present stored, 

 will later be installed in the room now occupied by the 

 anthropological books. The method of shelving, always a 

 perplexing problem, is under consideration. 



PUBLICATIONS 



J. A. Allen, Editor 



The current publications of The American Museum of 

 Natural History consist of the Annual Report, the Bulletin, 

 the Memoirs, the Anthropological Papers and the American 

 Museum Journal. 



