﻿310 
  Miscellaneous 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  panied 
  by 
  numerous 
  illustrations 
  dealing 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  Coast 
  but 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Pacific 
  including 
  Alaska, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  Porto 
  Rico, 
  the 
  Virgin 
  Islands 
  and 
  the 
  Philippines. 
  The 
  part 
  

   played 
  by 
  the 
  Bureau 
  during 
  the 
  war 
  is 
  made 
  manifest 
  by 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  272 
  men 
  from 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  office 
  took 
  an 
  active 
  part 
  ; 
  

   a 
  list 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  enumerated. 
  The 
  Bureau 
  also 
  contributed 
  five 
  

   of 
  its 
  vessels 
  to 
  the 
  fleets 
  operated 
  by 
  the 
  Navy 
  and 
  rendered 
  

   valuable 
  aid 
  both 
  through 
  the 
  field 
  and 
  office 
  force, 
  its 
  charts 
  and 
  

   otherwise. 
  The 
  charts 
  accompanying 
  the 
  volume 
  show 
  the 
  prog- 
  

   ress 
  of 
  field 
  operations 
  as 
  regards 
  topographic 
  surveys, 
  triangu- 
  

   lation, 
  levelling, 
  magnetic 
  observations, 
  etc. 
  It 
  is 
  regrettable 
  

   that 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  is 
  compelled 
  to 
  acknowledge 
  that 
  lack 
  

   of 
  funds 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  a 
  steady 
  disintegration 
  in 
  the 
  personnel, 
  so 
  

   that 
  only 
  prompt 
  relief 
  can 
  prevent 
  this 
  important 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  

   Federal 
  Government 
  from, 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  a 
  measure, 
  "being 
  

   stripped 
  of 
  its 
  best 
  brains. 
  ' 
  ' 
  

  

  3. 
  Commonwealth 
  of 
  Australia: 
  Institute 
  of 
  Science 
  and 
  

   Industry. 
  — 
  Bulletin 
  No. 
  14 
  gives 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  an 
  investigation 
  

   by 
  John 
  Read 
  and 
  H. 
  G. 
  Smith 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  "Marine 
  

   Fibre." 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  fibrous 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  sheath 
  of 
  Posi- 
  

   donia 
  australis', 
  a 
  plant 
  which 
  grows 
  abundantly 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  coast, 
  particularly 
  those 
  of 
  South 
  Aus- 
  

   tralia. 
  The 
  physical 
  and 
  chemical 
  properties 
  of 
  the 
  Fibre 
  are 
  

   described 
  in 
  detail 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  determining 
  the 
  uses 
  for 
  which 
  

   it 
  is 
  most 
  suitable. 
  The 
  pamphlet 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  20 
  half- 
  

   tone 
  plates. 
  

  

  4. 
  Special 
  Library 
  Census. 
  — 
  A 
  circular 
  letter, 
  dated 
  Febru- 
  

   ary 
  28 
  and 
  signed 
  by 
  Wm. 
  F. 
  Jacob, 
  librarian 
  of 
  the 
  General 
  

   Electric 
  Co., 
  Schenectady, 
  has 
  as 
  its 
  object 
  the 
  gaining 
  of 
  general 
  

   information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  "special 
  libraries" 
  in 
  the 
  country. 
  A 
  

   special 
  library 
  has 
  been 
  defined 
  as 
  : 
  "A 
  good 
  working 
  collection 
  

   of 
  information 
  either 
  upon 
  a 
  specific 
  subject 
  or 
  field 
  of 
  activity; 
  

   it 
  may 
  consist 
  of 
  general 
  or 
  even 
  limited 
  material 
  serving 
  the 
  

   interests 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  clientele; 
  and 
  preferably 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  a 
  

   specialist 
  trained 
  in 
  the 
  use 
  and 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  particular 
  

   material. 
  ' 
  ' 
  

  

  Particular 
  information 
  is 
  desired 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  following 
  points: 
  

   The 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  institution 
  or 
  company 
  and 
  that 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  

   library 
  is 
  known 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  librarian 
  or 
  custodian. 
  Fur- 
  

   ther, 
  the 
  library 
  can 
  be 
  classified 
  as 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  following 
  : 
  finan- 
  

   cial, 
  business, 
  legal, 
  engineering 
  or 
  technical, 
  institutional, 
  

   municipal, 
  reference, 
  agricultural; 
  if 
  not, 
  how 
  can 
  it 
  be 
  classi- 
  

   fied? 
  Also, 
  does 
  it 
  serve 
  a 
  special 
  clientele? 
  Finally, 
  would 
  

   the 
  librarian 
  be 
  willing 
  to 
  assist 
  other 
  special 
  libraries 
  to 
  a 
  

   reasonable 
  extent? 
  

  

  The 
  data 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  above 
  points 
  may 
  be 
  sent 
  to 
  Wm. 
  F. 
  Jacob, 
  

   Chairman 
  Library 
  Census 
  Committee, 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  General 
  Elec- 
  

   tric 
  Company, 
  Schenectady, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  who 
  will 
  be 
  glad 
  to 
  answer 
  

   any 
  questions 
  relating 
  thereto. 
  

  

  