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1. Elevators 



2. Office of the Director 



FIFTH FLOOR 



The fifth floor is given over to the administrative offices, the offices 

 and laboratories of the scientific departments and the library. The reading 

 room of the library is located in the west corridor, and is open free daily 

 from 9 a. M. to 5 p. m. except Sundays and legal holidays. The library 

 is a reference library containing some 70,000 volumes devoted to the natural 

 sciences, a collection that has been accumulated for a three-fold purpose — 

 namely, to supplement the exhibits of the Museum with the literature 

 pertaining to them, to supply the natural history student with the most 

 important scientific works, and to furnish the general reader with the more 

 popular books such as give accurate but less detailed information, and at 

 the same time stimulate a more intense study of nature. 



These aims in building up the collection of books have been fulfilled to 

 such an extent that the Library now contains over 15,000 volumes on 

 zoology, comprising many of the extremely rare and interesting monographs 

 in ornithology; an excellent collection of 3500 volumes in entomology in- 

 cluding many of the rare classics and a 2000 volume collection in conchology 

 containing the standard works of Kiister, Reeve and Binney. There is 

 also a well selected collection of 2500 volumes in anthropology including 

 many of the older works relating to the North American Indian; an excel- 

 lent collection of 3500 volumes in geology enriched by the library of the 

 late Professor Jules Marcou; a collection of 5000 volumes in palaeontology 

 to a large extent composed of the Osborn Library of Vertebrate Palaeontol- 

 ogy; also an unusually complete collection of more than 25,000 volumes 

 of natural science periodicals. These with the Bickmore Library of travels 

 and a small but carefully selected assortment of books relating to scientific 

 voyages give the library of the Museum important educational value. A 

 rack in the reading room contains current issues of many scientific periodi- 

 cals. 



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