Lending of Lantern Slides 23 



The instruction for the blind included 31 lessons to blind children 

 from the public schools, with a total attendance of 345. 



The special collections for libraries have been exhibited in 9 

 branches of the New York Public Library and have been studied by 

 29,380 people. 



The reference series of negatives and photographs has received 

 additions of 3,254 negatives and 3,128 photographs, the total reference 

 file now numbering 46,565 negatives and 63,818 photographs. 



The photographic department has made 1,547 negatives, 3,526 

 lantern slides and 13,623 prints. 



During the year 1917, the lending of lantern slides to the public 

 schools has increased more than 66 per cent. 

 lending OF This encouraging result is doubtless due partly to 



lantern slides the e q U i pment f more schools for the use of 

 the slides. 

 The file of lantern slides now catalogued and available for teach- 

 ers contains 20,900 slides. The slides in greatest demand during the 

 past year were (1) Industrial subjects, (2) Natural History, (3) His- 

 torical subjects, (4) Geographical subjects. Those which we have 

 prepared in regular sets, each accompanied by a booklet of notes, 

 were much more in demand than individual slides or slides in groups. 

 There are now fourteen sets available, and they are arranged 

 according to their popularity during the year, as follows: 



Set No. 9. Some Sources of Our Food Supply 1 



Set No. 7. Oral Hygiene 2 



Set No. 3. Our Forests and Their Uses 3 



Set No. 2. The Panama Canal 4 



Set No. 1. The War Zone of Western Europe 5 



Set No. 11. "Evangeline" 6 



Set No. 8. Minor Industries of New York State 7 



Set No. 5. A Journey Through South America 8 



Set No. 6. The Wonderful Work of Water 9 



Set No. 4. The Birds of Our Parks 10 



Set No. 10. Mexico 11 



Set No. 12. Washington Irving's " England " 12 



Set No. 14. Japan 13 



Set No. 13. " The Meadow People " 14 



The attractiveness and value of most lantern slides is greatly 



improved by coloring. Especially is this true when the slides are 



used in children's lectures. Accordingly, none but colored slides are 



used in Museum lectures and practically no 



coloring of others are lent to the public schools. In order 



lantern slides to add to our loan series, and to prepare slides 



for new lectures in the various courses given by 



the Museum, and also to prepare slides from Museum negatives for 



