Cooperation with Public Libraries 11 



One important feature of this work is the personal relation estab- 

 lished between the teachers and the Museum officers. This is mutu- 

 ally helpful and enables us to enlarge the collections or prepare new 

 ones, as the case may require. Thus, the emphasis placed in the Sylla- 

 bus upon animals useful to man and animals harmful to man has led 

 to the addition of two new cases to the loan series, namely, ten sets 

 of economic insects showing the life history of the destructive tent- 

 caterpillar and of the useful silkworm. The collections were further 

 augmented by the preparation of cases of moths and butterflies for 

 the use of classes in drawing and design, and special collections of 

 birds and shells have been provided. 



A complete list of the circulating nature study collections will 

 be found in Appendix I. 



The lending of circulating collections to public libraries is an- 

 other branch of extension work carried on by the Museum. It was 

 begun in 1907 and until 1915 consisted of the sending of special ex- 

 hibits to the children's departments of the Branch 

 cooperation Libraries of New York City. After consultation 

 with public with Miss Annie Carroll Moore, Supervisor of 

 libraries Children's Rooms, Museum specimens were selected 



and placed on exhibition for an indefinite period of 

 time. In several cases the increase in the circulation of books relat- 

 ing to the collection was most marked. 



In 1915, it was felt that the importance of the work warranted 

 its careful organization and development. In the Museum store- 

 rooms are clothing, pottery, basketry, industrial models, dolls, im- 

 plements of war, birds, animals, and many other types of specimens 

 that can be used with success to illustrate books on travel and geog- 

 raphy, nature study, history, current events, and art. From these, 

 through the cooperation of the Department Curators, permanent 

 circulating loan exhibits were selected. They were labeled and in 

 some cases illustrated by large mounted photographs. From time to 

 time, additions have been made to these until today there are avail- 

 able for library use collections on Japan, Mexico, The Philip- 

 pines, South America, Siberian Russia, The Art and Arch- 

 aeology of Central America, Dolls from Many Lands, The 

 Eskimo, The Indians of the Plains, The Indians of the South- 

 west, Bird Neighbors, Corals and Sponges. To meet extra- 

 ordinary demands, special exhibits are also prepared. Material il- 

 lustrating Chinese Costume, The Story of Cotton, Primitive 

 Arms and Armor, Pottery, Basketry, Special Birds, and In- 

 dians have been sent as temporary loans, perhaps to aid a group of 

 factory girls from the Y. W. C. A., or a public school class visiting 

 the library. 



