12 The American Museum of Natural History 



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 

 cooperation sending of special exhibits to the children's depart- 

 with public ments of the Branch Libraries of New York City. 

 libraries After consultation with Miss Annie Carroll Moore, 



Supervisor of Children's Rooms, Museum speci- 

 mens were selected and placed on exhibition for an indefinite period. 

 In many cases the increase in the circulation of books relating to the 

 subjects illustrated by the collections has been 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 Bird Engineers, Bird Neighbors, 

 Small Mammals, Sponges and Corals, Primitive Arms and Armor, 

 Dolls from Many Lands, The Eskimo, Indians of the Eastern Wood- 

 lands, Indians of the Plains, The Southwest Indians, Japan, Mexico, 

 The Philippines, South Africa, and Siberia. To meet special needs 

 of the librarians, temporary exhibits are also prepared. Specimens 

 illustrating Chinese Costume, The Story of Cotton, Primitive Navi- 

 gation, Pottery, Basketry, Special Birds, and Indians 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. 



The circulating loan collections are carried to the libraries by 

 the Museum messenger and are returned by him after a period of 

 one or two months. They are arranged in the exhibition cases by 

 the librarians themselves, who understand best the needs of their 

 neighborhood. 



When placed on exhibition the collections are used in various 

 ways. In some of the adults' and children's departments they are 

 designed to add attractiveness to the rooms and to increase the circu- 

 lation of books related to the subject. In many of the children's 

 rooms, however, there is a more definite plan of action. Sometimes 

 the exhibit is made the center of interest about which the librarian's 

 story hour legends are grouped ; sometimes a member of the Museum 

 staff explains the material. More often, however, the collections 

 form the basis of definite cooperation between the schools and the 

 libraries. Children who are studying Mexico in their classrooms are 



