1877.] 



SENATE— No. 5. 



45 



received there, be}^ond the actual needs of the College. It is well 

 known that there exists no concerted action between the libraries of 

 the University. Your Committee would strongly recommend that 

 some definite arrangement be made, not only with the Museum 

 Library, but with all the libraries, by which their acquisitions by 

 exchange or donation and their orders should at once be reported 

 from one to the other, thus preventing unnecessary duplication in 

 private as well as public libraries. It often happens that the pro- 

 fessor, who has been endeavoring, perhaps at a great personal sac- 

 rifice, to keep up with the literature of his department, presently 

 finds that the central library has also purchased the very books he 

 already possesses. In short, with the present irresponsible system, 

 we frequently have in Cambridge several copies of the more com- 

 mon books purchased in rapid succession, while no provision is 

 made for the more expensive works, or for such as are less easily 

 procured. 



ALEXANDER AGASSIZ. 

 J. D. WHITNEY. 



