LIBRARY. 23 
the other of those who received only the annual reports. It was soon 
found that by this plan many individuals and institutions were receiv- 
ing Survey publications which were not used or permanently placed 
in their libraries, while others failed to receive those they most needed. 
To remedy this faulty distribution the following plan has been devised: 
Individuals and institutions whose work is so general that the}^ need 
all Survey publications — libraries, publishers of periodicals, and scien- 
tific societies — are placed on a list to receive all the publications except 
maps. To all geologists who need books of a special character the 
Survey sends, at intervals of about two months, a list of its new pub- 
lications, and from these lists they select the publications they desire. 
By act of Congress copies of geologic and topographic maps may be 
sent in exchange to a limited number of individuals and institutions. 
This list has been complete for several years, the number allowed by 
law falling far short of the demand. 
The distribution of the publications of the Geological Survey was 
conducted under the supervision of the librarian until 1893, when it 
was transferred to the newly established document division. 
There are in the library about 50,000 bound volumes, 80,000 pam- 
phlets, and 30,000 maps, besides many books that form parts of sets 
of periodicals and of proceedings of societies, museums, and congresses 
that have not been entered in the accession book. A rather large per- 
centage of books received are unbound, and during the last few years 
the binding has not kept pace with the increase. An effort is being 
made to remedy this, and in 1903 there were bound 1,750 books, and 
in addition many pamphlets were furnished with board covers by the 
library assistants. 
An author card catalogue has been in use since the establishment of 
the library. At first much of the cataloguing was done by untrained 
assistants and by methods essentially different from the accepted usage 
of the large libraries of the present day. This author catalogue is being 
replaced by a new catalogue of printed cards, procured from the 
Library of Congress and the John Crerar Library. A subject index 
on cards is in preparation and is being added to as fast as the books 
are catalogued. A shelf list of books in the library is also in prepara- 
tion. In arranging books on shelves a subject classification is used. 
Serial publications are grouped together, the general arrangement 
being: First, official geological surveys; second, periodicals; third, pro- 
ceedings and transactions of scientific societies; fourth, separate books 
and pamphlets, arranged according to subject-matter. In addition to 
library work proper, the work of preparing an annual bibliography 
and index of North American geology, paleontology, mineralogy, and 
petrology is done by the library force. 
A librarian wns first appointed in 1882. At that time he could per- 
form all the duties connected with the office. With the increase of 
