Number of books borrowed for use outside of the main Library1 for the fiscal years 1907 to 1911. 1 These figures represent the number of books taken from the main Library for use in the offices of the department. As has been pointed out in previous reports, the above statistics indicate only in part the extent to which the Library was used. The figures do not include (1) a record of the circulation of single unbound numbers; (2) a record of the use of the books deposited in the various bureaus and divisions of the department; (3) a record of the books used in the Library. It has not seemed advisable to attempt to collect statistics covering completely the use to which the Library's various facilities are put, partly because of the cost, time, and trouble involved, and partly on account of the great inconvenience to users. In order, however, to give a more adequate idea of the total use of the Library's collections, the statistics of the circulation of books and periodicals in the bureau and division libraries, in so far as they have been kept, have in the following table been added to the statistics of the main Library: Approximate number of books and periodicals borrowed from the main Library and the bureau and division libraries.' 1 No statistics of the circulation of books and periodicals have been kept in the libraries of the Bureau of Statistics, Bureau of Biological Survey, Dairy Division, Office of Public Roads, and Office of Experiment Stations. The Bureau of Animal Industry and the Bureau of Soils do not maintain libraries, as their offices are in close proximity to the main Library. While the figures given above are in part only estimates, it is believed that they are in all cases very conservative estimates, and that the total figures represent very inadequately the actual use of the Library. No figures in regard to books used in the libraries and not charged are included. INTERLIBRARY LOANS. The number of books borrowed from other libraries during the past year, namely, 6,466, was surprisingly large, and was an increase of 1,765, or 33 per cent, over the previous year. Of the total number of books borrowed, 6,397 were borrowed from Washington libraries and 69 from libraries outside of Washington. Our most frequent demands were made upon the Library of Congress, the library of the Surgeon General's Office, the library of the United States Geological Survey, and the library of the Patent Office. The names of the libraries outside of the city from which books were borrowed, and the number of books borrowed, were as follows: American Philosophical Society Library, Philadelphia. Boston Society of Natural History Library. College of Physicians and Surgeons Library, Philadelphia. Harvard University Library_ John D. Smith Library, Baltimore Lloyd Library, Cincinnati ___ Massachusetts Horticultural Society Library, Boston_-. Museum of Comparative Zoology Library, Cambridge_ Ohio State University Library, Columbus__. University of Pennsylvania Library, Philadelphia. Total 1 6 1 1 1 1 9 14 2 8 3 1 1 1 1 69 The number of books lent by this Library during the past year to libraries and scientists outside of the city was 613, an increase of 65 as compared with the previous year. The statistics for such loans for the past five years, arranged geographically, are as follows: Record of books lent outside of Washington during the fiscal years 1907–1911. In order to facilitate the work in connection with the lending of our books to other libraries, it was deemed advisable during the past year to formulate some definite rules for interlibrary loans. The rules are printed as Appendix 4 to this report. They have been found helpful in systematizing the work. No separate record of the loans to other departments and libraries in the city have been kept, but it is certain that the use of our collections by other Government offices has increased considerably in recent years. ACCESSIONS. The number of books, pamphlets, and maps added to the Library during the past year compared with the accessions of the previous year is as follows: From the above tables it will be seen that the accessions of the past year, namely, 8,816, all of which were catalogued, exceeded those of the previous year by 660. The total recorded number of books, pamphlets, and maps in the Library on July 1, 1911, was 115,653. În addition, the Library had on hand on July 1, 1911, unaccessioned, uncatalogued, and unclassified material as follows: Volumes, 444; pamphlets, 950; continuations, 572; maps, 18; total, 1,984. As is shown from the above tables, more than half of the accessions of the last year were gifts, the number exceeding that of the previous year by 945. It is regretted that space does not permit us to give a complete list of the donors. Special mention should, however, be made of the most notable gift of the year, namely, a set of the Annals of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, which is probably the costliest and most beautiful publication issued by any botanical institution. The Royal Botanic Garden presented the set to the Library in exchange for publications of the department. Continued progress was made during the year in completing imperfect files of periodicals. Among the more important sets completed were the following: Annales de chimie et de physique. Archiv für entwicklungsmechanik der organismen. Archiv für experimentelle pathologie und pharmakologie. Archives internationales de pharmacodynamie. Florence, Reale accademia economico-agraria dei georgofili di Firenze, Atti. Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche botanik. Journal of botany, British and foreign. Kennel club calendar and stud book. Milch-zeitung. New York academy of sciences, Annals. CATALOGUING AND CLASSIFICATION. During the year 2,644 volumes, 591 pamphlets, 5,568 continuations, and 13 maps were catalogued, making a total of 8,816, an increase of 660 over the previous year. There were added to the main (dictionary) catalogue 20.951 cards and 1,699 were withdrawn, making the net addition 19,252, a decrease of 2,074 as compared with the previous year. This decrease in the number of cards added to the catalogue, whereas there was an increase in the number of books catalogued compared with the previous year, is explained by the fact that a large number of reprinted cards for department publications were added to the catalogue during the fiscal year 1910. It is estimated that the main dictionary catalogue now contains approximately 260,000 cards. The number of titles prepared during the year by the Library for printing by the Library of Congress in what is known as the "Agr" series was as follows: Cards for accessions and recatalogued books.. Total_ 1,557 355 68 1,980 The total number of titles prepared by this Library since 1902, in which year the printing of our cards by the Library of Congress was begun, is 18,101. It may be of interest to other agricultural libraries to give here the list of series for which this Library prepares printed cards. With a few exceptions, cards have been prepared for the complete series. The cards are printed by the Library of Congress in the "Agr" series, and are available for purchase. Series for which the Department of Agriculture Library prints cards. Beiträge zur kryptogamenflora der Schweiz. Bibliothèque d'agriculture coloniale. Biologia centrali-americana. Bohemia-Landeskulturrat--Deutsche sektion. Arbeiten. Botanische exkursionen und pflanzengeographische studien in der Schweiz. Live stock commissioner's branch. Bulletin. Cold Spring Harbor monographs. Deutsche gesellschaft für züchtungskunde. Arbeiten. wirt. Arbeiten. Anleitungen für den praktischen land East Indies (Dutch)-Departement van landbouw. Mededeelingen. Federated Malay States-Department of Agriculture. Bulletin. Germany-Auswärtiges amt. Berichte über land- und forstwirtschaft im auslande. Germany-Reichsamt des innern. Berichte über landwirtschaft. Hawaiian sugar planters' association-Experiment station-Division of agriculture and chemistry. Bulletin. Division of pathology and physiology. Bulletin. Indian forest memoirs. Economic products series. Forest zoology series. Italy-Direzione generale dell' agricoltura. Annali di agricoltura. series. Kew. Royal gardens. Landboskrifter. Minnesota plant studies. Additional Mitteilungen aus dem forstlichen versuchswesen Österreichs. Monographien landwirtschaftlicher nutztiere. Farmers' bulletin. New York (State)-Department of agriculture. Bulletin. One and all garden books. Padua. R. Stazione bacologica sperimentale. (Not a current series.) Pennsylvania-Department of agriculture. Bulletin. (Cards printed since 1900.) (Das) pflanzenreich (Engler). of Congress.) (Earlier cards were printed by the Library Queensland-Department of agriculture. Bulletin. (Not a current series.) Torrey botanical club. Memoirs. U. S. National herbarium. Contributions. (Die) vegetation der erde (Drude). (Earlier cards were printed by the (Earlier cards printed by the Library of Vienna. K. K. zoologisch-botanische gesellschaft. Abhandlungen. As in previous years, it was possible to keep the cataloguing of the accessions of the year fairly up to date, with the exception of the pamphlets and serials. The unaccessioned, unclassified, and uncatalogued material on hand on July 1, 1911, compared with the material on hand July 1, 1910, was as follows: It is probable that the past year would have shown no increase in the total amount of uncatalogued material had it not been for the fact that two large foreign shipments of books purchased were received a few days before July 1, 1911. The number of uncatalogued continuations was reduced during the year by 269, but the number of uncatalogued pamphlets was increased by 208. Ás described in the |