THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY Oll.l'l U & 84 mo V. I V s Return this book on or before the Latest Date stamped below. A charge is made on all overdue books. University of Illinois Library MAY 10 iS46 DEC G 1 19111 t99t NOV 08 u ^-LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NOTES FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION ST. LOUIS, MO, 1904 No. 1 THE LIBRARY And its Work WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 LIBRARY STAFF. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. Herbert Putnam. — Librarian of Congress. Ainsworth Hand Spofford. — Chief Assistant Librarian. Allen Richards Boyd. — Librarian’s Secretary. Thomas Gold Alvord. — Chief Clerk. DIVISIONS. Reading Rooyns. — David Hutcheson, superintendent; John Gra- ham Morrison, Hugh Alexander Morrison, chief assistants. Reading Room for the Blind. — Etta Josselyn Giffin, assistant in charge. Bibliography. — Appleton Prentiss Clark Griffin, Chief. Catalogue. — James Christian Meinich Hanson, Chief; Charles Mar- tel, Chief Classifier. Documents. — Roland Post Falkner, Chief. Manuscripts. — Worthington Chauncey Ford, Chief. Maps and Charts. — Philip Lee Phillips, Chief. Music. — Oscar George Theodore Sonneck, Chief. Order. — William Parker Cutter, Chief. Periodicals.— Allan Bedient Slauson, Chief. Prints. — Arthur Jeffrey Parsons, Chief. Smithsonian Deposit. — Paul Brockett, Custodian (office at Smith- sonian Institution); Francis Henry Parsons, Assistant in charge. Law Library. — George Winfield Scott, Custodian. COPYRIGHT OFFICE. Thorvald Solberg, Register. LIBRARY BRANCH, GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Printing. — William Henry Fisher, foreman. Binding. — Henry Clay Espey, foreman. Library Building and Grounds. Bernard Richardson Green. — Superintendent. George Norris French, Chief Clerk. Charles Benjamin Titlow, Chief Engineer. Damon Warren Harding, Electrician. John Vanderbilt Wiirdemann, Captain of the watch. 2 U) I VA. s % A 0 vA THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. The Building. ! t ^ The building of the Library of Congress, the largest and most (4 costly library building in the world, is located on Capitol Hill, a ~~ quarter of a mile east of the Capitol. It was begun 1889 and completed 1897 at a cost of $6,347,000, exclusive of the site, which cost $585,000. The original plans were made by Messrs. Smithmeyer & Pelz, but the building was actually constructed and many architectural details worked out under Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Casey, Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, and his chief assistant, Bernard B. Green. After the death of General Casey, in 1895t, the building was completed under Mr. Green, now its Superintendent. The building occupies 3J acres. It contains 7,500,000 cubic feet of space and over 8 acres of floor space. Its internal arrangements are planned to secure the greatest protection of its contents from loss or injury which is consistent with the public use of its collections. The shelving for books is metal throughout, combining cleanliness with convenience. For the preservation of maps, manuscripts, and prints specially con- structed cases are provided. Steel safes of special design and make are used for the more valuable manuscripts. All parts of the building are patrolled day and night. The present shelving will contain about 2,000,000 volumes. Within its present walls the building contains space for over - 3,000,000 volumes without curtailing the space requisite for read- ^>ers or exhibits. With stacks in the courtyards, its capacity can ^ be increased to over 7,000,000 volumes. 3 f It has space at present for a thousand readers at a time. During the year 1902-3 it was visited by 1,011,766 persons — an average of 2,866 daily. The Library. CHRONOLOGY. 1800. Established as a library for Congress in the Capitol building. 1814. Destroyed in the burning of the Capitol by the British. 1815. Reconstructed by the purchase of the library of ex-Presi- dent Jefferson — about 7,000 volumes, cost $23,950. 1851. Partially destroyed by fire in the Capitol; 20,000 volumes were saved and the Library replenished by special expenditure of $75,000. 1846-1870. One copy of books, etc., deposited under Copyright Law sent to Library. 1866. Made custodian of the library of the Smithsonian Institu- tion, with its subsequent accessions. 1867. Purchase of Peter Force collection of Americana. 1870. Made Office of Copyright for the United States. 1882. Purchase of papers of the Marquis de Rochambeau, and gift of the library of Joseph M. Toner. 1897. Removed to new building. 1898. Gift of Gardiner Greene Hubbard collection of prints. 1903. Gifts of the papers of Andrew Jackson and Martin y an Buren. Made depository of historical manuscripts in the Execu- tive Departments of the Government. PRESENT COLLECTIONS. It comprised at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1903) about 1,202,993 printed books and pamphlets (including the law library of 94,609 volumes, which, while a ’division of the Library of Con- gress, still remains at the Capitol), 103,115 manuscripts, 69,814 maps and charts, 366,616 pieces of music, and 142,337 photographs, prints, engravings, and lithographs. 4 RECENT GROWTH. The rapidity of its development is shown in the accessions for the year 1903, which were: Printed books and pamphlets (volumes) 88, 273 Manuscripts (pieces) 3, 583 Maps and charts (pieces) 4, 893 Music (pieces) - 21,105 Prints (pieces) - 15,335 Miscellaneous 9, 696 APPROPRIATIONS. Appropriations for 1903 were, for salaries, $323,739.33 (including $70,440 for the Copyright Office, wffiich is offset by fees received); increase of Library, $99,800; contingent, $7,300; printing and bind- ’ ing, $185,000 (an “allotment,” i. e., leave to order work to this amount at the Government Printing Office and its branches in the Library building) — to be expended under the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, for care and maintenance, $77,245; fuel, light, and miscellaneous, $30,000; furniture and shelving, $45,000. Total, all purposes, $768,084.33. ORGANIZATION. The administration of the Library is under the Librarian of Congress. He is appointed by the President, subject to confirma- tion by the Senate. He reports direct to Congress, to which he submits annually estimates of appropriations required for the main- tenance of the Library. He is authorized to expend the appro- priations granted by law for the purposes designated, to appoint all employees of the Library proper and the Copyright Office, and is authorized to make rules and regulations for the government of the Library. In addition to the Copyright Office, the Library includes the following divisions, each under the supervision of a chief: Order, Catalogue, Bibliography, Reading Room, Periodical, Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, Music, Prints, Smithsonian De- posit, and Law Library; and two divisions, Mail and Supply and Binding, in charge of assistants. 5 The Copyright Office is under the general administration of the Librarian of Congress, in particular charge of the Register of Copy- rights. During the year 1902-3 there were 97,979 entries for copy- right and $68,874.50 received in fees — this amount more than off- setting the cost of maintaining the office. During the year there were 177,519 articles deposited to perfect the above entries. So far as desirable, articles so deposited are drawn up into the Library to form a part of its collection. Others, to the amount of nearly a million, remain still in the files of the Copyright Office. The building and grounds are in the charge of a Superintendent, also appointed by the President and subject to confirmation by the Senate, who also reports direct to Congress. He submits estimates for the care, equipment, and maintenance of the build- ings and grounds, and disburses the appropriations granted for these purposes. SERVICE. There are employed in the building, under the Superintendent, 120 persons; under the Librarian, 297; under the Public Printer, but detailed to the Library of Congress for its printing, binding, and repairing, 76 persons. USE. The Library was originally established for the use merely of Congress. It aids with research and the loan of books all branches of the Federal Government, the Supreme Court, the Executive Departments, and the various scientific Bureaus which are main- tained by the Federal Government at an annual expense of several million dollars, and whose investigations constantly require a reference to books. Though still carrying the title “ Library of Congress,” it is also now a general public library, open as freely for reference use as any in the world. Since its removal to the new building its col- lections and its service have so extended that it is now familiarly entitled the National Library. Any person from any place may examine within its walls any book in its possession, and may do this without introduction or credentials. The Library is open 6 from 9 a. m. till 10 p. m. ; on Sundays and most holidays from 2 till 10 p. m. Books for home use are issued to certain classes designated by statute and, within the District of Columbia, in effect to any per- son engaged in a serious investigation which absolutely requires it. Of late the Library has also lent books to other libraries in various parts of the United States for the convenience of investi- gators engaged in research calculated to advance the boundaries of knowledge. This is under a system of inter-library loan. A condition of the loan is that the book is an unusual book, which it is not the duty of the local library to supply, and that it can at the moment be spared by the Library of Congress, and that the risk and expense of transportation shall be borne by the borrowing library. For the convenience of investigators the Library deposits in some twenty-five cities (centers of research) a complete set of its printed cards as issued. These will, within five years, form a complete card catalogue under authors of the printed books in its collections. It also supplies to any library subscribing for them one or more copies, as may be desired, of any of the catalogue cards which it prints, thus enabling the subscribing library to get, at a nominal cost, complete catalogue entries for books in its own collections which would cost several times as much to catalogue independ- ently. Nearly 400 libraries are now subscribing to such cards. The library also aids investigators by publications exhibiting material in its collections upon topics under current discussion, or within fields of special research. It answers inquiries addressed to it by mail in so far as they can be answered by bibliographic information — that is, by a reference to printed authorities. The number of such inquiries yearly exceeds 10,000. Publications . 1 The publications issued by the Library are very numerous and include: Annual Reports, showing the progress of the Library. 1 Complete lists of the Library publications are sent on application to the Librarian. 7 Bibliographies, exhaustive statements of the literature of certain subjects, e. g., Philippine Islands. Reference Lists, containing principal references to questions of current interest, e. g., Trusts, Subsidies, Porto Rico, etc. Catalogues, lists of special collections in the Library of Congress, e. g., Washington MSS., John Paul Jones MSS., Maps of Amer- ica, Newspapers. Special publications on library methods, e. g., Catalogue rules, Classification, etc. Printed catalogue cards (see above). OTHER LIBRARIES AT WASHINGTON. The Library of Congress is but one of over a score of Govern- ment libraries at Washington. There are in the various Depart- ments and scientific bureaus of the Government collections aggre- gating over a million volumes. Certain of these are preeminent in the world within the field with which they deal. With them, the Library of Congress is seeking to form an organic system. It will be this system rather than the Library of Congress alone which will comprise the National Library of the United States. In number of volumes it would already equal any other library in the world. BOOKS RELATING TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Published by the Library: Reports of the Librarian of Congress, 1897-1903. (The Report for 1901 contains a Manual of the Constitution, Organization, Methods, etc. , of the Library. ) History of the Library of Congress, by W. D. Johnston. Vol. 1, 1800-1864, in press. Published by private publishers for sale: Handbook of the Library of Congress, by Herbert Small. Boston, Curtis and Cameron. Price, 25 cents. May 20, 1904. o 8 r» a. U v\^)^Vip LIBRARY OF THE U N ! V £ R S 1 T / of ; LL oila^ ,„ :c , X\‘S"2 V \ -wo W O m RARY OF CONGRESS NOTES FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION ST. LOUIS, MO., J904 No. 2 THE EXHIBIT OF THE Library of Congress f WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY BOOK, . CLASS VOLUME D c- l * c- U.5 8 4 *vvt> Vy 2. The Library of Congress Exhibit. % The Library of Congress exhibit is found in the northeast corner of the United States Government Building immedi- ately at the entrance. It occupies both sides of the aisle and is arranged as shown in the following diagram: Small letters indicate wall exhibits; capitals, cases. a. Library of Congress, photographs. b. Foreign Libraries. c. American Libraries. d. Statistical Charts. e. Picture Bulletins. A. Model of Library of Congress. B. Books. C. Manuscripts. D. Music. E. Maps. F. Prints. G. Publications. H. Bindings. /. Forms. K. American Libraries, plans and photographs. L. Printed Cards of Library of Con- gress. M. Printed Cards of Institut Inter- nationale de Bibliographic. N. Library Commissions. O. Library Schools. P. Library blanks and forms. ( Q . A girder supporting the roof.) w The exhibit is designed to illustrate — 1. The equipment, resources, and methods of the Library of Congress. 2. Its relations to the national libraries of the world. 3. Its relations to the libraries of the United States. 4. Some features of modern library methods. Equipment. The building of the Library of Congress is shown bv numerous photographs, plans, and a model. A large photo- graph of the exterior on the girder in the left-hand space faces tue model. THE MODEL. The central feature of the exhibit is a model of the build- ing on the scale of one-fourth inch to the foot and is the work of Mr. James F. Earley, of Washington. It ft a sec- tional model on a north and south line showing the eastern half of the building. In the center is the octagonal reading room showing on the floor the central desk, the catalogue cases behind it, and the circular arrangement of desks for readers, and many of the architectural details of the room. Visitors to the Library, not readers, are admitted to the upper gallery. Flanking the reading room on the east side are the two great book stacks each nine stories high. The auto- matic book carrier, by which books are carried in baskets attached to an endless chain from the decks to the reading room, is indicated on the right-hand side. On the extreme right are shown the three stories of the outer structure, each communicating with the stack. The basement contains the Copyright Office, the first floor the Periodical Reading- Room, the second floor the Division of Prints. The arrange- ment of rooms at the left of the model is the same. The 4 basement here contains the Printing Office, the first floor the Division of Maps and Charts, while the second floor contains a book stack recently constructed which shows possibilities of expansion. Plans and Photographs. The plans of the Library will be found on the partition wall behind the model. The photographs in the upper row are of the second story arranged in the order noted on the plan. The pictures of the first story in the lower row are arranged in like manner. Those of the basement story are on the side wall between the windows. Decorations. The numerous decorations of the Library of Congress are represented by the Minerva of Elihu Vedder, which is on the girder toward the aisle, and the series of pictures portray- ing the Evolution of the Book, by John W. Alexander, which form a frieze for the partition wall at the rear of the model. Suggestions of some of the other decorations are found in the photographs of the several divisions of the Library already noted. Resources. The resources of the great collections of the Library of Congress are suggested by small exhibits from the various departments. BOOKS. A collection of photographs illustrating the various forms of book, early imprints, and rare books especially relating to America. (Diagram B .) 5 MANUSCRIPTS. A collection of journals and sketches of Baron von Closen, aide-de-camp to Rochambeau, which by reason of their great interest in connection with the history of the Revolution have been loaned for exhibition by the present owner, Baron von Closen-Giinderrode, of Bavaria, are found in the central case. In the wing frame are shown specimens from some of the notable collections in the Library, such as the Jackson, Web- ster, Polk, Chase papers, etc. This case also shows the interesting method of repairing manuscripts for permanent preservation. (Diagram C.) MUSIC. Specimens of ancient music, early American books on music, and of war songs. (Diagram D.) MAPS AND CHARTS. Maps showing the first records of the new world, the gradual development of knowledge concerning the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, and plans of the city of New Orleans. (Diagram £.) PRINTS. A collection of portraits of Thomas Jefferson which show the different conceptions of artists and engravers. (Diagram F .) j METHODS. The forms and blanks used in the general administration of the Library and in its several divisions are shown in a large album (Diagram /). 6 Bindings. The various types of binding in use in the Library and some of the processes of binding are shown in the case near the front wall. In each book is an explanation of the char- acter of the material used and the types of books for which it is employed (Diagram H). PUBLICATIONS. The publications of the Library since 1897 are shown in an adjoining case. The bindings of these books are among the choicest products of the bindery (branch of the Gov- ernment Printing Office) installed in the Library Building (Diagram G). CATALOGUING. The evolution of the catalogue from the printed book, through the manuscript card to the printed card, is shown in the right-hand space (Diagram L). The exhibit shows the older catalogues of the Library of Congress, and a com- plete set of the printed cards now issued by the Library. It includes in alphabetical arrangement all cards thus far issued. It shows their adaptation to shelf lists and other special catalogues. Particular attention is given to the method of distributing these cards at a nominal cost to other libraries, and an attendant is in charge to give full explanations of all details of the process. RELATIONS TO OTHER LIBRARIES. The great national libraries of Europe and some of the newer and more recent library structures of the Continent are shown in a series of . photographs (Diagram b ). Wher- ever possible, plans have been secured, and have been repro- duced on a uniform scale of twenty feet to the inch, thus showing relative size. To facilitate comparison of structure and size, a plan of the Library of Congress on the same scale is placed with them. 7 RELATIONS TO AMERICAN LIBRARIES. BUILDINGS A series of enlarged photographs and plans of the more important American libraries of recent construction is shown in the- right-hand space. The plans of these libraries (except the detailed plans of the New York Public Library) are on the uniform scale of ten feet to the inch. A plan of the Library of Congress on the same scale is placed with them for comparison. With the cooperation of the American Library Associa- tion a large collection of typical American libraries has been made and is exhibited in the wing frames of the right-hand space (Diagram K). The sequence of arrangement is Gov- ernment libraries, college and university libraries, and public libraries. The latter are arranged according to the size of the libraries for all having 40,000 volumes or more. Smaller libraries are arranged in the order of cost of their library buildings. The labels give condensed statistics of the libraries represented. DECORATIONS. The notable decorations of the Boston Public Library are recalled by enlarged Copley prints of the familiar frieze of the Prophets by John A. Sargent, and the pictures from the Quest of the Holy Grail by Edwin Abbey, which have been placed at the disposal of the Library for exhibit through the courtesy of the publishers, Messrs. Curtis & Cameron, Boston, Mass. 'Diagram e .) STATISTICS. Charts showing the growth of librares, the diffusion of libraries, the distribution of libraries of 50,000 volumes and ihose of 10,000 volumes, and the general statistics of libraries m 1900, are compiled from the reports of the U. S. Bureau of Education. A chart showing circulation in 1903 of libraries issuing at least 300,000 volumes for home use is based upon data furnished by the librarians. A large chart showing the 8 distribution and size of Mr. Andrew Carnegie’s gifts to libraries is based upon published reports and correspondence with the several localities concerned. (Diagram d .) LIBRARY METHODS. CATALOGUING. Cooperative cataloguing as shown by the printed cards of the Library of Congress is further illustrated by the cards and publications of the American Library Association and the Institut Internationale de Bibliographie of Brussels. The latter are notable as an effort to create a universal bibliography of all knowledge. The John Crerar Library of Chicago, by a specimen from its catalogue, illustrates its methods of utilizing its printed cards. The Grosvenor Library of Buffalo shows a condensed form of slip shelf list (Diagram GENERAL. General library methods of administration are shown by a comparison of the blanks in use in about forty leading libraries (Diagram P ). PICTURE BULLETINS. Methods of attracting the attention of readers in general circulating libraries to books on particular subjects are showi) in the picture bulletins prepared by the several schools for library training (Diagram e ). Library Schools. The work of library schools is shown by a collection of photographs, blanks, and other printed matter (Diagram O). Library Commissions. The work of the library commissions is shown by charts showing growth of libraries, photographs of typical libraries, blanks, publications, and by sample traveling libraries (Dia- gram AO. 9 t ‘ LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS. RARY OF CONGRESS NOTES FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION ST. LOUIS, MO., 1904 No. 3 THE EXHIBIT OF THE CATALOG DIVISION INCLUDING Some Account of the Catalogs, Classification, and Card Distribution Work of the Library of Congress f WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY BOOK. CLASS VOLUME O'LxX'-i V\ V."b U. ^ $ “t VN» i. THE EXHIBIT. 1. The Old Catalogs. The exhibit includes : (а) All of the author and classed catalogs issued between 1802 and 1864 which at the time of publication covered the entire collection of books; the subject catalog of 1869; the single chap- ter published toward a catalog in 1854; the two volumes of the unfi^hed author catalog of 1878-1880; the supplement for 1827; and the accession lists issued between 1867 and 1876. The catalogs issued between 1802 and 1812, and the portion of a catalog issued in 1854 are rare. They are exhibited under glass in the upper part of the case devoted to the old catalogs. The supplement of 1827 is a fair sample of the many supplements issued between 1803 and 1860. The accession lists of 1867-1876, with the catalog of 1864, furnished the hulk of the material for the cataloging done by means of pasted slips between 1865 and 1900. The chapter of the 1854 catalog is of special interest, because it was printed from stereotyped blocks prepared in accord- ance with Professor Jewett’s plan for the systematization of cataloging. (б) The pasted slip catalog, which attempted to combine into one alphabetical arrangement in book form the titles of the author catalog of 1864 and the supplements printed between 1865 and 187a .13694 ' 3 (c) Cards from the old official catalog, the first author catalog on cards. This catalog is still in use, hut is rapidly being super- seded by the new dictionary catalog. No additions have been made to it since January, 1900. 2. Card Shelf Lists. The exhibit includes the shelf list for American history as used at the Library of Congress, and a duplicate of the shelf list for bibliography, so far as it is composed of printed cards. It should be noticed that neither of these shelf lists cover the complete col- lection in these classes. Several hundred volumes of rare Ameri- cana, as well as several hundred books on South and Central America not yet cataloged, are not represented in the shelf list for American history. Printed cards have not been issued for a large portion of the collection on bibliography. This uncata- loged portion, made up largely of incomplete serials and less important publications, is represented in the official shelf list by ms. or typewritten cards. The ms. cards included in the shelf list for American history represent serial, incomplete, and ephemeral publications. Some samples from the shelf list on sheets used at the Library of Congress are placed in covers at the right side of the case contain- ing the card shelf list. 3. Author Catalog of the L. C. Printed Cards. This catalog includes one copy of each printed card in stock in the Card Section. It will be kept to date during the exhibition by the insertion of semi weekly installments of cards received from the Library of Congress. It is the same in scope as the deposi- tory catalogs of L. C. printed cards, and also duplicates the printed cards in the author catalog of the Card Section. The catalog con- tained on May 1, 1904, about 130,000 cards. The variation in the form of the cards seen in the catalog are explained on pages 15-18. 4 4. Cards for Books Listed in the A. L. A. Catalog. The cards in this case are all for books listed in the 1904 edition of the A. L. A. Catalog. They are shown in four different arrange- ments, viz: (a) author catalog, first tier of trays; (b) classed catalog, “decimal” system, second tier; (c) classed catalog, “expansive” system, third tier; (d) dictionary catalog, fourth- sixth tier. The cards for books listed in the A. L. A. Catalog of 1904 were all issued in 1904, and are uniform in form of entry and typography. 5. Section of Dictionary Catalog. The cards included in this catalog between Burns and California constitute a reproduction of a continuous section of the Third Official Catalog at the Library of Congress. The detached groups on bibliography and Columbus have been added as representing important topics, each requiring a somew T hat different method of arrangement. Inasmuch as the printed cards in the Third Official Catalog are identical with those in the Public Catalog of the Library of Congress, the cards exhibited give a correct idea of the use of the cards in the Public Catalog of the Library itself. 6. Sections from the Catalog and Stock of the Card Section. The exhibit includes: (a) Section of the author catalog, showdng method of holding orders for cards for books not yet received or in process of cata- loging. ( b ) Section of the classed catalog used in filling orders by subject. (c) Section of the series catalog, showing method of holding orders for cards by series. (d) Steel case similar in construction to those used for storing the stock of cards at the Library of Congress. This case has about one-sixth of the capacity of those in use in the Card Section. The 5 ten upper trays are filled with cards from the stock in the Card Section and show the guides in place. Method of holding orders in the stock for cards temporarily out of print is shown in the upper left tray. 7. Traveling Catalogs. The canvas-covered cases contain the traveling catalogs on the civil war and bibliography. In the upper left-hand tray of the steel cases is exhibited a single tray of cards duplicating a tray in the traveling catalog on American history. Canvas-covered cases are used for catalogs containing less than 8,000 cards; steel cases of the size here shown are used for those containing more than 8,000 cards. Photographs of the traveling catalogs are exhibited on the wall at the right. 8. Photographs. These have been selected to illustrate the work of the Catalog Division and processes and appliances in the production, storing, and distribution of printed catalog cards. They are arranged on on the wall above the cases. 9. Samples and Printed Information. The material placed on the stand is for free distribution. It includes: (а) Copies of the “Notes, No. 3, Exhibit of the Catalog Divi- sion.’ ’ (б) Copies of “Simplified directions for ordering and using the L. C. cards,” being a restatement in Bulletin No. 7, of such por tions of the Handbook of Card Distribution and of Bulletins Nos. 1-6 as are concerned with orders by author and title, and orders for cards corresponding to titles in the 1904 edition of the A. L. A. Catalog. (c) Samples of proof sheets on white and manila paper. (d) Samples of L. C. printed cards, three forms. 6 The essential difference between the three forms consists in the greater or less number of items of information given on them for the guidance of the cataloger in fitting them to the catalog for w T hich they have been ordered. The cards having the “decimal” and “expansive” class marks on them, at the extreme lower left and right corners, respectively, contain the most cataloger’ s helps. They are samples of the special edition of cards printed for the 8,000 volumes listed in the 1904 edition of the A. L. A. Catalog. The cards with suggested subject entries but without class marks at lower left and right corners are samples of the cards regularly issued for books in the reclassified sections of the Library of Con- gress. The cards having no cataloger’ s helps on them are samples of the cards regularly issued for fiction and other form-classes and for books in sections of the Library of Congress which have not been reclassified. Franked envelopes for mailing sets of printed information and samples can be obtained of the attendant in charge of the exhibit. ATTENDANT IN CHARGE OF THE EXHIBIT. An assistant from the Card Section of the Catalog Division will have charge of the exhibit of printed cards after June 1, and will be present between the hours of 9 a. m. and 4.30 p. m. This assistant will be prepared to explain and illustrate processes of ordering printed cards and fitting them to catalogs. Library workers should feel free to ask as many questions as they desire concerning any matter connected with the exhibit or suggested by it. Those now using the cards are invited to discuss with the attendant any difficulties which may have been experienced. II. THE OLD CATALOGS. Until 1864 the catalogs of the Library of Congress, like those of other American and European libraries of the period, were in book form. Catalogs covering the collection were printed at intervals of about ten years on the average. Between the printing of one catalog and the printing of another several supplements or lists of accessions were issued. In the printed catalogs of 1802, 1804, and 1808 the books were divided into classes according to size, and those of each class were numbered in the order of the accession of books of that size. This arrangement corresponded to that of the books on the shelves. The entries were shortened to an average of about a half dozen words. In the catalog of 1812 the entries were divided into eighteen classes. Under each class they were subdivided by size and then alphabetized by the surnames of authors, or by the first word in the case of title entries. In this and the earlier catalogs author’s surnames only were given and articles were not disregarded in the entry or arrangement of titles. The catalog of 1815 is the most notable of the collection. It was in effect a catalog of the library of Thomas Jefferson which had been bought in 1814 to replace the one burned by the British. It was compiled by Jefferson himself. In it the entries were divided according to Bacon’s scheme for the classification of knowledge, into forty-four classes or chapters. Under the class the books were arranged alphabetically and an alphabetical index of authors’ names for the whole catalog provided. Jefferson’s classification, with some modification and an increas- ing number of subdivisions, was retained in the catalog of 1830, 1839, 1849, and 1861. The catalog of 1830 had no author index, 8 but it was reprinted in 1831 with a supplement and an author index to the whole. An author index was provided in the cata- log of 1839, but not in those^of 1849 and 1861. By 1861 the number of classes and subclasses had increased so that the entries in the catalog of that date were distributed in 179 alphabets. The single chapter of a catalog covering Ancient History, printed in 1854, is notable as being the result of an experiment conducted by the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress in preparing a catalog from stereotyped blocks, according to the plan of Prof. Charles C. Jewett. The ultimate aim of the plan was to inaugurate a system of cooperative cataloging between the Library of Congress and other American libraries. An edition of this chapter of the catalog was also printed in folio form. The catalog of 1864 was the last complete author catalog issued. In it the classed arrangement was abandoned, and the entries arranged in one alphabet. In 1878-1880 an attempt was made to issue another printed book catalog covering the collection. Two volumes, including titles alphabetized between A and Craigin, were printed. The work of preparing the manuscript proceeded slowly on account of the care exercised in the work and the small force available for it. The titles were usually given in full, and the expense of issuing the volume was large. The result was that the appropriation for printing the catalog was found to be totally inadequate. Accord- ingly the work was abandoned. In order to facilitate the rapid consultation of entries in these volumes they were pasted into a single scrapbook. This book included the entries between A and Drei, inasmuch as a portion of the sheets for the third volume of the catalog were then available in unbound form. After the catalog of 1864 had been issued the attempt was made to maintain a catalog in a single volume by the ‘ 1 scrapbook ’ ’ method. The titles in the 1864 catalog were distributed through a large manila scrapbook at such intervals as were deemed proper to admit of the insertion of future accessions in their alphabetical place. Titles clipped from the annual lists of accessions issued 9 between 1864 and 1876 were pasted in the space left for accessions. The space allowed, while ample at some points, proved to be very inadequate at others, with the result that printed slips had sometimes to be tipped in a half dozen deep. Although much ingenuity was shown in maintaining an approximately alphabetical arrangement of titles, within twelve years the pasted-slip catalog had become so congested that the addition of further titles was judged impracticable. It was until very recently consulted occa- sionally and referred to as a check on cards missing from the official card catalog of the Library. Concurrently with the formation of the pasted-slip book catalog the Old Official Catalog of the Library was in course of compila- tion. This was compiled for the most part by pasting on cards, 4j by 7 inches, entries clipped from the catalog of 1864, from the subsequent annual lists of accessions, and later from the Catalog of Copyright Entries. The titles of accessions not available in printed form were written in the usual way. A considerable por- tion of the entries in this catalog are full and accurate, with the result that the cards are often used as copy for the printed cards. The Old Official Catalog was kept up until the end of 1899. (For further information as to the old catalogs see Johnston, W. D., History of the Library of Congress, 1800-1860.) III. THE NEW CARD CATALOG. Beginning with July, 1898, fifty copies of the entry for each book received by copyright were printed. With these cards the compilation was begun of three dictionary catalogs, viz, the Pub- lic Catalog, the New Official Catalog, or Second Official Catalog, intended for the use of the Catalog Division, and the Third Official Catalog, designed to be placed eventually at the Capitol. The accessions of the Library received by purchase and gift continued 10 to be cataloged on the large cards and filed in the Old Official Catalog until the end of 1899. During 1900 ms. author cards for these were made for the Second Official Catalog and typewritten copies of the same for the Public Catalog. In the first part of' 1900 the entries in the catalog of 1864 and the twelve supplements issued between 1864 and 1876, about 160,000 titles, were mounted on cards and filed in the Public Cata- log. Since January, 1901, at which date the Library began to print cards for all books cataloged or recataloged, practically the same entries are inserted in the three catalogs. Some of the entries required for a complete dictionary catalog are not at present inserted in the three catalogs. Full subject entries are usually made only for books classified according to the new scheme and for books in biography. The difference in the scope of the three catalogs may be indi- cated as follows: Excepting typewritten cross reference cards, the Third Official Catalog contains nothing but printed cards. It is the same in ■scope as the stock of printed cards and covers the following: (a) Books received by copyright since August, 1898. ( b ) Books received by purchase or gift since January 1, 1901. (c) Books in recataloged sections, viz: General history; Ameri- can history and description; British history and description (i. e., hist, and desc. of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales); gen- eral history and description of Europe; history and description of Austria-Hungary; bibliography; mathematics. The Second Official Catalog contains, in addition to the entries in the Third Official Catalog, ms. author cards for books received by purchase or gift in 1900. On the other hand, it is less complete than the Third Official Catalog in the matter of title entries. It contains title entries for anonymous books only, whereas the Third Official Catalog, like the Public Catalog, contains title entries for striking or memorable titles in addition to those for anonymous books. The Public Catalog contains the following entries not repre- 11 sented in either the Second Official Catalog or the Third Official Catalog: (a) Main entry cards for serial, incomplete, and ephemeral publications. (b) Pasted slip entries for books listed in the catalog of 1864 and the accession lists of 1865-1876, which have not yet been recataloged. The second official catalog differs from the other two as follows: (а) It contains the original manuscript cards, which have served as copy for the printer, these being retained in preference to printed copies in order to preserve the original record of each entry. When large cards from the old official catalog are used as copy for the printer, a printed copy is necessarily used in the second official catalog, the various checks and other records not printed being transferred in manuscript. (б) All tracing of cards for the three catalogs is done on the cards in the second official catalog. IV. THE CLASSIFICATION. During the first decade of the existence of the Library of Con- gress the books were classified by size into folios, octavos, and duodecimos. In the catalog of 1812 the books were divided by subjects into eighteen chapters, with subdivisions of the chapters by size of volumes. When, in 1815, Jefferson’s library became the Library of Con- gress, the classification used by Jefferson was adopted. This was an adaptation by Jefferson himself of Bacon’s well-known scheme for the classification of knowledge, resulting in the division of the library into forty-four chapters. The classification thus inaugu- rated was retained with some changes and an increasing number 12 of subdivisions down to 1898, when a new classification began to be applied. (For additional information on the old system of classification, see Johnston, W. D., History of the Library of Congress, 1800-1864.) The new system of classification is devised from a comparison of existing schemes (including the “decimal” and the “expan- sive”) and a consideration of the particular conditions in this library, the character of its present and probable collections, and its probable use. It is assumed that the departments of history, political and social science, and certain others will be unusually large. It is assumed that investigators will be freely admitted to the shelves. The system devised has not sought to follow strictly the scien- tific order of subjects. It has sought rather convenient sequence of the various groups, considering them as groups of books, not as groups of mere subjects. It has sought to avoid technical, foreign, or unusual terms in the designation of these groups. It has selected for the symbols to denote them: (1) for the classes, a capital letter or a double letter; (2) for the subclasses, these letters combined with a numeral in ordinary sequence. Provision for the insertion of future groups is: (1) in intervening numbers as yet unused; (2) in the use of decimals. The main classes are as follows: A. General works. Polygraphy. B. Philosophy. Religion. C. History, auxiliary sciences. D. History and topography (except America). E. America (general) and United States (general). F. United States (local) and America outside of United States. G. Geography. Anthropology. H. Statistics. Economics. Sociology. J. Political science. K. La,w. L. Education. 13 M. Music. N. Fine arts. P. Literature and language. Q. Science. R. Medicine. S. Agriculture, plant and animal industry. T. Technology. U. Military science. V. Naval science. Z. Bibliography. On June 1, 1904, the classification of D, E, F, M, Q, R, S, T, U, Z, had been completed; classes A, C, G, H, V, were in process of reclassification. V. SHELF LISTS. The shelf lists are written on sheets 32 X 25 cm. The entries are made in strict order, alphabetical or chronological, as the case may be, with liberal provisions of space between them at the start for additions, varying according to subject. Up to 50 entries of single works may be made on a page, while a single serial entry may fill a whole page. Additions may also be entered for a time on the verso of the preceding sheet opposite the regular place. When that space is exhausted the entries are copied, being transferred to several new sheets with fresh provision of room for new entries. The sheets are kept loose in covers, forming port- folios of convenient size for handling; these covers are preferred to temporary binders, because sheets may be withdrawn or replaced without any delay, saving much time when additions are made frequently. After catalog cards have been printed for a classified section of the library, a printed card shelf list or classified catalog is formed for reference use by filing these cards in systematic order. 14 VI. THE L. C. PRINTED CARDS. The following are some of the general characteristics of the cards : 1. One form of card only is printed for a book, viz, the main- entry card. All the cards needed for secondary entries are to be made from this main- entry card by the addition of headings. 2. So far as practicable, the real name of the author is given in full, with dates of birth and death. 3. The title of the book is usually given in full. 4. The paging of the book and its bibliographical peculiarities are carefully indicated. 5. Contents are usually reproduced when they contain several works by the same author, or works by several authors, or works •on several subjects, especially if the collective title does not suf- ficiently describe them. 6. Notes are given when necessary to explain the title or to cor- rect any misapprehension to w T hich it might lead, or to supply essential information or bibliographical details not stated in the title, imprint, or collation. As will be seen from examination of any file of the L. C. cards, numerous changes have been made in the form of these cards in the five years during which they have been issued. Changes and additions have been made whenever it was thought that they would render the cards more effective. The following are the principal changes and additions made to date: (a) author’s name in the heading. Type changed from roman, spaced, to black face in May, 1901; increasing effort made to secure full names and dates of authors. 15 (b) author’s name in the title. After July, 1901, the author’s name was repeated in the title, pursuant to a decision of the A. L. A. Committee on cataloging. (c) COPYRIGHT NOTE. In December, 1901, at the request of libraries subscribing to printed cards, the two-line note containing information as to copy- right was shortened to the single word “copyright” and placed at the bottom of the card. (d) SUBJECT HEADINGS FOR DICTIONARY CATALOGS. Previous to September, 1901, no subject entries were suggested. From September, 1901, to August, 1902, subject headings were suggested on cards for copyrighted books and for books in reclassi- fied sections of the Library. Since August, 1902, subject head- ings have been suggested on cards for books in reclassified sections only, with an exception in the case of cards issued for books in the new edition of the A. L. A. Catalog. Subject headings are indicated on all the cards for books listed in this catalog. Of the 130,000 cards in stock about 50,000 have subject headings in- dicated on them; about 30,000 are for books in fiction and other form classes which require no subject headings; the remaining 50,000 cards have no subject headings indicated on them, because they represent books which at the time of the printing of the en- try were still classified according to the old system. (e) ADDED ENTRIES. Since March, 1904, the necessary added entries have been indi- cated on all cards, names of joint authors, editors, etc., being given in full when practicable. To distinguish added entries from subject entries they are given in a second series, and num- bered with roman numerals. 16 (f) NUMBER OF CARDS WANTED. To facilitate the ordering of cards for books listed in the new edition of the A. L. A. Catalog, the number of cards needed for cataloging the book in a dictionary catalog of medium fulness is indicated after the serial number. (g) TABLE OF CONTENTS. To save space on the card it was decided, March, 1901, to give table of contents in one paragraph and usually in their natural order instead of rearranging them. At the request of libraries sub- scribing to cards, black-faced figures have been used since March, 1903, for volume numbers in table of contents. (h) CLASS MARKS. The class marks of the Library of Congress have been given uniformly on cards for books in the reclassified sections of the Library but on no others. The class marks for the “ expansive” and “ decimal ” systems have been given on cards for books in the new edition of the A. L. A. Catalog. (i) SERIAL NUMBER. Most of the cards printed for copyrighted books during the years 1898-1901 were dated and numbered to correspond to the order of their entry in a certain number of the Catalogue of copyright en- tries. In December, 1900, and the early part of 1901, various short series were started by way of experiment. After July, 1901, all these different series of numbering were abandoned and all cards printed were numbered consecutively in a single series throughout the year, the series for each year being designated by the final figures in the date. For example, the four-hundredth card printed in 1902 is numbered 2-400. As the earlier cards are reprinted they are changed to the later form, so far as practicable. Consequently the stock of cards tends to become more uniform. While variations in the form of the 17 31528 — 04 2 card are admitted to be objectionable, experience seems to snow that they do not essentially impair the effectiveness of a catalog made up from the L. C. printed cards. Such a catalog is believed to be far more satisfactory to the users of it than any catalog made from handwritten or typewritten cards. The scope of the present stock of printed cards is as follows: (1) All copyrighted books received since July 1, 1898. (2) All books received by gift or purchase since January, 1901. (3) Books in the recataloged sections of the library, viz: Gen- eral history; American history and description; British history and description (i. e., history and description of England, Scot- land, Ireland, and Wales); general history and description of Europe; history and description of Austria-Hungary; biblio- graphy; mathematics. VII. CARD DISTRIBUTION WORK. When the Library of Congress began to print cards in July, 1898, extra copies were printed with a view to future distribution of these to other libraries. In December, 1900, a branch of the Gov- ernment Printing Office was installed in the Library, and in Jan- uary, 1901, cards began to be printed for all the current accessions to the Library and for all books reached in the process of recata- loging the Library. In the latter part of October, 1901, a circular was sent out an- nouncing that: (1) The Library of Congress would sell copies of any card which it had printed or might print in the future to libraries which cared to purchase them; (2) to promote the ad- vancement of bibliography and library economy, and to facilitate the ordering of printed cards by number, copies of the cards 18 would be deposited in twenty-five of the leading libraries of the country; (3) to further facilitate the ordering of cards by number proof sheets of cards in process of printing would be dis- tributed to leading libraries, library commissions, and departments of the United States Government. At the beginning of the work orders for cards were restricted to libraries. At present no restriction whatever is made, except that, in addition to the cost of the cards themselves, a fair price will be charged for the time required to select and ship them. Cards may be ordered in any way that identifies those desired w T ith reasonable exactness. In order that orders of various kinds might be handled to advan- tage, special catalogs had to be compiled from the printed cards in stock. An author catalog was first compiled and methods devised for holding in it orders for cards for books not yet received or in process of recataloging. Provision was next made for orders by subject, by rearranging a set of the cards in the form of an alphabetico-classed catalog made up of broad classes from which orders by subject could be advantageously filled. The latest addi- tion to the working catalogs of the Card Section is made up of all the cards containing a series note. By the help of this catalog orders for cards for books and monographs in series can be advan- tageously filled. To facilitate the recataloging of libraries with the printed cards, traveling catalogs have been compiled of cards covering sections of the Library of Congress which have been recataloged, also a traveling catalog of the whole collection of cards, and others for certain topics not yet recataloged. These catalogs are sent to libraries by freight, express, or mail, according to the size of the catalog. They enable libraries using them to find out in advance whether cards are in stock for certain books and, if so, to order copies by the serial number of the card instead of being obliged to write out author, title, and imprint facts for the book. The orders now currently received for cards may be divided into five classes according to the method of ordering: 19 (1) ORDERS BY AUTHOR AND TITLE. Author, title, and imprint facts necessary to the identification of the book are copied from the title page of the book or from some list and submitted as an order for cards. About three-fifths of the cards sold are ordered in this way. The smaller public libraries find this method of ordering the most practical. Experience has shown that such orders can be made out rapidly and yet with accuracy sufficient for the purpose intended. (2) ORDERS BY SERIAL NUMBER. As each card contains a serial number, cards can be ordered by number whenever it is possible to obtain access to a copy of the card or to the proof sheets of cards in process of printing. The L. C. serial numbers can now be obtained from the following sources: (a) Depository catalogs, (seep. 23); (b) proof sheets of catalog cards in process of printing; (c) traveling catalogs; (d) bibliographical publications which have the L. C. card numbers attached. The following give L. C. numbers so far as practicable: Catalog of the A. L. A. Library, 1904; “Best books of the year,” issued by the New York State Library; “Buying list,” issued by the Wisconsin Library Commission; “Accessions to the Depart- ment Library” of the U. S. Department of Agriculture;” “Writ- ings in American history,” compiled by E. C. Richardson; “ Cumulative Book Index,” published by H. W. Wilson, Minne- apolis; “Catalogue of copyright entries,” issued by the Copyright Office. 3. ORDERS BY SUBJECT. This method of ordering is used chiefly by specialists, com- mercial firms, bibliographers, and libraries having special collec- tions. 4. ORDERS BY SERIES. Cards may be ordered for any series or portion of a series of publications which is within the scope of the stock, and cards will be sent for current issues in the series, if desired. 20 5. BY SUBSCRIPTION. \ For the benefit of libraries which desire to obtain from the cards suggestions as to books to be purchased, or to use them for biblio- graphical purposes, as well as a means of ordering additional cards by number, certain selections of cards are sold on subscription, e. g. “cards for new books,” “cards for the more important new books,” -etc. Subscription to cards on any subject is also pro- vided for. The percentage of cards which will ordinarily be obtained from orders by author and title depends on the character of the library. In the case of orders from small public libraries the average is about 90 per cent. The percentage is less for larger libraries which buy a considerable percentage of foreign books. It is still smaller for college libraries and is smallest of all for university libraries which buy a large percentage of foreign books in highly specialized lines. The cards can be used to special advantage by libraries just start- ing and by libraries recataloging, because the cards needed by them, which are already in stock, can be ordered in large install- ments and the manuscript cards made thereafter can be varied, if desired, to correspond with the printed cards received from the Library of Congress. The experience of libraries now subscribing to cards seems to prove that it is advantageous also for libraries to use the printed cards for current accessions even when no recata- loging is contemplated. Libraries have found that the ordering of printed cards and the fitting of them- to the catalog, although somewhat difficult at first, can be reduced to a routine requiring much less skilled labor than good manuscript cataloging. The affixing of the L. C. card numbers to titles in the new edition of the A. L. A. Catalog, as well as to titles in other biblio- graphical lists, such as those named on p. 20, seems likely to con- siderably facilitate the ordering of cards by smaller libraries. 21 Up to June 27, 1904, 355 libraries and 28 individuals and firms had subscribed to the cards. The sale of cards during April, 1904, slightly exceeded $1,000. The total sale of cards during the thirty months from the beginning of the work in November, 1901, to the end of April, 1904, amounted to approximately $15,000. Information as to ordering and using the L. C. catalog cards has been published in the Handbook of Card Distribution and the Bulletins of the Card Section. “Simplified directions for ordering and using the L. C. cards,” especially suited to the needs of the smaller libraries, will be issued in August as Bulletin No. 10. This bulletin, with sample cards and proof sheets, will be offered for free distribution at the exposition. Bequests for additional information will be transmitted to the Library of Congress by the attendant in charge of the exhibit, or may be addressed directly to — The Librarian of Congress, Washington , D. C. (Card Distribution.) For list of subscribers to the cards , including depository libraries , see pp. 23-34- 22 LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS TO THE CARDS. (Revised to June 27, 1904.) [List includes all libraries which have subscribed to the cards at any time and all individuals (including employees of the Library of Congress) who have deposited money to the amount of 83.00 for cards. Depository libraries are marked with an asterisk (*).] A. K. Smiley Public, Redlands, Cal. Adriance Memorial, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Albion College, Albion, Mich. Allegheny Carnegie Free, Allegheny, Pa. Alliance Public, Alliance, Ohio. American Bibliographical Society, Chicago, 111. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. Ames Free, North Easton, Mass. Amesbury Public, Amesbury, Mass. Amherst College, Amherst, Mass. Ansonia, Ansonia, Conn. Arizona University, Tucson, Ariz. Arkansas University, Fayetteville, Ark. Armour Institute, Chicago, 111. Ashland Public, Ashland, Mass. Athol Public, Athol, Mass. *Atlanta Carnegie, Atlanta, Ga. Bangor Public, Baaigor, Me. Bangor Theological Seminary, Bangor, Me. Baraboo Public, Baraboo, Wis. Bates College, Lewiston, Me. Bay City Public, Bay City, Mich. Beatrice Free Public, Beatrice, Nebr. Belfast Free, Belfast, Me. Bellevue College, Bellevue, Nebr. 23 Bellevue Public, Bellevue, Ohio. Bennett Public, Billerica, Mass. Berlin Public, Berlin, Ontario. Beverly Public, Beverly, Mass. P. Blakiston’s Son & Co., Phila., Pa. Boston Athenaeum, Boston, Mass. Boston Book Co. (Law Dep’t), Boston. Boston Book Co. (Library Dep’t), Boston. Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Me. Bristol Public, Bristol, Conn. Brockton Public, Brockton, Mass. Brookline Public, Brookline, Mass. *Brooklyn Public, Brooklyn, N. Y. Brower, H. M., Gloversville, N. Y. Brown University, Providence, R. I. Bryant, Sauk Center, Minn. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa. ^Buffalo Public, Buffalo, N. Y. California State, Sacramento, Cal. California University, Berkeley, Cal. Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., Boston, Mass. Cambridge Public, Cambridge, Mass. Canajoharie High School, Canajoharie, N. Y. Canton Public, Canton, Mass. Canton Public, Canton, Ohio. Carleton College, Northfield, Minn. Carthage Carnegie, Carthage, Mo. Carver, T. N., Cambridge, Mass. Cathedral Library Association, New York City. Cazenovia Public, Cazenovia, N. Y. Cedar Rapids Free Public, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Charleston Free Public, Charleston, 111. Cherokee Public, Cherokee, Iowa. Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, 111. Chicago Public, Chicago, 111. 24 Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, 111. Chicago University (Hist. Dep’t), Chicago, 111. Chicago University (Law Dep’t), Chicago, 111. * Cincinnati Public, Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati University, Cincinnati, Ohio. Clark University, Worcester, Mass. * Cleveland Public, Cleveland, Ohio. Clinton Public, Clinton, Iowa. Colgate University, Hamilton, N. Y. Columbia University, New York City. Columbus Public School, Columbus, Ohio. Concord Public, Concord, N. H. Connecticut Historical Soc., Hartford, Conn. Connecticut State, Hartford, Conn. Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. Cortland State Normal School, Cortland, N. Y. Council Bluffs Public, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Covina Public, Covina, Cal. Danville Public, Danville, 111. Darnall, Id. J., Knoxville, Tenn. Dartmouth College, Hanover, N. H. Davies, John F., Butte, Mont. Dayton Public, Dayton, Ohio. Decatur Free Public, Decatur, 111. Delaware College, Newark, Del. Delhi Free Public, Delhi, N. Y. * Denver Public, Denver, Colo. Derby Public, Derby, Conn. Des Moines Public, Des Moines, Iowa. Detroit Public, Detroit, Mich. De Witt, F. M., San Francisco, Cal. Dover Public, Dover, N. H. Dowagiac Public, Dowagiac, Mich. Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa. Drew Theological Seminary, Madison, N. J. 25 Drexel Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. Duluth Public, Duluth, Minn. Duquesne Carnegie, Duquesne, Pa. East St. Louis Public, East St. Louis, 111. Eastern 111. State Normal School, Charleston, 111. Eau Claire Public, Eau Claire, Wis. El Paso Public, El Paso, Tex. Englewood, Englewood, N. J. Essex Institute, Salem, Mass. Evanston Free Public, Evanston, 111. Falmouth Free Public, Falmouth, Mass. Farnam, H. W., New Haven, Conn. Farnsworth Public, Oconto, Wis. Fitchburg Public, Fitchburg, Mass. Flagg, Chas. A., Library of Congress. Fletcher Free, Burlington, Vt. Forbes, Northampton, Mass. Fort Worth Carnegie Public, Texas. Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. Gardner A. Sage, New Brunswick, N. J. Goodrich, June, Syracuse, N. Y. Goshen Carnegie Public, Goshen, Ind. Grand Rapids Public, Grand Rapids, Mich. Grinnell Free Public, Grinnell, Iowa. Grolier Club, New York City. Haines, Jane B., Library of Congress. Hartford Public, Hartford, Conn. Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Mass. Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Haverhill Public, Haverhill, Mass. Holyoke Public, Holyoke, Mass. Honolulu Library, Honolulu, H. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, Mass. Howard University, Washington, D. C. Hudson Public, Hudson, Wis. 26 Hutcheson, David, Library of Congress. Hyde Park Public, Hyde Park, Mass. Ida Public, Belvidere, 111. Illinois State Normal School, Normal, 111. *Illinois University, Champaign, 111. Indiana Public Library Commission, Indianapolis, Ind. Indiana State, Indianapolis, Ind. Indiana State Normal School, Terre Haute, Ind. Iowa College, Grinnell, Iowa. Iowa State, Des Moines, Iowa. Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa. Iowa State University, Iowa City, Iowa. Ireland, Alleyne, Boston, Mass. Jackson Free, Jackson, Tenn. Jacksonville Public, Jacksonville, 111. Jacob Tome Inst., Port Deposit, Md. Jefferson Medical College, Phi la., Pa. *John Crerar, Chicago, 111. *Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. Johnson Public, Hackensack, N. J. Johnston, R. H., Library of Congress. Joliet High School, Joliet, 111. Josephson, A. G. S., John Crerar Library, Chicago, 111. Kansas Historical Society, Topeka, Kans. Kansas University, Lawrence, Kans. Keene Public, Keene, N. H. Kendall Young, Webster City, Iowa. Keokuk Public, Keokuk, Iowa. Kunz, Geo. F., New York City. La Porte Public, La Porte, Ind. Laconia Public, Laconia, N. H. Lafayette College, Easton, Pa. Lancaster Town, Lancaster, Mass. Leavenworth Free Public, Leavenworth, Kansas. Leland Stanford Jr. University, Stanford University, Cal. 27 Lenox, Lenox, Mass. Levy Heywood Memorial, Gardner, Mass. Leominster Public, Leominster, Mass. Library Bureau, Boston, Mass. Lincoln City, Lincoln, Nebr. Lloyd, Cincinnati, Ohio. Lorain Public, Lorain, Ohio. Los Angeles City High School, Los Angeles, Cal. Los Angeles Public, Los Angeles, Cal. Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La. Loyal Legion, Boston, Mass. Luther College, Decorah, Iowa. MacClean, E. A., New York City. *McGill University, Montreal, Can. Maclure, Pittsford, Vt. Madison Free, Madison, Wis. Maine State, Augusta, Me. Malden Public, Malden, Mass. Manchester City, Manchester, N. H. Maryland State, Annapolis, Md. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. *Massachusetts State Library, Boston, Mass. Mattapoisett, Free Public, Mattapoisett, Mass. Medford Public, Medford, Mass. Menomonie Memorial, Menomonie, Wis. Mercer University, Macon, Ga. Michigan College of Mines, Houghton, Mich. Michigan State, Lansing, Mich. Michigan State Normal College, Ypsilanti, Mich. *Michigan University, Ann Arbor, Mich. Middleboro Public, Middleboyo, Mass. Millicent, Fairhaven, Mass. Milton Public, Milton, Mass. Milwaukee Public, Milwaukee, Wis. Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wis. 28 Minneapolis Public, Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota Library Commission, Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota State, St. Paul, Minn. *Minnesota University, Minneapolis, Minn. Missouri University, Columbia, Mo. Missoula Free Public, Missoula, Mont. Montana State, Helena, Mont. Montana University, Missoula, Mont. Montgomery Public, Montgomery, Ala. Moore Memorial, Greene, N. Y. Moorestown Free, Moorestown, N. J. Morrison-Reeves, Richmond, Ind. Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. Mount Vernon Public, Mount Vernon, N. Y. Nahant Public, Nahant, Mass. Nashville Carnegie, Nashville, Tenn. *Nebraska University, Lincoln, Nebr. Nevada Public, Nevada, Iowa. Nevins Memorial, Methuen, Mass. New Bedford Public, New Bedford, Mass. New Britain Institute, New Britain, Conn. New Hampshire State, Concord, N. H. New Haven Free Public, New Haven, Conn. New Jersey State, Trenton, N. J. New^ London Public, New London, Conn. New Mexico Col. of Agr. and Mech. Arts, Mesilla Park, N. *New Orleans Public, New Orleans, La. New York Mercantile, New York City. *New York Public, New York City. New York Public (Circulating Dept.), New York City, New York Society Library, New York City. *New York State, Albany, N. Y. Newark Public, Newark, N. J. Newberry, Chicago, 111. Newton Free, Newton, Mass. 29 North Adams Public, North Adams, Mass. North Carolina University, Chapel Hill, N. C. Northwestern University, Evanston, 111. Norton Public, Norton, Mass. Norwalk Public, Norwalk, Conn. Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Oklahoma University, Norman, Okla. Omaha Free Public, Omaha, Nebr. Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph, Canada. Oshkosh Public, Oshkosh, Wis. Oshkosh State Normal School, Oshkosh, Wis. Osterhout Free, Wilkesbarre, Pa. Ottumwa Public, Ottumwa, Iowa. Owatonna Free Public, Owatonna, Minn. P. M. Musser Public, Muscatine, Iowa. Packard School, Lawrence, Mass. Painesville Public, Painesville, Ohio. Parsons Memorial, Alfred, Me. Passaic Public, Passaic, N. J. Paterson Free Public, Paterson, N. J. Paxton Public, Paxton, 111. Peabody Institute, Danvers, Mass. Peabody Institute, Peabody, Mass. Pennsylvania State College, State College, Pa. *Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia, Pa. *Philadelphia Free, Philadelphia, Pa. Plainfield Public, Plainfield, N. J. Pomona Public, Pomona, Cal. Port Huron Public, Port Huron, Mich. Portage Free Public, Portage, Wis. Portland Library Association, Portland, Oreg. Portland Public, Portland, Me. Pratt Institute Free, Brooklyn, N. Y. Princeton University, Princeton, N. J. 30 Providence Athenaeum, Providence, R. I. Queen sborough, Long Island City, N. Y. Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Mass. Reading Public, Reading, Pa. Reuben McMillan Free, Youngstown, Ohio. Richardson, E. C., Princeton, N. J. Richmond College, Richmond, Ya. River Falls State Normal School, River Falls, Wis. Rockford Public, Rockford, 111. Roswell P. Flower Memorial, Watertown, N. Y. Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N. J. Rutland Free, Rutland, Yt. Sage, West Bay City, Mich. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, St. Johnsbury, Yt. St. Joseph Free Public, St. Joseph, Mo. St. Louis Mercantile, St. Louis, Mo. *St. Louis Public, St. Louis, Mo. St. Paul Public, St. Paul, Minn. Salem Public, Salem, Mass. Salt Lake City Public, Salt Lake City, Utah. San Antonio Carnegie, San Antonio, Tex. San Bernardino Public, San Bernardino, Cal. San Diego Free Public, San Diego, Cal. *San Francisco Mechanics Institute, San Francisco, Cal. San Francisco Public, San Francisco, Cal. Schenectady Public, Schenectady, N. Y. Schmidt, A. F. W., Library of Congress. Scranton Public, Scranton, Pa. *Seattle Public, Seattle, Wash. Seymour, Auburn, N. Y. Sheboygan Public, Sheboygan, Wis. Sidney Public, Sidney, Ohio. Silas Bronson, Waterbury, Conn. Slade, W. A., Library of Congress. Solberg, Thorvald, Library of Congress. 31 Somerville Public, Somerville, Mass. South Manchester Free, South Manchester, Conn. Springfield City, Springfield, Mass. Squire, Mrs. Andrew, Cleveland, Ohio. Stephenson Public, Marinette, Wis. Sterling Public, Sterling, 111. Steubenville Carnegie, Steubenville, Ohio. Superior Public, Superior, Wis. Sweet, Miss Belle, Urbana, 111. Syracuse Public, Syracuse, N. Y. Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y. Taunton Public, Taunton, Mass. *Texas University, Austin, Tex. Theresa Free, Theresa, N. Y. Thomas Crane Public, Quincy, Mass. Title Guaranty & Trust Co., Scranton, Pa. Toledo Public, Toledo, Ohio. Torrington, Torrington, Conn. Trenton Free Public, Trenton, N. J. Trinity College, Hartford, Conn. Tyler Public, Tyler, Tex. U. S. Biological Survey (Dept. Agr. ), Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of American Kepublics, Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Animal Industry (Dept. Agr.), Washing- ton, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Chemistry (Dept. Agr.), Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Fisheries (Dept. Com.), Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Labor (Dept. Com.), Washington, D. C. U. S. Bureau of Forestry (Dept. Agr.), Washington, D. C. U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (Dept. Com.), AVashing- ton, D. C. U. S. Dept, of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. U. S. Dept, of Commerce and Labor. U. S. Division of Botanical Investigation (Dept. Agr.), Washington, D. C. 32 U. S. Division (2d) Military Information (War Dept.), Washington, D. C. U. S. Division of Plants (Nat. Museum), Washington, D. C. U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. TJ. S. National Bureau of Standards, (Dept, of Com.) Wash- ington D. C. U. S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. U. S. School of Submarine Defense, Fort Totten, N. Y. U. S. Treasury Dept., Washington, D. C. U. S. War Dept., Washington, D. C. University Club, New York City. Utica Public, Utica, N. Y. Yassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Vermont State, Montpelier, Yt. Vermont University, Burlington, Yt. Virginia State, Richmond, Ya. Virginia Union University, Richmond, Ya. Walpole Public, Walpole, Mass. Walpole Town, Walpole, N. H. Washington University, Seattle, Wash. Watertown Free Public, Watertown, Mass. Webster iree Circulating, New York City. Wells College, Aurora, N. Y. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. West Hartford Free, West Hartford, Conn. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W. Ya. V/estern Theological Seminary, Allegheny, Pa. Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, Mass. Westmount, Westmount, P. Q, Wharton Public, Wharton, N. J. Wheeling Public, Wheeling, W. Ya. W 7 ilmington Institute Free, Wilmington, Del. Windsor Library Ass’n, Windsor, Yt. Winthrop Public, W T inthrop, Mass. 31528—04 3 33 Wisconsin Free Library Commission, Madison, Wis. * Wisconsin State Historical, Madison, Wis. Withers Public, Bloomington, 111. Worcester Free Public, Worcester, Mass. Wright, J. A., Bellevue, Ohio. Wyoming University, Laramie, Wyo. Yale Law School, New Haven, Conn. Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Y. M. C. Association Library, Albany, N. Y. Y. M. C. Association Library, Manhattan, N. Y. Y. M. C. Association Library, Mobile, Ala. Zahm, Rev. Ur. J. A., Notre Uame, Ind. o 34 u. « . LIBRARY OF CONGRESS NOTES FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION ST. LOUIS, MO., 1904 No. 4 BINDINGS . v c - »» w J * t WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. Binding Exhibit. This exhibit consists of dummy volumes, most of which are made in imitation of the original volumes as bound in the Library Bindery. These dummies illustrate the various applications of the principal binding materials, the styles of lettering commonly in use, and a few minor details concerning the binding. A brief description of the uses of the binding materials follows below. The dummies are numbered from 1-18 in the top panel and are referred to by their number. In addition to the bound volumes, there are included four com- binations of blank sheets, designed td illustrate the most notice- able stages in the process of binding before the “finishing,” including the “gathering,” the “sewing,” and the “forwarding.” These sample illustrations are numbered from 19-22. TURKEY MOROCCO — GOAT (“HAUSSMANN” GRADE). Used for durable work, when the outward appearance of the book is especially important, as in binding fine editions, illus- trated works, rare, old, and costly books, selected reference books, and other publications prominent from their location. See bound books Nos. 1-5. The lower grades of 1 1 morocco ’ ’ are not recommended generally, though they make a fair appearance when first used. Imitation “morocco” or hoc (lambskin) may be used for thin books and pamphlets in the classes noted above, since sC thick f 13693 leather is usually shaved thin for such use and by this process loses its strength. This leather is often sold under the name of “morocco.” See bound book No. 6. COWHIDE — KNOWN AS 1 1 AMERICAN RUSSIA” OR AS 1 L IMITATION RUSSIA.” Used commonly as a substitute for less durable leathers, such as “roan,” “sheep,” “calf,” and the lower grades of so-called “morocco.” Especially useful for binding fiction and popular books of the smaller book sizes; also, to secure a better lettering surface than that of cloth or duck. May be used also in many cases of doubt. See bound books Nos. 7 - 9 . Split or shaved cowhide is used for pamphlet bindings w r hen a good lettering surface is important See bound book No. 10. In general, leather bindings are most desirable for constant handling; but, under the dry heat and the light of the library stacks, leathers of modern tannage, if not handled, become dry and brittle. This fact, considered in connection with the cost of material, induces the use of the following substitutes, i. e., “duck,” “cloth,” and “buckram.” It may be noted here that the num- ber of times which a book can be rebound is usually limited, since taking apart and resewing injures the back. DUCK (OR CANVAS). For a large proportion of the books which find a place on the shelves of the public libraries, duck of suitable quality is probably the most durable and economical binding material in use. Its special value is found in binding rather large books, not constantly handled. It is understood that a good duck binding will stand upon the shelves for centuries, while most leathers of modern tannage are likely to dry out, to become brittle and lose their 4 “life” after standing on the shelves for a few years. The life of the average modern leather binding has been estimated to be thirty years. The uses of duck are illustrated by bound books Nos. 11-14. Nos. 11 and 12 are bound in cotton duck; No. 13, in linen duck; No. 14, in linen duck of extra quality. Duck is used also for newspaper bindings, with lettering in black, direct, without the use of the red or black leather labels. CLOTH. Cloth supplies the least expensive bindings. For some classes of books, found in every large library in great numbers, it is as durable as the most ornamental, expensive binding. It is used for books of ordinary size, such as remain on the shelves most of the time with an occasional use for brief reference; also for pam- phlets, bound singly. It is a binding which will not endure con- stant handling, as will leather or duck; but, like duck and unlike leather, it will stand on the shelves, under normal conditions, for years without cracking or otherwise losing its original strength. See bound books Nos. 15-17. BUCKRAM. Use, the same as “cloth.” Leather labels can be adopted to distinguish, at a glance, a documentary set. See bound book No. 18. Direct lettering on ‘ ‘ cloth ” or on “ buckram ’ ’ should be the least possible, as, unlike leather, these materials present bad surfaces for lettering by hand. THE BOOK DURING BINDING. No. 19. The sheets folded and gathered. 5 No. 20. The sheets sewed on raised hands, known as “flexible” sewing. See bound book No. 3 for the appearance of the back of the fin- ished book sewed “flexible.” It is the best mode of sewdng, but on account of the time required it is not much used at present. No. 21. The sheets sewed by the use of saw cuts — the ordinary method, on account of its cheapness. No. 22. The book partly “forwarded.” The sheets are sewed and laced into the boards ready for the covering of leather or of duck. After “ forwarding,” the final process is the “ finishing.” The chief part of this work is the addition of the gilt lettering and of the “ tooling.” The books in this exhibit are “ blind tooled ” — that is, without gilt — except No. 6, which is finished with a plain fillet. If a cloth binding were intended, the book would not be 1 1 laced J ’ into the boards. Each book contains a typewritten description of the material in which it is bound , and the uses appropriate to the material. o 6 Uth ■ OF Th't IlVERSITY of ILLINOIS. BRARY OF CONGRESS NOTES FOR THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE EXPOSITION ST* LOUIS, MO*, 1904 No* 5 MANUSCRIPTS f WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1904 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY BOOK CLASS VOLUME Q'l/V'&'k v.*5 I U- 5 9 4 vv o V- 5 THE MANUSCRIPTS DIVISION OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. In 1897 the Library of Congress established a Division of Manu- scripts, which should receive all manuscript material of a historical nature that was given to the Library or purchased by it. Before that date the manuscripts were included in the general collections and comprised but a small number, in part obtained by the pur- chase of the libraries of Thomas Jefferson and Peter Force. The earlier manuscript collections purchased by the Government had been deposited in the various Executive Departments, the Depart- ment of State being naturally the largest recipient. In the pres- sure of routine business little attention could be given either to the calendaring or publication of this material, thus leaving them available rather to the'special student than to the general investi- gator. It was with the purpose of creating one central place of deposit in which there should be every precaution taken for the safety of the manuscripts, where there should be a force adequate to listing and making the documents accessible to the general public, that the Division of Manuscripts was established. It is fitted throughout with strictly modern appliances for receiving, handling, and storing manuscript material. It occupies a gallery in the library containing specially devised cases for the display of the material, with specially designed steel safes for the more valu- able documents, with a force of repairers and binders of special skill and knowledge in the delicate task of restoring, repairing, mounting, and binding papers which have suffered through injury by moisture, by fire, or by such other chances as threaten old f 11696 8 papers kept in private hands. As the collections are received they are fully treated in every detail until they are placed in permanent form, hound in volumes, in the cases set apart for their reception. Only an examination of the process employed can give an idea of the careful attention paid to this subject of preventing loss or injury to the rapidly increasing collections now centering in the Library of Congress. Examples of this repair work may be seen in the exhibit of the Library in this exposition, but each docu- ment receives a different treatment suited to its needs, and days may be spent upon a single manuscript in order that every possi- ble fragment may be placed in its proper position and in such a form that it can never be lost or misplaced. The more important collections now in the Library of Congress may be briefly described, to show the nature of the material which it has obtained in the past and is obtaining from time to time. 1. The Peter Force collection, rich in colonial and Revolution- ary history. It was collected by the ardent book gatherer, Peter Force, of Washington, and was purchased by the Government, with his library, in 1867. In connection with the American Archives, Mr. Force had many opportunities to examine original material. Some of this he obtained, but the larger part of his col- lection was composed of transcripts of original material then in private hands or in State keeping. What was in private hands has in some measure since been lost, and these transcripts serve as a substitute. The copies from the State archives serve to sup- plement the original material in Washington. At the dispersal of George Chalmers’s manuscripts Mr. Force obtained many impor- tant documents relating to the colonial history of America, and notably concerning the colonies of New Hampshire, Massachu- setts, and Maryland. Among his accumulations was the impor- tant correspondence of Admiral Charles Wager and Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon, which is concerned with naval operations in the West Indies and on the coast of North America at the time that Great Britain was seeking to establish her naval superiority in those quarters. In the Force collection was also an extensive col- lection of Washington material, being papers which had once 4 belonged to Washington, bearing upon his military service and the Revolution in general; As publisher of a newspaper in the city of Washington, Mr. Force obtained much that is rare and curious touching the history of the District of Columbia, while from private collections he had obtained many individual docm- ments of the highest historical value and interest, like the Associ- ation of the Continental Congress of 1774, the Shippen Papers, the correspondence of William Thornton respecting his steamboat, and many similar examples. 2. From the library of Thomas Jefferson were obtained manu- script materials of a unique description. The original material and transcripts which he obtained or prepared in connection with the compilation of Virginia laws thus came into possession of the Library. With them were the earliest records of Virginia legis- lative proceedings, such as the “ Record of the Virginia Company (1619-1624),’ ’ and eight volumes of the “Laws and Orders of the General Assembly (1622-1712), ’’ and “Minutes of the Assembly,” with other colonial records. Together they constitute a very im- portant collection in colonial history. 3. The Rochambeau Papers, purchased by Congress in 1882. They include the official papers and correspondence of the Gen- eral, together with the diary or journal kept during the winter of 1780-1781. 4. Many volumes relating to the history of the Spanish posses- sions in America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Some of these are transcripts, but the larger part is of original material obtained from many sources. They have been supplemented re- cently by the acquisition of the Spanish records of New Mexico, of Porto Rico, and of Guam. The combination of this material, although still suffering many losses, offers a very fair and continu- ous account of Spanish domination of the colonies. Special atten- tion is being given to increasing this collection in order that the history of the new dependencies of the United States can be writ- ten. Attention has also been given to the English, Spanish, and Dutch colonies in North America, as their history is part of the history of America. 5 5. In military and naval history the collections of the War and Navy Departments are naturally richer than those of the Library of Congress. Enough has, however, been obtained from private sources to give a separate division devoted to these manuscripts. The papers of John Paul Jones, of Edward Preble, of John Barry, of David Porter, and the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress, are some of the items contained in it, relating to naval history; and in military history there are many orderly books, covering the wars in which the nation has engaged, as well as of the colonial contests. Since the establishment of the Division of Manuscripts the accu- mulation of material has been more rapid. The letter-books and diary of Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance in the Revolu- tion, were first acquired after having been for many years refused to students for historical purposes. Not only are they of value for Revolutionary history, but they throw much light upon Morris’s later career and the misfortunes arising from his land speculations. A very extensive mercantile correspondence conducted by the American house in Richmond, composed of Ellis & Allen and their • successors, covering a period of more than seventy years, and describing the vicissitudes of American commerce during the Napoleonic wars and the later decay of the tobacco trade, was acquired at the same time. It contains material for the history of one of the most interesting phases of American commerce, and its very size, comprising more than 56,000 documents, is assurance of its completeness. Account books from Maryland and Virginia plantations and mercantile houses have since been acquired which will enable the students to carry the history of the tobacco trade into colonial times. The papers of Salmon Portland Chase were, also acquired by purchase, and the more interesting have since been published by the American Historical Association. Although partial in its extent it contains enough to show the prominence of Mr. Chase in political agitation and service, and in his judicial career. In 1903, the Andrew Jackson Papers were given to the Library of Congress by the family of Montgomery Blair. Mr. Blair re- 6 ceived these papers from Mr. Jackson and his heir in order that they might he used for biographical purposes by Amos Kendall. This purpose was never carried into effect and the manuscripts carefully preserved are remarkably full of Jackson’s military career, and contain some of the most important public and private papers of his administrations. For the first time the career of the man and his relations with his contemporaries can be told from his point of view. For the collection is replete with his personal memoranda, statements of public events and policy, and drafts of his private correspondence. By gift also there came to the Library the papers of Jackson’s successor in the Presidency, Martin Van Buren, the donor being Mrs. Smith Thompson Van Buren, of .New York. This collection contains the manuscript of Van Buren’ s autobiography prepared late in life but never published, together with an extraordinary series of letters between Jackson and Van Buren, more than 270 in number, and most of them of a private and confidential char- acter. The letters from other of Van Buren’ s correspondents were such as he himself selected for preservation and are there- fore naturally of a character to throw much light upon his public acts and political policies. Supplemental to the Jackson and Van Buren Papers are those of James Knox Polk, which were purchased by the Library of Con- gress from the adopted niece of Mr. Polk. This collection is rich in material relating to the history of Tennessee, and to Polk’s public career in Washington before and during his Presidency. The ex- pansion of the country, subsequent to the Mexican war, is told in great fullness by those who were the most active agents in bringing it to pass. These three collections contain more than 32,000 docu- ments and supply the means of a thorough comprehension of the political history of the country for more than fifty years. The papers of Andrew Johnson are particularly notable, al- though they cover his career only after 1861 — his early papers having been destroyed by fire. They cover his services as Sena- tor, military governor of Tennessee, Vice-President, President, and ex-President. The picture it gives of a border State during 7 the civil war is probably unique; and the documents he received as President cover some of the most exciting and far-reaching events which followed the peace and during the period of recon- struction. Mr. Johnson saved everything, and his collection of some 15,000 documents easily takes its place among the most important of the collections held by the Library. Minor collections are those of John M. Clayton, Daniel Webster, Mrs. Dolly Madison, Henry B. Schoolcraft, William Thornton, John Ambler, and a large quantity of documents and correspond- ence received from various custom-houses of the United States, illustrative of customs methods from the foundation of the National Government. The Webster Papers were selected by the biographer of Daniel Webster. The papers of William Thornton, donated to the Library by Mr. J. Henley Smith, contain among other interesting material some examples of his engraving, the original designs for the Capi- tol at Washington, and much correspondence on scientific matters. The Ambler Papers relate to the very early history of James- town, Va., comprising maps, surveys, and deeds describing the first division of land on that island. Eecognizing that the Library of Congress is the natural center of deposit of manuscript material, President Eoosevelt issued an Executive order transferring to it the more important collections, long in the keeping of the Department of State. A mere mention of these collections will suffice to indicate their scope and impor- tance. The Papers of the Continental Congress; and those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton together constitute material for writing the history of the nation from 1774-1816 with a fullness which no other series of collections could pretend to equal. The Library of Congress is already in possession of the most important aggregation of manuscripts in the country, and as it is held for the public use, and open to every investigator, it offers a very high public utility, and one that will inevitably become greater from year to year. 8 MONROE’S JOURNAL OF THE NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE PURCHASE OF LOUISIANA. [From the original manuscript in the Library of Congress. 1 Apr’l 27. [1803.] M r . Marbois came to my lodgings by appointment of M r . Liv- ingston, at two o’clock and I being indisposed it was agreed that I might repose as it suited me. M r . Marbois open’d the conver- sation by presenting us with a project of a treaty given him by the gov 1 , to be proposed to us, w h . he admitted he thought hard and unreasonable; he presented at the same time another project w h . he called his own, which had not been seen by the gov 1 ., but to which he presumed the first Consul wo d . assent, as he had told him he w d . not insist on the terms contained in the first, and w d . only ask or propose such as he had drawn in the second; but to which he declared that the first consul had not assented explic- itly. M 1 . Marbois thought himself however at liberty to propose his own project as the basis of our negotiation. That project claimed 1000000.