Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-04
MR.PUTNAM'S REPORT
Needs of the Congressional Library
Detailed.
CONTENTS SHOULD Be RECLASSIFIED
Improvements Proposed for the
Coming Year.
OF WORK DONE

The annual report of Mr. Herbert Put
nam. librarian of Congress, was made pub
| lie today. 1t is an Interesting description
| of the librarys condition and what it lacks
to be the efficient instrument which it was
| designed to be. Mr. Putnam did not take
office until April last so that his personal
| knowledge of the matters treated covers
| only the last three months of the last ifs
| cal year Yet his investigations have dis
| closed the fact that q vast amount Of labor
| is necessary to make the library what it
| should be.
summary of the appropriations,
| ceipts and expenditures of the library for
| the fiscal year ending June 80, 1899. shows
| a total of S191. 125 appropriated and 1884,
| 24.39 expended.
| In the copyright department the fees
earned amounted to S257; expenses.
| S40,2I2.3s The expenditure for salaries
| fell short of the appropriation by the sum
| of S6,26S.S6 This not due to an
| cess in the provision made by Congress,
| but to deductions from salaries of en-
| ployes absent from illness Uhe amounts
! of such deductions being covered into the
treasury, and to unavoidable delay in
| filling certain vacancies owing to the
| change in administration. the delay in
| the removal of the library to the new
| building in particular rendering impossible
| the immediate application of all the service
| provided and causing delay in appoint
| ments.
| AS these absences and this delay are
responsible in part for the arrear of work
| now on hand Congress will be asked to
| continue the uneXpended balance in The
control of the library during the coming
| fiscal year A similar request will be made
| as to the sum of $13. 1852. unexpended
Z il,.- to
| ton for salaries for the year ending June
| so. 1898. So far from a surplus of pro-
| vision under ordinary circumstances the
| present provision falls far short of the
needs.
The amount disbursed on account of the
maintenance of the library building and
grounds was S106,395.
The number of books and pamphlets in
the library June 80. 1899, was 95I, 056.
Manuscripts.
During the period September l. 1898. to
June 80. 1899, the additions to the manu-
script department have comprised / S69
manuscripts OF these ten bound volumes
and 1,6S2 unbound manuscripts have been
acquired by purchase, and ia unbound
manuscripts and one volume Of typewrtten
transcripts have been acquired by gift.
| The expenditures in purchase have amount
ed to but s301.67 The report says:
In January last, under instructions from
| my predecessor the superintendent of the
manuscript department went to Porto Rico
In search of manuscript material and in
cidentally of local imprints. In the brief
period of his stay 126 manuscripts. 800
books and pamphlets and various news
papers were acquired for the library
through gift purchase. The visit to
San Juan resulted, moreover, in the trans
fer to the Library of Congress of practi-
| cally the entire accumulation of archives
| in the palace there of the governor gen
| elal. The transfer vas effected through
| a recommendation made to the governor
! general, forwarded to the War Department
| and favorably acted upon The suparvi-
sion of the sorting and shipment Of the
material was carried on at the instance Of
| Governor General Davis by Senior Cage
tanO Call roste. to whose interested. in
telligent and painstading service in the
matter the library is greatly indebted. The
shipment has now arrived in 173 large
cases. 1t will be gradually sifted ard
any material Of Importance for present
administrative purposes will be returned
to San Juan.
There have been catalogued during the
year: Force papers twenty volumes. $40
| manuscripts; Paul Jones papers, 3 vol
umes. 30 manuscripts.
There have been calendared of Wash
| ington papers, 800 manuscripts; Paul Jones
| papers, seven volumes. 5l4 manuscripts.
The number Of manuscripts In the de-
| partment is about 26,50o. OF these only
| 1910 have thus far been catalogued. and
| only 1904 have been calendared. Begin
| ming August !. 1898. two employees from
| the government printing office have been
| at work on the repair of manuscripts; $50
manuscripts have been repaired and the
| thirty-tive volumes of the Loyaist papers
prepared for binding 1t Is reported that
| $50 Of the 1,049 bound volumes are in need
| of reminding, and that there are 30 pack
| ages of original manuscript and 900 tran
scripts still unbound.
Maps and Charts.
| THE accessions since the last annual
| report may be tabulated as follows: Sheet
| maps. 1,s53; aliases, 125; pocket maps, s.
| Accepting the total number of pieces in
| the collection on July /, 1895 as 80 1875 it
| would on June 80 1899, stand as 521s1
Music.
| According to the last report the con-
| tents of the music department comprised
1897 9i compositions. 1t seems, however
| that, as regards the old Accommodations, the
| estimate based upon mere measure
ment instead of count.
| tendent Of the department the number of
pieces in the department, including
| duplicates, Is by actual count 277, 465. OF
| this number 1898 represent acceSsions for
the calendar year 1898 and 1880 accessionS
| from January l to June 30 1899. All
separate compositions, with the exception
| the general accessions as reported by the
| catalogue department.
THE increase in the collection during the
past fiscal year has been 1925 prints. The
| total number of prints in the collection is
| now 81 cd 10 500 The acceSsiops have