The Minneapolis journal., 1901-06-01
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT
DOES FOR THE PEOPLE
VXI--THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Concluded.

COncluQeQ.
by Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress-
The selection Of the books for the library
OF congress is determined in various ways.
certain books come to it by direct gift; GER
tam Others (chiehy documents) through inter-
national exchange (ffty copies of all federal
documents are placed at its disposal for ex-
change with other countries); certain other
books Chiefly serial publications) come to it
as the depositary of the Smithsonian library
hnaIly, there are the accessions from copy
rlgnt DOCKS, periodicals, maps, Music and
prints All the foregoing form more or less
constant stream. They do not represent de-
loerate selection. The purchases do. Vars-
GUS publications are submitted to it by deal
ers Tor purchase; various others are consld-
ered by 1t from descriptions in publishers
prospectuses and catalogues, and in book re-
views. But in addition there Is a systematic
growth based upon systematic recommenda-
tion.
When a cataoguer discovers gap in a
SET ne makes recommendation that it be
hlled; when one of the photographers, IN
checking over the photography of a subject.
nnds lacking in the library works which are
necessary to the proper representation of that
subject, he recommends their purchase; when
an attendant, in serving the public, discovers
the library to be lacking a volume required
Ior the use OF a reader, and reasonably with
In the scope of the library. he recommends
Its purchase. The reader also is privileged
to recommend The recommendation in each
case comes to the librarian on a card, and
when approved by him the card is initiated and
forwarded to the order (purchasing) division
That division determines where the order IS
to be placed whether with a domestic nr
with a, foreign agent or dealer, and the rea-
sonable price to be paid, and places the or
der. The library has agents in the leading
book centers abroad-London, Paris, The
hague, Amsterdam, Frankfort, Leipsic etc.
The orders that with each correspondent form
a consecutive series are consecutively num-
bered. The price of any item may be doubt
full, since four-fifths of the material pur-
chased is material no longer current 1t must
be picked up as secondhand. For the mo-
ment it may not be in the market. In this
case request must issue for a quotation
and the order is not made definite until a
quotation has been secured and accepted.
Vast Work of CataIoguing.
In the library Of congress thirteen persons
are exclusively engaged in the purchasing
aud receiving division; forty-six in the prep
aration of the books for use their classifca-
ton and the compilation of the catalogues
The accessions last year numbered 3S. 11O
to the manuscripts, maps and charts, music
and prints, which are separately dealt with
in the several special divisions, and of which
S4,96T pieces were added to the library in the
course Of the last year.
But in the case Of the library of congress
there is also pending a huge work in the ma
ture OF arrearage. The entire existing col
lection is to be reclassified on the shelves.
subject catalogue compiled and the cards
for this as well as the author cards printed.
All the cataloguing is done on cards This
work would alone, it is estimated, require
ninety-one persons five years 1t is being
dealt with by as large portion of the pres
ent force as can be spared from the work on
the current accessons.
Work of the Copyright Office.
There is one division of the library which
is distinct in character and has no parallel
in other libraries. This is the copyright Of
hce 1t is under a register of copyrights
who, under the direction of the librarian,
performs, with special force, all the duties
relating to copyrights. His force now con-
sists of forty-fYe persons, who are exclusive
ly engaged in receiving applications for copy
right and the accompanying fees, in making
. 80