The Minneapolis journal., 1901-05-25

of

her Of readers or to issue great number of
volumes, as to aid in investigations which
may have important consequences to the ma
tion or to scholarship.
AS the library of congress, it is to aid con-
gress and the various commissions estab-
lished by congress TO make Investigations
Its next duty is to the executive federal de-
partments of Washington and to the various
scientific bureaus maintained by the federal
government 1t Is seeking an intimate Teia-
tion OF service with these bureaus. Most Of
them have collections of books Of their own,
but their funds small, and time goes
on, the collections cannot represent more
than the working tools which the officials
or scientists must have near their desks. IN
course OF time the federal libraries Of Wash
ington will form one organic system with sha
library Of congress as the center.
As stOrehOuse OF Knowledge.
Washington is, moreover, itself becoming
the center of research for scholars In gem
eral. particularly in the departments Of his
tory. law, political and social science po-
iitical economy, and, OF course, ethnology,
and those natural and physical sciences which
may be studied to advantage in connection
with the scientific collections in Washington
or with the scientific work being carried on
in the Smithsonian Institution, the coast and
geodetic survey, the geological survey the
OF various colleges, and it is within one hour
of the American university most famed for
advanced graduate research. In all such re-
search the national library is ready to aid
But. being national library It's duties
extend still further. 1t should render what
ever service is within its power to scholarly
research all over the United States, and, "a
a fact, it endeavors to do so. Inquiries come
to it by mail from every state in the union
1t answers them directly so far as it is able
and where the answer cannot be given out
OF the material in its possession, it seeks 10
Indicate where it may be had.
Giving Out Information to All.
Now these inquiries, as well as those ad-
dressed to it officially, involve almost every
branch of human knowledge which has any
literature; many also that have no lite-a-
ture. To answer, it must, so far as possible,
have books; 1t must have the Eiblographies
showing what books exist on any given sub
jeet in addition to those which it has; II
must have catalogues showing what OF these
books are in its own collection; and. so
far as possible, catalogues of other collec-
tions showing where are to be found those
books which it does not possess. Bastly it
must have the men competent not merely to
produce given book specifically named
this is the easiest and simplest service-but
competent to advise as to what literature
exists upon a given subject and the relative
bearing of each book upon a given subject
of inquiry SO far as it involves the use Of
books. Now this is highly expert service.
1t means a corps Of specialists. Such spe-
cialists the library already possesses within
certain departments of knowledge 1t is en-
deavoring to secure still more. and, in ad-
dition. its relations with the scientific bureaus
at Washington enable it often to supply from
those bureaus the scientific opinion as to
this or that matter Of inquiry which 1t cannot
supply fr1m its own staff. In time, there
fore, its endeavor to become a bureau of
information for the entire country is likely
to be realized in q very broad sense At
present it is in itself equipped particularly
to answer with expert opinion inquiries in
volving history and topography, particularly
Of America. genealogy, political and social
science statistics, including the legislation
of various countries and general literature.
The processes of the library do not es-
sentially differ from those in any other large
and active reference library. The effort is
first, to select the book which is to be got
second, to get it.; third to prepare it for
use; fourth, to make it useful.
Note-This paper will be completed next
Saturday.