Evening star., 1930-12-11
CONGRESS LIBRARY
DROADENS SCOPE
VoIlbehr Collection Is Out
standing Addition Reported
by Dr.. Putnam.

Notable advances in appropriations, in
gifts, contents, facilities and service are
recorded in DR.. Eerbert Putnam's an
nual report as librarian of Congress,
just submitted to both Houses.
The outstanding acquisition reported,
though acquired just after the opening
of the new fiscal year, was the Vollbehr
collection of 5000 incunabula-books
printed in the first half century after
the invention of the art of printing, and
including the Gutenberg Bible, for
whose purchase Congress had provided
by appropriating 81 500 900.
More than half the Vollbehr collec-
ton Is now on public exhibition at the
Library. This great purchase, the most
notable in the Library's history, trebles
Its possessions in incunabula and puts
1t well within the first dozen libraries
of the world in the ownership of such
monuments of the printers art.
Twenty-Five new books were added
70 the shelves every hour throughout the
fiscal year 1929-1930. day and night,
Sundays and holidays included, with
1912 volumes added at the end of the
year for good measure. The astonishing
total-196.632 volumeS-markS the high
est annual increase in the contents of
the Library since its start in the year
1900. At the close of business on June
Ous ISOUs IIlt NiIOle HuIllDeT Vi NOluIlleS
In the Library was 4.103 936-which
places the institution equal in quantity
to any library in the world. In addi-
ton to the books. it now contains 1,161,-
478 maps, 1.062.194 musical COMPOST
tions, 498,715 prints and photographs
and an uncounted number of manu-
scripts The size of the manuscript
collection may be dimly glimpssd when
1t IS understood that in this single year,
l. IL
static facsimileS of historic manuscripts
in foreign archives. through the benefi-
cence of John D. Rockefeller, jr., num-
bered 551,5l0.
Other Source Material.
Other source material in secondary
form included as volumes of documents
relating to the Spanish inquisition in
Mexico, the gift of G. r. G. Conway of
Mexico City. and several thousand pages
of documentary records relating to
Florida, compiled by the late Jeanette
Thurber Copnor. The originals ac-
quired. largely family papers, included
certain large groups as the papers of
James A. Bayard, first Senator. and of
Thomas Lee Shippen, but Also very
numerous individual documents involv-
ing names prominent in our history; a
manuscript autobiography of James
MaClSOn, NlUneTIO unknown, ana WnaJ
is described as a brilliant item. given
by William EvartS Benjamin, Jefferson's
"fair copy" of his draft of a constitu-
ton for the State of Virginia A col
lection deposited, of Hamilton papers.
numbers nearly 500 items of extraordi-
nary interest
DR.. Putnam notes with special salts
faction several increases of signal i'm
portance in appropriations for 1881:
Twenty-three thousand five hundred
dollars additional for printing and bind
ing and SIS 900 additional for the pur-
chase of books. including $50, 900 spe-
cif1cally for law books. Also the au-
thorization of an appropriation of So
100000 for the proposed annex build
ing on Second street to the east of the
present enc. These together give re-
n1arkable assurances of the Librarys
appropriate destiny as an agency for the
promotion of culture as well as the
practical utilities.
Permanent endowmentS in the hands
of the Library of Congress Trust Fund
Board now equal in face value S643, ,275,
with present market value estimated
at $T65. 900.
Gifts for immediate disbursement
amounted to $500. .337.87. These include
installments of the Rockefeller and
Coolidge funds, a gift from Secretary
Mellon of S12,500 for the purchase of
a collection of Chinese maps a grant
from the Carnegie Corporation of
$4,000 to aid in establishing in the