books replaced by a one armed man, but the best solution is inexpensive; i. e. to string a wire just above head hight through the center of each aisle, so that the lamp hung by its hook will run freely along it. To provide a better light for the lower shelves a clip can be attached to the electric cord 50 to 100 cm from the lamp, then the light can be thrown on any shelf wanted and either reader or page will have both hands free for work. This inexpensive addition will make the system almost as satisfactory as something costing much more. New shelving in the form of partitions, which make practically work offices for heads of departments, have been supplied, specially in room 51. Rearrangement. Our steady growth made necessary an immediate rearrangement which has proved to be of great benefit. The library school, scattered from rooms 51 to 55, has been given all of the great northwest pavilion, 59. The home education divisions have changed place with the school, taking rooms 51 and 54, so that the heads are arranged nearest to the director's office, adding greatly to administrative convenience. We have for years felt the embarrassment of having the administrative work of the state library scattered on three floors and at different ends of this great building. We have now brought all the accession work, gift and serials, cataloguing, classification and similar work with which the public is not concerned together on the fifth floor, centering it between the two elevators in room 55. To make space for this, the whole history department has been transferred to the third floor with headquarters in 34. The result is to give the entire third floor to readers and to the reference and loan work directly connected with them, while all packing, shipping, cataloguing, indexing and administrative work is brought together on a single level, the cataloguing adjoining the library school where the same reference books can be used and much time can be saved in the work constantly going on between these departments. Our system of numbering books is such that these changes involve no alterations whatever of the catalogues or book numbers, so that the chief expense is entirely avoided. The practical advantages of the readjustment, impossible heretofore because of conditions now changed, are obvious at once and grow as they are studied. BIBLIOGRAPHY DIVISION Including library economy and library school collections The bibliography division now contains 6388 volumes, 4966 in bibliography (4149 in general library and 817 in library school collection) and 1422 in library economy (806 in general library and 616 in library school). Since 1889 there have been added 3026 volumes in bibliography, i. e. more than one and a half times the 1940 previously in the library, and 1231 volumes in library economy, more than six times the previous 191. The division receives regularly 250 annuals, biennials, etc. (18 classed in bibliography and 232 in library economy) and 139 other serials more frequent than annuals (119 in bibliography and 20 in library economy) a total of 389 (137 in bibliography and 252 in library economy) not including duplicates. The following table shows a marked increase in 1900 over 1899 in volumes added, annual cost of books and serials and additions to subject cards. The amount spent was more than double that of 1899. 6.388 424 677 $285 81 $665 26 $119 01 $163 83 5 498 6 055 415 557 This table, however, fails to show perhaps the strongest feature of the collection, its large accumulation of pamphlets (over 7000 of four pages and over) besides clippings and blanks, of which no statistics have yet been taken. This material is arranged on the shelves by subject, like books. Unbound pamphlets are indexed to date under author or institution in a separate catalogue kept with the collection, which, except the folios, is shelved in room 59, easily accessible to cataloguers and library school students. Table P1-4, p. 91-102 consists of lists of bibliographies prepared or printed in connection with the New York state library or home education department: P1, 21 bibliographies printed dur ing the year (five compiled by library school students, 13 by members of the staff and three by extension lecturers); P2, 47 manuscript bibliographies, chiefly library school graduation bibliographies on cards, prepared in previous years; and P3, 52 bibliographies now in preparation. P4 is a list of 53 catalogues, indexes and records kept to date in the state library and home education department, and 18 other catalogues not superseded. More was spent for books and serials than ever before, the amount for books being more than double that for 1899. The sociology librarian, Mr Robert H. Whitten, reports as follows: Comparative legislation and administration monographs. The following proposed plan for publishing these monographs was recently sent to prominent students of sociology. In order to supplement the work of its annual summary and index of state legislation and to organize and stimulate research in comparative legislation, the state library will from time to time publish as legislation bulletins, selected monographs on special topics treating comparatively constitutions, laws, and city, state or national administrative systems. Only monographs showing a high standard of scholarship and dealing with subjects not already adequately treated will be considered for publication. The monographs will be sent to the leading journals and libraries in all countries, and may be had by others at a nominal price varying from 5e to 25e each; or on prepayment of 50c they will be mailed as issued for a calendar year. The sociology division has started a special index of comparative treatises on legislation and administration which will prevent much duplication of work by students and publicists if they will notify the librarian, Dr Whitten, of the title and scope of any proposed comparative treatise; for they will be promptly informed whether similar work is already in progress or perhaps printed as part of some public document or chapter of a larger treatise. The New York state library with its strong collections of public law, and public documents, its card index of New York documents and its consolidated card index of the legislation of our 48 states and territories (1890 to date) affords unequaled facilities for research in comparative legislation and administration.. Students of public law or economics who are unable to come to the library may have bibliographies prepared and information gathered for them by trained assistants by paying merely the salary value of the time spent. For farther information address Robert H. Whitten, Sociology librarian, State library, Albany N. Y. MELVIL DEWEY, Director Foreign legislation. Human interests are no longer bounded by state or national lines but are in most cases world wide. The prejudice that would prevent one people from adopting the improved methods of another is fast passing away. The specialist is not satisfied to know what is being done in his own state or country but would if possible cover the entire field. There has thus arisen urgent demand for improved facilities for study of comparative legislation. At present in no American library can an investigator examine the laws of all countries on any specific subject. With a view to remedying this evil and supplying the demand we have during the past year bought or secured through exchange the laws of many countries that we lacked. We have as yet made only a beginning and it will require much patience and persistence to complete the task. It is not intended, however, to stop with the development of a library of comparative legislation, but to extend enormously its field of usefulness by publishing an annual bulletin briefly summarizing and classifying the most important and distinctive legis lation of the leading countries of the world. Reference lists. Beginning in 1898 special reference lists have been prepared for use during the consideration of important legislative measures. The first five were not printed, but to increase their usefulness to the legislature and make them available in other libraries, the three lists prepared the present year on Central control of police, Municipal home rule and Municipal ownership have been printed. The July number of the Annals of the American academy of political and social science contains the following notice of two of these: The sociology division of the New York state library has is sued a series of reference lists-two of which relate to municipal government-which will prove of great value to investigators in this field. . . Both are worked out with great care, the selection being made from those works and reports which are of permanent value. With a series of reference lists of this character it will be possible to cover the whole field of municipal government and place in the hands of everyone a guide for the study of concrete problems. Correspondence work. There has been marked increase in work for which we receive the cost of the time spent. A number of bibliographies and reference lists have been prepared and researches in comparative legislation undertaken for special students. An insurance corporation has agreed to pay an annual fee for information relative to the enactment of a certain kind of legislation. Work of this nature could doubtless be greatly developed. Similar work elsewhere. In my report for 1899 I noted the efforts of leading libraries to supply the increased demand for facilities for sociologic research and the establishment of a department of documents and statistics in the Boston public library. An important move in the same direction is the recent appointment of Roland P. Falkner, formerly associate professor of economics at Pennsylvania university, as chief of the documents. division in the national library. In his annual estimates for 1900-1, Herbert Putnam, librarian, sets forth the purpose of this division as follows: As a legislative library the Library of congress should have every document procurable emanating from any public body, the United States, the states, foreign countries, important municipalities, and also from any organization whose work involves problems of economic interest which may bear on legislation, constitutions, administration, finance, commerce, transportation, manufactures, industrial conditions, the management of penal and charitable institutions, statistics, etc. In securing for this work a trained statistician it is intended also that he shall undertake important statistical inquiries for members of congress. |