LIBRARIAN'S REPORT. OFFICE OF STATE LIBRARIAN, DES MOINES, IOWA, OCTOBER 31, 1905. To the Honorable Albert B. Cummins, Governor of Iowa and President of the Board of Trustees of the Iowa State Library: SIR: I have the honor to submit for your consideration the thirtieth Biennial Report of the librarian of the Iowa State Library, covering a period included between the thirtieth day of June, 1903, and the first day of July, 1905. At the close of the twenty-ninth biennial period there were of To this number have been added during the period now These accessions make the total in the State Library proper, (independent of the Historical Department)...... 92,071 Unaccessioned pamphlets adding during the period........... Making a total of accessioned and unaccessioned books and pamphlets in the State Library proper............... 1,171 93,242 To these should be added total of books and pamphlets of record in the Historical Department, exclusive of newspaper volumes, as per recent report of the Curator.... 14,182 The Grand Total of the three Departments is. 107,424 During the last two years the policy of grouping pamphlets under some one general head, binding them in book form and shelf-listing same has been thoroughly and systematically carried out. The consequence is that hundreds of valuable pamphlets heretofore inaccescible can now be traced at once, by means of the card catalogue, to their places on the shelves; thus greatly facilitating the endeavor of the student of themes and of affairs to find the valuable subject matter included in pamphlet literature and oftentimes not to be found elsewhere. Meantime we are continuing the policy, now fully approved by experience, of placing upon the shelves, with books of their respective classes, the many temporarily valuable pamphlets which come to us through the mails and otherwise, leaving to the future a determination of their relative value. Several librarians in other states have since adopted this method of handling pamphlets, thus readily, and thus far satisfactorily, solving one of the most perplexing problems of library administration. Recent Purchases. The accessions of both new and out-of-print books, during the past two years, as shown by the list appended to this report have greatly strengthened the library as a source of information and inspiration. Not a few broken sets have been filled and others have been materially strengthened. The new books have been selected with the utmost care from a study of catalogues and reviews and have been brought together from all the great book markets of the world. Exchanges with State Institutions, etc. During the past two years I have inaugurated an extensive system of book, periodical and document exchange with the State University library, the library of the State Historical Society, and the library of the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. By this system all parties to the exchange have been materially benefited and the reference libraries of the state have been correspondingly strengthened. To illustrate: The library of the State Historical Society has received on exchange account thirty-six volumes and numbers and has reciprocated by sending to the State Library sixty-six volumes and numbers and will follow these with others at no distant date. To further illustrate: The State University library is in receipt of fourteen volumes of Poore's Railroad Manual, the price of which is ten dollars a volume. These came to the library, as duplicates, from the Iowa Department of Agriculture. The exchange is not confined to State Institutions. The State Library, with the aid of the Library Commission, has recently sent to the library of the University of Chicago, a number of periodicals and in return is about to receive a long list of valuable documents and works. All these exchanges are effected with no other expense than that of carriage. The Library of Congress is also in our debt for duplicate copies of periodicals and is from time to time paying the debt by meeting our draft on its duplicate list of periodicals. It is my purpose to co-operate with all institutions having duplicate lists from which we may draw. For, in the purchase of material with which to fill sets in the library-especially at auction sales it is inevitable that duplicates are acquired. These would be comparatively valueless but for some system of exchange such as has been inaugurated. Classification of Books in Library. Separating the unaccessioned pamphlets from the books, the number of books and pamphlets in the library, as shown by a careful verification of the shelf-list, is as follows: Miscellaneous Department. (000) General Works-Bibliography, Library Economy, .... (100) Philosophy-Metaphysics, Philosophical Systems, Psychology, Logic, Ethics, Ancient and Modern Philosophers ....... (200) Religion-Natural Theology, Bible, Devotional and Practical, Homiletic, Caurch, Institutions, Religious History, Christian Churches and Sects, NonChristian Religions...... (300) Sociology Statistics, Political Science, Political Economy, Administration, Associations and Institutions, Education, Commerce, Customs, ostumes, Folk-lore..... (400) Philology-Comparative, English, Other Languages. (500) Natural Science-Mathematics, Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Paleontology, Biology, Botany, Zoology.... (600) Useful Arts-Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Domestic Economy, Commerce, Manufactures, Trades, Building. 7,996 696 2,600 4,548 186 3,292 2,514 (700) Fine Arts-Landscape gardening, Architecture, Sculpture, Drawing, Painting, Engraving, Photography, Music, Amusements..... ... 1,219 (800) Literature-American and English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Greek, Minor Languages. including Poetry, Drama, Fiction, Essays, Oratory, Letters, Humor, Philosophy and History of Literature, Treatises, Collections, Literary period. icals ...... (900) History-Geography and Description, Biography, Ancient History, Modern History,-Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Oceanica, and Polar Regions. .... Duplicates not withdrawn and in use. 5,141 Total.. 8,630 863 37,685 Arizona.. Arkansas. California.. Colorado... Connecticut Deleware... Florida.. Documents Classified by Countries, Provinces, States and Territories. States United States.... Congressional Record, Globe, American State Miscellaneous pamphlets.. Alabama... 3,625 636 934 680 2,450 8,325 40 93 86 306 216 418 3. 77 |