ANNUAL REPORT

OF THE

LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS,
EXHIBITING

THE PROGRESS OF THE LIBRARY

DURlh'O THE

CALENDAR YEAR 1890.

WASHINGTON:
QOVER'NMEX'T P R I N T I N G OFFICE.
1891.
 ANNUAL REPORT
or TEE

LIBRARIAN O F CONGRESS.
LIBRARYOF CONCSREBB,
Washington, Pebruaty 28,1891.
The undersigned presents herewith the annual statement of the con-
dition and progress of the Library and the statistios of the copyright
bl~sinessin his charge for the calendar year 1890, closing December 31,
1890.
The enumeratiorl of the books haa become more difficult with eaoh
year's growth of the collections. The great portion of the Libmry now
unprovided with 8helf mom renders the embarrassment of producing
books with promptitude extreme, and the counting of piles ~ l l a c t a d
on the floors of the Library and outlying rooms must of necessity yield
an approximate rather than an accurate result. The aggregate reportad
by the euumerators is 648,928 volumes of books, bound and unbound,
besides about 207,000 pamphlets. The last enumeration (on January
1,1890) footed up 633,717 volume8 and 206,000 pamphlets. The accqe-
sions of the rear have been 15,311 volumes, which came from the vari-
ous sources named below:
From pumhase ........................................................... 3,731
From oopyright ........................................................... 9.466
From depoeit by the Srnithsouian Institution .............................. %;1
From addition8 ta the Toner oolleotion .................................... 155
From doaatioc~s........................................................... 380
Prom exohangee .......................................................... 267

Total ............................................................... 16.111

i u the department of copyrights there has been an increase of 1,809

entries in the office of the Librarian over the preceding year 1589. The
aggregate number of copyrightasentered from January 1to Decemhcr
31,1890, iuclusive, mas 4$794, of all cla.ssesof publicrttions. The aggre-
gate fees received arid paid irito the Treasury during l;be year wlra
$33,721.26, Ging $636.87 more tban in the year preueding.
3
 BEPOBT OF THE LIBRARIAN O F OOlTGBEsB.
The various decrignatione under- which the entries of copyright harc
been made are ennmereted sa follows :

Nunaber of articles entered i n 1890.

Book8 .................................................................... 16, 4;di

Periodioele................................................................ 8,164
Muaicel compoeitione.. .................................................... 9,1:v2
Drametic oompoeitione .................................................... 715
Photogrephe .............................................................. 2,387
Engrevinga end ohromoe .................................................. I, 940
Prints oud ants ........................................................... v2 1
... .......................................
D e a i g n ~...................... 71:~
. Drawing8 ................................................................ ill
Peintinge ................................................................. 4- 1
. map^ end oherte .......................................................... 2,11::

Total ............................................................... 42, i ! b l

The deposits' of copies of publications in the Library, under each head,
exhibits the following a,ggregate:

Booka (including ell printed metter eo deeihweted) .........................

Peridiomla ...............................................................
Mneioal composition8 .....................................................
..................................................
D r a m e t ~ ccompoai tione..
. Photogrephe ...................................... ..................
:.....
Engraving8 nnd obroruos .................................................
Printa end o11t.u ...........................................................
Designe end drawinge.. ...................................................
Paintings,. ................................................................
Mepi and charts.. ........................................................

,Inasmuch an the copyrighe lair require8 two copies to be depositetl

in thi8 o5ce of each publication nectired by entry of title, the net d d i -
tions to the Library collectiou~for the year from this source were, sl,-
proximately, 32,434 dift'erent articlee. In the class of entriesdesignatetl
as books,n however, yere many form bookg, pamphlets, circulars, etc.,
not properly reckoned as additions to Library books, reducing the net,
accession8 to the latter from copyright deposits to 9,466 volumes.
The balances to the credit of v a r i o u s ' ~ i b r a rfunds
~ were as follows
J ~ n u a r y1,1891 :
.......................................
Fond for i n o r e m of t h e Librery $6,293.ti11
Fnnd for oontingent expenew of Library ................................ 8%. (;!I
.- r n n d for printing and binding.......................................... 11,341. @I
Fond for printing nnpnblbhed historicsl d w n m e n b d a t i n g to early
Frenob diaooreriea in Amerioa .................................. ....
*-. 1,s;iR. 44
 REPORT OF THE LIBRARIAN OF CONOREBB. 5
THE TONER LIBRARY.

The collection of books presented to the QoQernmentby Dr. J. 31.

Toner has been increased by the addition of 155 volumes of books and
315 pamphlets during the year. Very extensive addition8 have also
been made by the donor to his already large ooliection of biographical
material, excerpted from newspaper and other printed sources, and ar-
ranged in the Library in alphabetioal order for ready reference.
The undersigned again solicits the attention of the committee to the
need of additiolial clerical help in the copyright office. The workof the
Library proper iu the catalogue department has from necessity beeu
sacrificecl to the pregsi~~gclema8udsof the copyright business upon the
timeof the Librarian and his assistants, to avoid any accumulation of ar-
rears. Several more competent aspistants arc reqiiirecl in the interest
bf a proper public sen-ice in the administration of the Library in its di-
versified work.
The progress made dnriug the yeor in the uew Libmrj- Building has
been gratifying, and is fully set forth in the au~ltlalre'port of the Chief of
Eugiueers, charged with the prosecutiou of the work. Silbstautial pros
pect of relief from the ever-growingdifficulties which beset the admin-
istration of an overcrowded Library is now not remote.
AINSWORTH R. SPOFFORD,
Librarian of Oongress.
Holl. WM.M. E V A R T ~ ,
Chairmtm of the Joint Commit& on tke Library.