CATALOGUE DEPARTMENT

23,000 new cards, or 1430 more than in 1899, were added to our main catalogue, 11,244 author cards, 9360 subject cards and 2396 title cards.

This record does not represent the large amount of work done in cataloguing serials, or the entries for many bound pamphlets which were added to cards already made.

The card catalogue of the traveling libraries division has been duplicated for incorporation in the main catalogue in the central reading room. The library will thus have a combined catalogue of all its printed books except law.

Indexes. The work of the indexer has been more than double that of any previous year. More than 50 indexes have been prepared. The consolidated index to the Regents minutes, covering work from 1889 to 1899, has required careful editing and repeated proof reading. In the publications of the college department, the bulletins on Professional education in the United States have each received much attention. In the report of the college department for 1899 a complete index to the seven bulletins was published.

An unusually large number of bulletins has been issued by the state museum, each of which has been indexed. The question of preparing a complete index to all New York state museum publications has been under consideration for several years. This index is now well started and bids fair to occupy all the time not devoted to current publications. The works indexed will include museum reports 1847-date, reports of each department, over 40 museum bulletins, museum memoirs, the Natural history of New York in 30 volumes, which includes Dr Hall's great work, the Paleontology of New York, and a few others. The original plan of indexing by author and subject only articles covering five or more pages did not meet the demands of scientists and therefore a fuller index will be prepared. Table O, p. 89, is a list of publications indexed.

CLASSIFICATION DEPARTMENT

Little progress was made the past year in bringing up arrears as it required all the head classifier's time aside from her instruction in the library school and summer courses, to classify the

largely increased current additions.

Classification in United

States and state and local history (973, 975-979) was also greatly retarded by the appointment of our sublibrarian of the history division to the Library of congress.

REFERENCE DEPARTMENT

The estimated reference use of the library for 1900 was 136,386. This estimate is based on number of volumes used in reading rooms from 8 a. m. to 6 p. m. for first week in each month and number of volumes used evenings; to this total one half the amount is added for books for which no record can be kept as they are returned to shelves by readers.

The decrease of 64,627 in reference use as compared with last year is due to the enforced closing of the library for four hours daily most of the busy season.

Evening use. During the seven and one half months when the library was open evenings there were 2661 readers between 6 and 10 p. m. who called for 6966 volumes, besides using many books from accessible shelves, of which no record is kept. The apparently large decrease in evening use as compared with last year is due to the fact that this year the library closed at 6 p. m. during the busy period from Oct. 1, 1899 to Feb. 12, 1900, and was open during July, August and September when the number of evening visitors was very small. Statistics show that the public must have been ignorant of the fact that the library was open after Feb. 12, as for several weeks our evening attendance was comparatively small. Evening opening was much appreciated during the greater part of the year but during the summer there were 27 evenings when there were only two to five readers. The installation of an electric pump on our library elevator enables readers to use the library Saturday and holiday evenings without climbing six flights of stairs to the third floor.

Summary of evening use 1 Oct. 1898-30 Sep. 1900

Not including a large evening use by members of the various University departments and library school students in rooms not open to the general public.

Sunday opening. There has always been a limited demand for admission to the library on Sundays, but we have never had an appropriation available. For some time four men on the staff have volunteered without compensation to divide the hours of Sunday among them so that the other men of the staff might have access regularly. This fact has not been published but not a few people learning of it have by special permission been accommodated, a regular member of the staff being always present in the room. As the building is locked, it has not been practicable to admit ladies. The experience the world over has been so favorable to Sunday opening that there is little opposition and a growing feeling that the state library should be available for a part at least of every Sunday.

LOAN DEPARTMENT

Though this is a reference library, the total books lent throughout the state were 25,562 or 2955 more than in 1899 [see tables G-H, p. 65-66]. There were more than twelve times as many loans as in 1890, the total for 1900 being the largest in the history of the library. Of the 17,461 loans, not including those from the capitol library, 13.25% were books classed in sociology, 28.82% in literature and 28.98% in history, against 13.42%, 31.07% and 25.02% respectively last year, when also these three subjects had the largest number of readers. 1382 borrowers have drawn books, including 59 who borrow only from the capitol library. This is an increase of 155 over the previous year, including eight capitol library borrowers.

Loans to institutions and special investigators. In 1891 only 31 institutions borrowed from the state library; in 1900 aside from

the home education department, as shown by the following table, 246 institutions and individual borrowers outside Albany borrowed 1672 v. an increase of 26 institutions and 271 v. over 1899.

Loans outside Albany 1 Oct. 1897-30 Sep. 1900

a Not including 15,789 loans to individuals in Albany.

b Traveling library statistics are omitted here as a separate bulletin on traveling libraries is to be issued bringing statistics to May 1, 1901.

BINDING DEPARTMENT

In new work our bindery turned out 1277 v. in half morocco, 184 half duck, 348 cloth, 206 American russia, or a total of 2015 v. which would have cost us at lowest contract prices $2066.75. Besides this, other work done in the bindery brought the total product up to $3083.73. Allowing 10% for depreciation of machinery, we have a gain of $181.83 for the year. The total loss to Sep. 30, 1899 was $115.34, deducting this loss

from the gain of this year we still have a gain of $66.49 since the bindery was started. The loss of last year was eliminated by the binders working more hours. The figures of loss or gain for each year are based on the following annual inventory and statement filed with the treasurer of the University.

Bindery expenses and returns 1 Oct. 1899-30 Sep. 1900

Detailed statistics of work done in our own bindery are given in tables B and I, p. 58 and 67. Besides this work the special gilder and letterer gilded 22,288 call numbers, 12,958 extra lines and 6036 volume numbers (added to miscellaneous sets, etc. as noted on p. 34) at a cost of $1118.33.

Summary of cost of binding 1 Oct. 1897-30 Sep. 1900

a Includes $14.10 for binding for the home education department.