us copyright office: ar-1870

8/14/2019 US Copyright Office: ar-1870

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ANNUAL REPORT

LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

TEE PROGRESS OF THE LIBRARY

TM YEAR ENDING D E C m E R 1,1870.

WASHINGTON:BO VE BX XE NT PBINTIIB OPFIOE*

1871. .


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%

ANNUAL REPORT

THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS,'f ie growth of the Library of Co ngr m during the pa& year hae been

steady, and th e aggregate additions am somewhat larger than those ofthe year preceding. A t the dab of my last annual report the Lib-um be re d 185,227 volnmea At the corresponding date of the presentyear, December 1,1870, th e enumeration shows a totalof 197,668 boundvoludoee, besides about 30,000 pamphlets. Of this sggregatg 27,170volumes belong to the Law Department of the Library.The number of volumes .added during the year was 12,441, beaidea:&bout8,000 pamphlets, derived from the following eonma:

B&.Bypurchese.. .................................................. 7,663Uycopyright.. .................................................. 2,734By depoeit of the Smitheoniau Institution.. ..................... 1,341Hy premntation ..........: ...................'............-.-.. 485I+y xohange.................................................... 218

The operation of the copyright law has i n c r e d the Library dnringthe year to an unusually large exteut, the number and deaiguation ofi~cticleseceived from that source being as ollows :I k ~ h.................................................................... 2,134L'n~nphleteend peridcab.................................................. 3,140h.fasioe1oompositions.............. ........ 1.. ............................ 2,891I:.~~g~avingqhotogrephe, and chromoe.. .................................... li 75 .I'rit~ta .................................................................... 1,3lrq,umdoharta............................................................. 146

v 7I tal number of article&................................................ 11,512I\Y the entire deposit of publications required to secure copyright,Ioguther with all the records pertaining to the issue of copyriglitc.rrln!~,have been concentrated in the offlce of the Librarian of Congress,Iby c~ct f July 8,1870, it is manifest tha t th e annual enlargement of theI,ibrr~ry rom this schrce must henceforward becoue of increased impor-lrinco md value. The expediency of the change is already demonetratedLa tkc larger accessions from th is source during,the five months' opera-riort of th e law, while the powision for the first time, of authentic evi-


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dence of aH p~thlicatbne ~ ~l le d,hich me the subject of copyright, be-cure!a an almoat complete compliancewith the Iaw requiring the depositof copiea in the Library.

The rapid growth and present h r g xtent of many of the great govern-ment libraries of Europe isattributable, in great degree, to the privilegeof copyright publications. That the only library in the United Stateswhich possesses a national chamter ahould not af an earlier periodhare been made the repositary of all American publications protectedby the law of copyright, must remain a source of regret to the public.A part of the reautting loss will be supplied by the incorporation withthe Library of the entire reseme"of copyright books deposited underformer hw s a t the State Department, and afterward a t the Departmentof the Iuterior. These publications are now being removed to the Capi-tol, under the law of the last session, and may be expected to add fullytwenty-fire thousand volumes to this Library.Tb ~ r i g h tusinem transacted in the oBce of the Library during

the carrent year, including the number and description of articles forwhich copyright6 have been issued, will be made the a~lbject f a specialreport to Congress, as equired by section 86 of the act to revise, con-solidate, and amelut the statntea rel&ing to patents and copyrights, ap-proved July 8, 18'70.

The fact that upward of five thu sand copyrightrj have been reconledin the oftice during leas than aix months' operation of the law, with thegreat additional labor aud responsibility involved, suggests the neces-sity of increased ad st an ce being provided for the Librarian. I harebeen obliged to employ two of the force constantly upon thebusiness of recording copyrigbts and preparing certificates of the same,besides &voting more than half of my own time to the prompt dispatchof the business involved. To continue this with the present force a tmy clisposal a d &ill keep up the efficient administration of therapidly growing Library, with ita catalogues and accessions, is quiteimpo~uible;. As yet the Lib~a rywork Bas not fallen much in arrear, a sthe alrnunl catahgue of additions, now in press, mill evince; but largeportiona of the Library need a thorough rearrangement, and tho heavyaddition8 of the yem 1871, inchding, as they will, orer thirty thousandvolumes from all sources, to be incorporated in their proper places, to-gether with the new general Catalogue of the Lihrary, now ne'srly readyfor press, will render necessary an increase of help. Xxperience hasconvinced me th at &atants of the intelligence and skiH requisite inthe sewice of a library me di fi u l t to flnd, and still more diBcult tokeep without adequate compensation. To ask for a considerable num-ber of new assistants at salaries approximating those paid to'the lowerorder of clerks, while it might be justified by the hrge sum paid intothe Treasury by the undersigned, in the form of copyright fees, andamounting to about ten thousand dollars per year, mould not, inmy judgment, be aclrantageous to the Library nor to the publio wrvice.


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I have determined, rather, to ask for but two additional ssaiatants, to beemployed in the copyright department, st @ahr i a f 81,800 and 81,200rwpctivdy, together with a readjustment of the compensation of thepresent Library fom, on a basis more nearly proportioned to their veryvaluable services. The following table will show the proposed re-arrangement of salaries, with the amount of increased compensationsuggested:_ _ _ _ .__ _ ___-A _. _ _ - _ -Ih n t umbr Ipro*

employed. 1 hr . num- Present salaries.

I I . I IThe very moderate increase of campeusation suggested is asked for

with confidence, on the ground tha t most of those emplo~ed are beenmany j w r s in the service of th e L ibr a r~ ha t their acquired knowledgeand skill are worthy of a sufficient recompense; th at the assistants iuthe Library are now and always have been paid less lihr nl ly than assist-au t clerks employed in the service of the Senatc and House of Repre-sentatives ; hat the whole force of the Library must be diUgeutly em-ployed throughout the year ; aud tha t the ~raluable alents required tofill these positions with efficiency cannot be permanently secured forless compensation than th at proposed. I t may properly be added thatthe amount annually paid into the Treasury for copyrights, where littleor nothing was received under former lawe, is more than double theii~creaae sked for the administration of the Library in all departments,copyright business included.

The rapidity with which th e Library is now growing renders necessarysnlne provision for additional shelf-room. A small ante-room adjoining111eLaw Library has been prepared for tho accomniodationof books, andn room nncler the north wing of the Library, heretofore used for storage,I I ~ I Sh e n connected with the alcoves by the courteay and ellicieut aid ofI . 1 1 ~Architect of the Capitol Extension. I t is designed to use this spacelibr the accommodation of duplicate books and documents belongingtoI l ~ c ibrary. To meet the cost of de lv in g it throughout, and of a lightiron stairway to communicate with theLibraq-,an appropriatiolr of$500is ~u?commended. The proper arrangemeat of the h g e accessions corn-ill:: to each department of the Library appears to require the constrw-


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fion of about thirtg -of shelves, of light material, to be placed inthe upper alcovee, and a farther appropriation af $600, to meet the coatof their constmction, is reqectfully recommended.The nnexpended balance8 of the several funds in charge of the JointOommittee on the L ib rar~re a s follows, including the amounts in thehanda of the diaburehg agent of the Library, a a well as undrawn bd-ancea in the Treasury :Fund for the puruhaee of boob.. .......................................Fund for the purchase of law books.....................................Fund for tlre purchase of periodicals.. ...................................Fund for contingent expenees of Library--. ..............................Fund for pay of anperintendent and essietcmtain Bot~nicdGarden .......Fnnd for expenses of exchanging pnblio doeumenta.. ....................Fond for Powell's painting of a naval victory for the Capitol. ............Fnna for port raits of ex-Preeidenta of the United B t e h . . ................

......nnd for completing the publications of the Exploring Expedition..Fun& or pay of arreare to an thm and artiste of the Exploring Expedition.' Fund for replacing he works of the Exploring Expedition d h ed by6re........nnd for putting in order the platea, of the Exploring Expedition.....................nnd for ornamenting the Capitol with works of art..Fnnct for completing walk, labor, fencing, mannard story, &, n Botan-..........................................................d Gardenhhnd for grading, draining, p&aring monnre, &c. in BotanioalGaden ..Fund for genernl Catalogue......:......................................

The completion about one year since of the Catalogue of subjects, intwo volnmea, has been followed up by the preparation for the printer ofthe titles for a new edition of the general Oatalogpe of the Librsry,ananged by authors7uamea in a single alphabet. The las t ivaue of thiscatalogue visa in 1864, an& here have uince been printed seven annualcstdogues of additions to the Library. The ti& of pamphlet8, notprinted in the annual supplements from economical reasons, are allplain$ catalogued upon card&, and ready to beincorporated in the newgenedcata logue. To add the requisite collations to the titles k m b m din the catalogue of 1864, eo aa to make the new edition of the completecatalogue correspoud in accuracy and value to the aimual cstalognearecentb imued, will involve some montha of labor, but it is hoped th atthe printing may w n be proceeded with.The wtdogue of books added to the Library during the year 1870isriow passing through the preas, m d will shortly be ready for distribution.

A. R. rnFPORD,Librarian.HOB.A. G. CATTELL,

Chuima* Joint Committee ou the Libraty.

us copyright office: ar-1870

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