No. 8 IN SEΝΑΤΕ JANUARY, 1892 SEVENTY FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY To the Legislature of the State of New York I have the honor to submit herewith, pursuant to law, as the 74th annual report of the regents of the University on the New York State Library, the report of the director of the library with appendices. GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS Chancellor MARY SALOME CUTLER (Mt Holyoke), B. L. S. (N. Y.) NINA E. BROWN, M. A. (Smith), B. L. S. (N. Y.) ADA ALICE JONES Shelflister Cataloguer NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY REPORT OF DIRECTOR To the Regents of the University of the State of New York: Staff. A full list of the staff precedes this report; changes of the year are summarized in the table below. a This large increase in the working force has been absolutely necessary because of the remarkable growth in the use of the library and the fact that it is now kept open twice as many hours during the year as formerly. Divisions of library work, Besides general supervisory and executive duties, the work of every library divides itself into three main classes, acquisition, utilization and preservation; the three great functions of the librarian being, to get, to use, to keep. In the older conception of librarianship the librarian's chief duty was to preserve safely the volumes committed to his care. To that has been almost universally added the business of acquiring new books for the collection, and many of the most earnest librarians were content to follow the motto "get all you can and keep safe all you get." But the modern librarian recognizes that of these three, to get, to keep, to use, the greatest is to use. That is, not only to use himself, but to make as useful and accessible as possible to others. Following these plain divisions I shall, from year to year, lay before the regents in the annual report such records of our doings and statements of our aims and methods as seem worth attention and preservation. Acquisition Selection. In buying a book, it is not enough to decide whether it is a good book for the library, but also whether, all things considered, we could with the same money buy another book that would be not only good but better. Yet we believe it wiser to add to the library a second best book that some reader will use than one which, though intrinsically better, may possibly stand on the shelves for years unused. We invite all interested in the library to indicate their judg ment as to the most valuable additions. Readers are supplied free with printed recommendation blanks of the following form: Do not write at the left of this line Edition Place Publisher Year No. of Vols. Size Total Price NOT in great haste NOT in haste I recommend the above for the library. Notice of receipt is NOT asked. Fill above fully as possible. Cross out NOT, if notice is wanted, if in great need or special haste. Brief reasons for recommending are specially esteemed. Last or best edition is understood if none is in buying the books that will really be of greatest service to the University illustrates our effort to use the money at our disposal The circular below sent to each of the 410 institutions of the state : mentary note on loans of books outside Albany. 2 tically valuable to all parts of the University and the state. a package of the library rules calling special attention to the suppleofficers, and we are anxious to make the library each year more practo borrow books from the state library on the same terms as state Each of the 410 institutions of the University is entitled as such CIRCULAR LETTER TO PRESIDENTS AND PRINCIPALS I enclose BOOKS FOR THE STATE LIBRARY |