of these levels, but while the drawings and specifications for the work were ready in August 1913, and the contract let in July 1914, work was not actually begun until September 3, 1914. The final inspection by the architects was made on May 7, 1915, and the levels were in actual use soon after.

The following variations from the original scheme of installation were deemed advisable:

A wire-mesh inclosure with locked doors was put in the third level of room 211, for the law and legislative reference libraries. Closets were installed in place of the useless narrow roller shelving occurring at certain steel columns in the newspaper equipment of the new levels of room 31.

Locking bars, with padlocks, were provided for certain of the steel roller-bearing drawer sections on several levels in room 31, for the more valuable newspaper rarities, engravings, sheet maps, broadsides etc. for which no other place had been provided.

Specially braced steel book-supports for folios shelved on edge, and for certain heavy quartos.

Movable "consultation shelves" large enough for atlases and newspaper volumes. These are adjustable to the face of any standard width tier in any Art Metal stack, at any height for a person either standing or seated, and have already proved useful, not only for consulting large volumes, but in sorting and checking pamphlet material, much of which will be necessary for years to come. A number of these shelves are available on each stack

level.

These variations were all included in the stack contract without additional cost, the locking bars, braced book-supports and consultation shelves being new features devised by the shelf curator, and consequently not in use anywhere else. All the variations were. included in exchange for certain types of shelves with which we were oversupplied under the original contract.

Newspaper collection. Some progress was made in checking up and preparing for the shelves the mass of unbound newspapers received from various sources since the fire. It is regrettable that most of the unbound portion of one large gift, being parts of sets of New York City papers printed between 1889 and 1907, was in such bad condition because of storage in too hot a place before its receipt by the State Library, that it was deemed not worth handling, and so was entirely discarded. Fortunately it was mostly duplicated in bound sets, but unfortunately the part in the poorest condition was not duplicate.

There is a large collection yet to be handled, most of which will undoubtedly prove to be duplicate, but when it is considered that some long sets like the Albany Journal and the Argus should be collated before the unbound sets are disposed of (and these are only mentioned as typical of many sets), the slowness of this kind of work and the care necessary will be appreciated. The opportunity for replacing this kind of original historical material grows every year less and less.

There have been two notable newspaper additions during the year: one, from the Utica Public Library, consisting of a bound set of the New York Times from June 1901 through 1913, in very fine condition and presumably complete, together with several early volumes of the Albany Argus; the other, from the Massachusetts Historical Society, being a photostat reproduction of the New York Historical Society's copy of the Boston Newsletter for 1708.

About sixty volumes of early American papers, such as the Columbian Centinel, the New England Palladium and the Boston Gazette, all in fairly good condition, were bound during the year. Nothing was done with the earlier volumes, some of which will require considerable repairing, as well as careful refolding in certain cases.

The chronologic catalog of newspapers, mentioned in the report for 1914, page 29, was carried through the letter G. As the arrangement under each year is by name of place, the separate place catalog will not be continued.

Fire Marshal's office. Under the provisions of the Laws of 1914, chapter 4, the Director of the State Library was, in effect, made responsible for closing up the affairs of the State Fire Marshal, whose office was abolished by the same act; and by chapters 234, 341 and 347, he was directed to transfer the books, papers, records and property to the officers made responsible for continuing such duties of that officer as were not entirely done away with. This work took part of the time of the shelf curator (with the assistance at times of laborers from the maintenance force of the Education Department) between February 15 and May 1, 1915. It is perhaps worth mention that while chapter 341 authorized the destruction of all printed matter not useful in continuing the work under other departments, and that a large part of the printed matter was stated to be of no value by the office to which the work was assigned, such destruction was hardly completed before it was found that a shortage in appropriations forbade the reprinting of

many things, and there was an immediate demand for whatever had not been destroyed. Fortunately the shelf curator had foreseen to some extent exactly what happened and had saved a supply of each publication of the department, thereby demonstrating that the immediate destruction of seemingly useless printed matter is not always wise, even though legalized.

REFERENCE SECTION

Public use of the Library. The year has brought a very considerable increase in the use of the reading rooms. A most healthy sign is the large number of people using the Library in the evenings and Saturday afternoons. This indicates the serious use of the collections for study and research by business men, students and others employed during the day. The large use of the Library by students in the State College for Teachers was in a measure unexpected and unprepared for. A considerable number of books needed. by them, not already in the Library, has been purchased, but a much larger number must be bought before the demand can be adequately met.

Another indication of the serious use made of the Library is the large number of books reserved at the reading desks for continued consultation. About half the total number of reading-room desks have such groups of books reserved for schools, study clubs, debate work, college courses, newspaper men and individual investigators. Limited appropriations have retarded the extremely necessary work of adjusting our collections to the public needs. It is only natural in a library as young as this, that these needs can often be met very inadequately. Our collections are still somewhat unbalanced, somewhat haphazard. Each day reveals important subjects insufficiently represented, important books not yet purchased, new demands and opportunities for service not anticipated or prepared for. The shaping of our collections to meet adequately the demands and to fit the Library for its high place among the State's educational institutions is the primary immediate task. The time has passed when a library can be constructed according to a fixed plan. Like all living things its efficiency will in the long run be measured by its power of adaptation to changing conditions. Especially is this true of this Library. Closely allied to the educational system of the State (which is itself in a marked degree in a stage of transition), serving a State subject to continual political change, the problem of adjustment is constant and vital; the Library's place has