ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 31

amount of Maryland records which were badly in need of attention.
Facilities for repair by the use of tissue and silk had been provided
at the Hall of Records by the Architect so that this work might be-
gin immediately. Unfortunately, the problem of recruiting trained
personnel proved to be most difficult and the work of this depart-
ment was considerably handicapped during the first few years by
delays due to the lack of experienced full-time workers.

Toward the end of 1938, Dr. Robertson had begun to negotiate
with Mr. William J. Barrow, then of the Mariners' Museum at
Portsmouth, Virginia, for the purchase of a laminator of the type
being used at that time by Mr. Barrow. The acquisition of this
equipment was not to come about, however, until after this period.
In the meanwhile crepelining was the sole method of repair employed,
and whatever its virtues, it is slow. The relatively small product
listed below is not to be attributed altogether to the method used,
however, because there are unfortunately no exact records now avail-
able for the use of this writer. What is listed below should be con-
sidered therefore only as an approximation. In any case the number
of volumes or pages handled in a repair room is a deceptive criterion
of the amount of work performed because the condition of the ma-
terials is an all important and yet imponderable factor. It will be seen
that by the last fiscal year of this period the initial difficulties had
been mastered and the product had increased greatly. It should be
added too that the work performed in the repair room at the Hall
of Records has always been considered to be of high quality.

Fiscal Year 1935-1936.

pages
Accounts 24, 27, 44, 48................................1,530

Constitution of Maryland, 1864 .............. ........ 77

Council Proceedings, 1699-1715........................ 213

Charles Carroll, Writ of Error, October 15, 1864..... 24

Court of Appeals Judgments .......................... 60

Engrossed Laws, 1908-1910 ........................... 150

Original Wills, 1666-1777............................. 290

Revolutionary Papers................................ 34

Testamentary Proceedings, 1691....................... 30

Manuscript volume (apparently an assessment

record belonging to the City of Annapolis).......... 99

Miscellaneous Papers, loose in folders.................. 533

Total......................................3,040