ARCHIVIST OF THE HALL OF RECORDS 37

Agent to John McHenry & Co. regarding an error in the
company's account with the State, Nov. 27, 1786. I double
sheet. April 25, 1945.

LIBRARY

Growth of our Library continued during the past year at
the average of the last five years. Some 204 items were added.
This total includes not only printed books, but also pamphlets,
mimeographed and typewritten materials. It has not always
been easy to determine whether certain works belong in our
library or in our archival collection but in general everything
which cannot easily be included with official records or historical
manuscripts is accessioned and catalogued in the library.

An examination of the items listed below will give a fair
estimate of the nature of our entire library. It is composed
almost wholly of works of general reference, archival administra-
tion, and Marylandiana supplemented by certain indispensable
historical works. The total annual appropriation for the pur-
chase of books is only $100, but exchanges and gifts are more
important in the acquisition of new titles than purchases.

It has always been the policy of the Archivist to restrict the
size of the library to the barest minimum and to supplement our
own collection with that of the State Library. However, in re-
spect to time this is an uneconomical procedure and it seems
that we shall inevitably have to duplicate some part of the hold-
ings of the Library. In some States where the library and the
archival establishment are housed in the same building, this
waste of money and duplication of effort can be avoided and the
research value of each institution is enhanced by the collection
of the other.

Our primary purpose in building a library at the Hall of
Records has always been the instruction of the staff in archival
procedures and the acquirement of background necessary to the
better understanding of the records of Maryland. While we
never denied to the public the use of this library neither did we
encourage them to use it. However, we now believe that the
time of the staff and wear and tear on the records are both
saved by encouraging the use of printed books. We have, there-