Treatment

which all details in the progress of the work through the Copyright Office are recorded with exact time of each act and the initials of the respective clerks. This record, when completed, shows, besides the class number and the title of the work, the date and hour of the receipt of deposit copies and of the receipt of application, affidavit and fee, with memorandum of the disposition of the fee if out of the ordinary course; the examination of the application and affidavit, the preparation of the white card for printer's copy, and the clearance of the work. Thus cleared, the book is ready for examination by the Library Commission, the delivery of one copy to the Catalogue Division of the Library of Congress, the making of the certificate and its record and the making of the index cards, all of which acts are performed usually on the day of receipt, or otherwise as early as practicable on the following day. The record slip also provides for noting and notifying claimants of defects as to the deposit copies or the application for copyright, and for noting also the reference to other departments, and the disposition of second deposit copies.

The deposit copies, as entered on day of receipt and of deposits stamped with date, group and accession number, are placed on a table for inspection by what is known as the Library Commission of the Library of Congress, consisting of the Assistant Librarian, the Superintendent of the Reading Room and the Chief of the Catalogue Division, who decide which books are desired for the Library of Congress, and whether one or two copies thereof are required; one copy not so required is retained as part of the records of the Copyright Office. Accumulations of the past years and current accessions were until recently stored in the sub-basement of the Library of Congress building, but a new stack now furnishes abundant and well

lighted space for deposit copies and gradually all deposit articles will be removed to this stack. The new provision for the destruction of useless material happily prevents the continuing storage of such material to an indefinite future.

The Librarian of Congress and the Register of Destruction Copyrights jointly are authorized "at suitable inter- of useless vals" to determine what articles received during any material period of years and remaining undisposed of, are useful for permanent preservation, and in their discretion to provide for the destruction of others, after a statement of the years of receipt of such articles and notice to permit any lawful claimant to claim and remove them has been printed in the catalogue of copyright entries from February to November, permitting their reclamation within the month of December. There is a special proviso that no manuscript of an unpublished work shall be destroyed during the term of copyright without specific notice to the copyright proprietor of record, permitting him to claim and remove it.

The Register of Copyrights, originally appointed by Register of the Librarian of Congress under the act of February 19, Copyrights 1897, is made by the new code of 1909 a permanent administrative officer, appointed by and under the direction and supervision of the Librarian of Congress at a salary of $4000 per year and under bonds of $20,000. He is authorized under the law to make rules and regulations for the registration of claims to copyright, subject to the approval of the Librarian of Congress; is required to make an annual report to the Librarian of Congress to be printed in the annual report on the Library of Congress; to cover all fees into the Treasury and report as to the same to the Secretary of the Treasury and to the Librarian of Congress, and to provide and keep the necessary

Catalogues and indexes

record books, indexes, etc. He is authorized to affix the seal of the Copyright Office provided for by law, and is happily relieved by the new code from the necessity of formal signature of certificates, etc., which under the old law wasted precious and difficult hours in small routine work, the affixing of the seal being the sufficient and sensible substitute for the personal signature. An assistant register of copyrights at a salary of $3000 was provided for in the new act, also to be appointed by the Librarian of Congress, with authority during the absence of the Register to attach the seal and perform other necessary functions.

The law directs that the Register of Copyrights "shall print at periodic intervals a catalogue of the titles of articles . . . together with suitable indexes, and at stated intervals . . . complete and indexed catalogues for each class of copyright entries," which "shall be admitted in any court as prima facie evidence," shall be promptly distributed to collectors of customs and postmasters of all exchange offices and shall be furnished to others at a price not exceeding $5 per annum for the complete catalogue or $1 for the catalogues issued during the year for any one class.

The practice of the Copyright Office is to make for each copyrighted book an index card, in conformity with the printed catalogue card of the Library of Congress, and to utilize the linotype slugs set for this purpose, with some modification, as the basis for the 'Catalogue of copyright entries" for books. The catalogue for books proper, Part I, Group I, is printed weekly with an annual index, which, together with Part I, Group 2, issued monthly with more condensed entries,― containing the titles for all other material registered under the legal designation "book," not found in Group I, i. e., local directories and other an

nuals, pamphlets, leaflets and literary contributions to periodicals, as also dramatic compositions, lectures and maps, including also the preliminary reports of court decisions,—may be subscribed for at a price of $1 per year. Part II, appearing monthly, covers periodicals, with an annual index, at fifty cents per year. Part III, appearing monthly, covers music, with an annual index, at $1 per year. Part IV, appearing monthly, covers works of art, reproductions of a work of art, drawings or plastic works of a scientific character, photographs and prints and pictorial illustrations, with an annual index, at fifty cents per year. The subscription price for the entire catalogue is $3 per year. Subscriptions should be sent direct to the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., with money orders or drafts in his name (stamps and uncertified checks not accepted), and should not be sent to the Librarian of Congress or to the Copyright Office.

The Library of Congress prints for all such books as Entry cards are selected from the copyright deposits for use in the Library, on the decision of the Commission appointed by the Librarian, a catalogue card which forms part of the library card catalogue system, and which can be had by public libraries and by private purchasers at the price of two cents a card. This card is used for the catalogues of the Library of Congress and for the catalogues of depository libraries throughout the country, but is not furnished in exchange by the Smithsonian Institution to foreign institutions. The catalogue cards for "books" in Group 2, representing considerably more than twice as many registrations as Group I, as well as the index cards for all articles comprised in the remaining classes of copyright deposits, are prepared in the Copyright Office, and are not furnished to other libraries or to the public.

Text provisions

Copyright records

Register of copyrights and assist

The provisions as to the Copyright Office, its administration, methods and practice, are set forth in the American code of 1909 in much detail, as follows:

“(Sec. 47.) That all records and other things relating to copyrights required by law to be preserved shall be kept and preserved in the copyright office, Library of Congress, District of Columbia, and shall be under the control of the register of copyrights, who shall, under the direction and supervision of the Librarian of Congress, perform all the duties relating to the registration of copyrights.

'(Sec. 48.) That there shall be appointed by the Librarian of Congress a register of copyrights, at a ant register salary of four thousand dollars per annum, and one

Deposit and report of fees

assistant register of copyrights, at a salary of three thousand dollars per annum, who shall have authority during the absence of the register of copyrights to attach the copyright office seal to all papers issued from the said office and to sign such certificates and other papers as may be necessary. There shall also be appointed by the Librarian such subordinate assistants to the register as may from time to time be authorized by law.

“(Sec. 49.) That the register of copyrights shall make daily deposits in some bank in the District of Columbia, designated for this purpose by the Secretary of the Treasury as a national depository, of all moneys received to be applied as copyright fees, and shall make weekly deposits with the Secretary of the Treasury, in such manner as the latter shall direct, of all copyright fees actually applied under the provisions of this Act, and annual deposits of sums received which it has not been possible to apply as copyright fees or to return to the remitters, and shall also make monthly reports to the Secretary of the Treasury and to the Librarian of Congress of the