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REPORT

OF

THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS,

Washington, D. C., December 5, 1927. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith my report as Librarian of Congress for the year ending June 30, 1927. That portion of it which deals with the care of the physical establishment (excepting such matters as now come within the jurisdiction of the Architect of the Capitol) is set forth in the statement of the administrative assistant, Mrs. Woods, beginning at page 190, who also, as disbursing officer, submits the usual analysis of expenditures, including receipts and expenditures from trust funds. The report of the register of copyrights is attached as Appendix II.

Bequests.

My last report began with a mention of certain addi- RESOURCES: tions to our resources in the form of gift, bequest, and endowment, the last named especially encouraged and facilitated by the creation of the Library of Congress Trust Fund Board. The past year has brought notable additions to these of material (in the bequest by the late Harry Houdini of his collections on magic and on spiritism, and by Mrs. John Boyd Thacher of the four collections made by her husband and already on deposit with us but without relinquishment of title); and of pecuniary resources, in the endowment of two "chairs," and in gifts of money for immediate application in the fields of American history and for the development of our bibliographic apparatus.

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The nature and extent of the Houdini and Thacher collections are set forth in some detail under "Accessions [infral. A reference to those passages will indicate the unusual character of the Houdini collections, and the

Endowments.