Please describe each step of these operations seriatim and in detail, not omitting such as are purely mechanical, and noting points where different assistants would be apt to act in different ways. A description of the operation of accessioning in the New York public library (Reference department) is enclosed as a sample. If you can not do this, please notify us immediately, that another library may be put on the list in your place. Yours truly, ARTHUR E. BOSTWICK, Chairman, HARRY M. LYDENBERG, ETHEL F. McCOLLOUGH, A. L. A. Com. on Administration. Sooner or later we obtained the desired data from 20 of the 26 libraries to which this letter was sent. Only one, the Grosvenor Library of Buffalo, returned no answer. Five declined on various grounds. The California State library wrote to us: "We do not feel satisfied with our present arrangements and do not believe we are in a position to offer any suggestions that would be of service in connection with this investigation." The Mercantile library of New York wrote: "We regret that we find ourselves unable to co-operate with your committee in this undertaking." The librarian of Trinity college, Hartford, writes that "with the exception of student assistants the librarian is the entire staff." The senior regent of Shurtleff college, Alton, Ill., writes: "Our building is not yet complete and in the management of the old, we are so nearly without a system that I hardly feel it worth while to try to reply to these questions." The librarian of the New York Engineering Societies writes: "This library * * * has no charging system. Its system of accessioning will be abandoned as soon as possible. I suggest that you enter another library on your list." Replies such as these seem to imply a misconception of the nature and purposes of a survey. Our object is to ascertain facts, not to gather a selected number of ideal cases. For these five libraries the following were substituted: Westminster College, Fulton, Mo. Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. Washington State Library. New York Society Library. Forbes Library, Northampton, Mass. These furnished that data for which we asked, with the exception of the Washington State library, which declined. We have material, therefore, from 24 libraries altogether. The last of this body of data comes to hand just as this preliminary report goes to press, but it is being digested and tabulated and some of the results, at least, will be ready for the Ottawa meeting, although there will not be time for any study of these results or for recommendations based thereon. The reports from the various libraries will be on file at headquarters at Ottawa and will be accessible to all members of the association who desire to consult them. Regarding the question of the counting of circulation through traveling libraries, deposits and the like, which has been referred to your committee, we beg to report as follows:--