In last year's report it was stated that a special collection, showing the kind of work done by library binders, had been started by this committee. During the past year this collection has been materially increased by samples submitted by different binders; it now includes work from 34 binders covering the entire country from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific. The collection was formed so that when librarians write to ask about the work of specific binders, the work itself can be examined and intelligent answers given.

Notices of the collection were printed in the various library periodicals and a certain numbers of requests for information have been received; a smaller number than the committee hoped for, but sufficient to warrant keeping the collection up-to-date.

In view of certain criticisms of this collection, it may be well to state that it is not the purpose to print criticisms of the work of different binders, or to grade them in any way. When asked for information the committee will not compare the work of one binder with another, neither will librarians be advised to desert one binder and employ another. All that will be done will be to send suggestions as to ways in which the work of the binder in question can be improved. In order to do this the work of the binder must be available for examination. The committee fails to see how any binder can take offense at this method, or claim that other binders are being officially recognized by the A. L. A.

The announcement of the publishers of the Encyclopaedia Britannica that they were about to issue a Yearbook which would be printed only on India paper called forth a protest from this committee against the use of thin paper—a protest which had no effect whatever until letters protesting against its use had been sent to the publishers by 50 librarians of the larger libraries. Even then the sole concession that the publishers made was to agree to bind 750 copies on ordinary paper, provided that we could guarantee a sale of that number. For this reason the committee asks that those who wish to purchase a thick paper edition of the Yearbook register their orders with the committee. If the total number by July 1st amounts to 750 copies, the publishers will be notified to that effect. Many librarians have refused to buy the India paper edition, and it is evident that if all librarians would refuse to get it, the publishers would realize that the demands of librarians in this respect should be heeded.

There have been comparatively few reference books published or announced during the year which the committee felt would need to be bound especially for library use. It was thought advisable, however, to submit our specifications for binding the new editions of the Standard Dictionary and Appleton's Cyclopaedia of American Biography. The publishers of the Standard Dictionary adopted practically all of the specifications and the publishers of the Cyclopaedia of American Biography now have them under consideration.

In this connection it is worthy of notice that the publishers of reference books are not only giving studied attention to binding processes, but they also realize more fully than they did a few years ago the necessity of using leather which is free-from-acid. Until within the last two or three years it has been difficult to get leathers tanned according to the specifications of the Society of Arts. Recently, however, several firms in this country have begun to specialize in leathers free-from-acid; and in addition to this, the Government Printing Office insists on having a certain amount of such leather and calls for it in its proposals for bids. These are encouraging signs that in the future we may hope to get leather which will not disintegrate so rapidly as that which we have been obliged to use for many years past.

With assured standards of book cloths and leathers, which manufacturers, publishers, binders and librarians each year are recognizing more and more as vital to the proper construction of a serviceable book, there remains only paper to be carefully standardized. Some efforts are being made by private companies and by the government to discover which papers are best for certain uses, but at present the librarian at least knows little of the subject and is practically at the mercy of the publisher.

ARTHUR L. BAILEY,
ROSE G. MURRAY,
J. RITCHIE PATTERSON.