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 CHAPTER II

ACQUISITION OF BOOKS

The contents of a library may be increased (i) by purchase, (2) by donation, (a) spontaneous, (b) legally enforced, (3) by exchange.

The purchase of books is perhaps the most pleasing, though one of the most difficult, tasks of the librarian. Nearly all the new publications of the chief European countries and of the United States are recorded in the periodical lists, compiled either by publishers (as in this country, France, and Germany), or by some Government institution (as in Italy). A complete list of these is given in the appendix to the present chapter. For any library but the very largest these sources of information are amply sufficient, and lack of funds is the only difficulty encountered in the purchase of books still in print. It is, however, usually the business of a National library to make a complete collection of books published under the national flag, and whether or no these are due under the provisions of a copyright act, much trouble is encountered in ascertaining the existence of a certain proportion of those which are either printed for private circulation, or too unimportant to be advertised except locally. Again, it is usually the duty of a large 44