Libraries of Economics, Political Science and Sociology.- The literature of economic and social problems is to be found in the col lections of the Interstate Commerce Commis sion, 23,000 volumes and pamphlets; Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, 20,000 vol umes and pamphlets; Bureau of Labor Statis tics, 32,000 volumes and pamphlets; Department of Commerce, 103,738 volumes and pamphlets; Treasury Department, 11,580 volumes and pamphlets. There is also in Washington a li brary of the United States public documents under direction of the superintendent of public documents which contains 193,533 volumes. Other special libraries in Washington, but non official, are the Bureau' of Railway Economics, 60,000 volumes and pamphlets, and the Volta Bureau (deafness), 9,000 volumes and pam phlets. The Library of Congress has a large collection of embossed books for the blind. An other interesting special collection at Washing ton is that of the Carnegie Endowment for In ternational Peace, containing 11,000 items, peace, international conciliation and league of nations.
Science and There are many scientific libraries, however, outside of the Dis trict of Columbia. The oldest collection of the sort is undoubtedly that of the American Phil osophical Society, Philadelphia, founded in 1743. This has 65,413 volumes, mainly relat ing to pure and applied science. The American Academy of Sciences of Boston is probably the next in point of age, its date of foundation being 1780. It has 34,681 volumes. The lar gest library specializingin scientific and tech nical literature is the John Crerar Library of Chicago, with 384,603 volumes. Other collec tions of importance are Boston Society of Nat ural History, 40,617 volumes; Franklin Insti tute, Philadelphia (1824), 71,020 volumes, 28, 845 pamphlets. The schools of technology have necessarily developed libraries along the lines of work treated in their courses. The largest is perhaps the library of the Massachusetts In stitute of Technology numbering 121,711 vol umes. The library of Cornell is also strong m technical works (489,654 vols.) ; Sheffield School (Yale; 12,500 vols.) ; Lehigh (130,000 vols.) ; Wagner Free Institute of Science (Philadelphia; 25,000 vols.) ; Rose Polytech nique Institute (Terre Haute; 15,360 vols.); Armour Institute of Technology (Chicago; 27,869 vols.) ; Stevens Institute (Hoboken; 12,700 vols.) ; Worcester Polytechnic Institute (15,000 vols.) ; Michigan College of Mines (28,050 vols.) ; Missouri School of Mines (20, 495 vols.) ; Virginia Polytechnic Institute (28. 072 vols.) ; Alabama Polytechnic (27,550 vols.). Many State universities pay attention to tech nology and the applied sciences, agriculture in particular. Among the noteworthy collections
are those of the State agricultural colleges of Kansas (57,800 vols.) ; Michigan (38,561 vols.) ; North Dakota (26,620 vols.) ; and Utah (28, 946 vols.). The University of Tennessee also has a valuable collection of agricultural books and pamphlets. The largest collection, how ever, is the spendid library of the Department of Agriculture at Washington, numbering 137, 700 items.
Social Sciences, Economics, etc.—A 'very recent library development has been indicated in the departments of economics and sociology. The great industries have discovered the value of collections of literature, both as history and as a guide to future developments. Thus the railways of the United States have organized a Bureau of Railway Economics for the study of transportation problems. This has a library of some items at Washington, D. C Other libraries similar in purpose but in a dif ferent field are those that have been developed by the great insurance companies, the most noteworthy being that of the Prudential In surance Company, at Newark, N. J., which has a collection which is said to number 200,000 items on life insurance and allied topics. The Mutual Life has 30,000 items; the Metropoli tan 20,000 volumes; and the Insurance Library Association, Boston, 21,000 items. Finance is represented also by some interesting collections. Thus the National City Bank of New York has a library of 24,000 volumes on banking, etc.; American Bankers' Association, New York, 48,000 items; Lee, Higginson & Company, Boston, 50,000 items. See LIBRARIES, COM MERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL.
A few special collections in sociology and social reform have appeared recently, the lar gest probably being that of the Russell Sage Foundation, New York, with 51,695 items. The Children's Bureau at Washington has a collec tion of books upon its specialty and the Bu reau of Labor has a library of 32,000 volumes on economic and social topics. There are a great many society and association libraries in the United States, the collections of Masonic Order being of interest, that of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite at Washington containing some 75,000 items.
Bibliography.— Bostwick, 'The American Public Library' (New York 1910) ; Dana, 'A Library Primer' (Chicago 1910) ; Fletcher, 'Public Libraries in America> (Boston 1899) ; Jewett, 'Notices of Public Libraries in the United States' (Smithsonian Reports. Appen dix. Washington 1857) ; United $tates Bureau of Education, 'Public Libraries in the United States' (Special report 1876; Washington 1876); id., 'List of Public Society and School Libraries' ; 'American Library Annual.'