Excerpt from Fifth Annual Report of the Library Board of the Virginia State Library, 1907-1908: To Which Is Appended the Fifth Annual Report of the State Librarian

In the second place, this library borrows from the Library of Congress, both for its own use and for the use of its patrons, a greater number of books than it borrows from all other institutions combined. To the books referred to in a former paragraph as being borrowed for the use of our bibliographer must be added those that are borrowed in the course of the work of publishing the set of Journals of the House of Burgesses. Several of the original Journals of the House of Burgesses owned by the Library of Congress furnish the text followed in our reprints, they having been sent to this library and here copied entire. The bound volume containing the Bancroft Transcripts - transcripts made from the English colonial records for the use of the historian George Bancroft when writing his great history has several times been sent to this library. Many of the transcripts have been copied, and appear in the volumes of Journals as appendixes. Special permission to use the transcripts in this way was obtained from the librarian of Congress. The Bancroft Transcripts have an intrinsic value of 3200 (that is, it would take probably that much to have the originals in England copied again were these lost), and a sentimental value, from having been associated with the distinguished historian, greater still. The volume con taining the original Journals (journals for many sessions bound into one book) is worth six or eight hundred dollars. It will thus be seen that in cases of great need the liberality of the Library of Congress is great to meet it.

In the third place, this library is using wherever possible in its cata logue the Library of Congress printed cards, just as are many other libraries throughout the country. For these cards it is of course paying the regular market price; but since our books are being in many sections reclassified, as well as catalogued, and since we are following, wherever possible, in order to save time and to insure accuracy, the Library of Congress classification, which has not for all sections been printed, it becomes necessary for us to borrow, for the purpose of copying, the typewritten sheets containing the classifications of the sections desired. And at no time have we asked for the loan of the sheets that the request has not been at once granted.

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