HAS OVER 2,000,000 VOLS.

The University Library has passed the two-million mark and is now the third library in size in the whole country. Its present extent in number of volumes and pamphlets is 2,018,100, according to the annual report of Prof. Archibald C. Coolidge, Director of the Library. Only two libraries in the country, the Congressional Library at Washington and the New York Public Library are larger, and no other university library rivals it in size.

Of the two million books, somewhat more than a million are housed in the Widener Memorial Library building, while the others are distributed in 41 special and departmental libraries elsewhere in the University. The Law School Library alone, for example, contains over 200,000 volumes. The total number of volumes and pamphlets added to the collection last year was 78,246.

According to the records of the Loan Desk, 114,219 books were lent for home, reading room, study, or stall use during the year 1919-20. These figures do not include the unrecorded use of books in the reading rooms and the stacks, which cannot be computed.

"The purchase of books by the library," writes Professor Coolidge in his report, "has been greatly affected by the extraordinary condition of the money market. Owing to the rates of exchange it has been possible to buy books in Austria, Germany, Italy, France, and even England at a figure undreamt of before. On the other hand, the very high prices of American books discourage any but the most necessary purchases in this country. The University Library, like many others, has tried to make the best use of opportunities not likely to recur and has ordered large numbers of foreign works at the prevailing prices.

"The total of orders sent was double that of the preceding year or of almost any other year in the history of the Library. At times the operation was somewhat of a gamble, owing to the violent fluctuations of exchange and to the efforts of the sellers, and more especially of the German government, to counter-balance unprofitable exchange by the imposition of special charges. In spite, however, of such uncertainties, the Library was able to make many purchases on terms favorable to itself and in several directions to add materially to its strength."