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31.
[[underline]] USES OF THE LIBRARY. [[/underline]]
Besides the ordinary uses of a library, which hold true all the world over, I wish to emphasize one particular use to which our collection of books will be put that may be, in a sense, unique.
The field workers for the first few years will in all probability not be sinologues. It will be of the utmost importance to their progress that there be constant communication between them in the field and their colleagues in the library. They will be sending to headquarters rubbings of inscriptions and accounts of what they are uncovering. Their finds must be translated at once and commented upon in the light of an accumulation of literary material. In this way an excavator, or a field worker in any subject, will receive constant explanation of his material, and may at any time call upon the sinologues at headquarters for historical data that will have important bearing on his particular interest. The result will be equivalent to daily use of a large field library, and will enable the practical archaeologist and the sinology to work into one another's hands.
It will be found that the staff of the School are not the only persons who wish to make use of our library, and for this reason we should make adequate, but simple, provision for work in the building which may be of advantage to visitors. I should advise that we hold ourselves ready to undertake all the usual functions of a library except that of lending, which should never be permitted under any circumstances.