The Origins and Development of International Publication Exchange in Nineteenth-Century America

International exchange of publications is now such a standard function among research and specialized libraries that it is often taken for granted. However, the development of such exchanges in nineteenth-century America was a key factor in the professionalization of science and the growth of scientific and cultural institutions, as well as in the evolution of a national identity in the world scientific community. Many American learned societies and scientists entered the world-wide system of scientific communication through publication exchange programs.

This study demonstrates how the U.S. international publication exchange system helped facilitate the transition of the United States from a small scientific community dependent on Europe to a world scientific, intellectual, and cultural leader. It begins in 1771 with the distribution of the first volume of the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society (APS) and closes with the signing of the Brussels Convention of 1886, which led to the appointment of the Smithsonian Institution as the U.S. official exchange agent.

In their early years, successful exchange programs benefitted from the service of dedicated individuals. Benjamin Franklin, John Vaughan and David Bailie Warden served as "exchange agents" for the APS and other early learned societies, such as the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The difficulties of establishing and maintaining exchange programs fueled American enthusiasm for French entrepreneur Alexandre Vattemare, who came to the United States in the 1840s to promote his Paris-based exchange system.

When the Smithsonian Institution was founded in 1846, its first Secretary, Joseph Henry, established an international publication exchange program as part of his plan to foster scientific research. Assistant Secretary Spencer F. Baird's adept management helped the institution become the central conduit for international publication exchange for American scientists and scientific and educational societies, and, in the 1870s, for the exchange of official U.S. government publications on behalf of the Library of Congress. The Smithsonian's acceptance of this official role and, moreover, of federal appropriations to support this program, were pivotal features in establishing the institution's international identity and in its transformation from a private research institute into a national center for American science.