12 p. ms. fair copy.
Bernard Woodward was appointed to the post of Librarian in July 1860 after the death of his predecessor, John Glover. On his appointment, Woodward was encouraged to reform the Royal Library. In this, his first report, he makes all too evident the need for major change and reorganisation. Among the most urgent changes that Woodward identified were organising extra shelf space, arranging for a catalogue to be created, and reclassifying the Library into a subject order. His aim was to create ‘a complete Diplomatic and Historical Library, and a complete, but select General Library, combined’.