Mr. LIEN: I wanted that done especially for the reason that I think those recommendations would be of considerable force and influence with the legislative committees in case legislation was neces sary. President WYER: We come now to the order of election of officers. We will call for the report of the Nominating committee, Mr. Brown of Indiana, chairman. The secretary will read the report. The secretary read the report as follows: Your Committee on nominations for officers to serve the National Association of State Libraries for 1914-15 begs to report as follows: For President-J. L. Gillis of California. 1st Vice-President-Thomas M. Owen of Alabama. 2nd Vice-President-Chas. F. D. Belden of Massachusetts. Secretary-Treasurer-C. B. Lester of Wisconsin. Your committee understands that the incoming president will appoint the standing committees. DEMARCHUS C. BROWN, President WYER: You have heard the report. What is your pleasure? Mr. GODARD: I move that the secretary be instructed to cast the ballot of the Association for the officers nominated. The motion was seconded and agreed to, and the secretary cast the ballot of the Association for the different officers nominated. President WYER: The Auditing committee, Dr. Owen of Alabama, chairman, will now make its report. Dr. Owen submitted the report of the Auditing committee as follows: REPORT OF AUDITING COMMITTEE The books and accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer have been audited and the balance found to be correct as follows: 3 certificates of deposit in the First National Bank of Madison, dated April 14, 1914 .$400.00 Cash in same bank as per bank book balance 161.68 Total ......$561.68 THOMAS M. OWEN The motion was seconded and agreed to. President WYER: The next order of business is the report of the Committee on resolutions, Mr. Godard chairman, following the adoption of the one resolution on which we acted a short time ago. Mr. GODARD: The Committee on resolutions would respectfully report the following resolution relating to a national ar chive building: WHEREAS, The official files and records of the United States government are now widely scattered in Washington and elsewhere, and in many instances in quarters wholly unfit, unsafe, and inaccessible both to officials and to students: our RESOLVED, That we, the members of the National Association of State Libraries now assembled in Washington in 17th annual conference, most respectfully urge those in authority to take such action as shall result in the speedy construction and equipment of a suitable national archive building, lest our national archives meet with some such disaster as that which occurred at the New York state library. RESOLVED, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the President of the United States and the appropriate official of Congress. Dr. OWEN: I move the adoption of this resolution with reference to the national archive building. The motion was seconded and agreed to. Mr. GODARD: When I spoke of the national legislative reference service it was informally on the floor, because I had not had a chance to see Mr. Lapp, and I have not seen him now. I did not want to present the report without showing it to " him. But there is nothing new in this report which was not adopted by our meeting a year ago. The only thing I can report is that it is suggested that we utilize the legislative reference departments that we now have, and in order to have this report go on record I should like to read it. President WYER: Simply as a matter of information to the Association? Mr. GODARD: No, as a report of the committee. It reads: REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE MATION SERVICE Your Joint Committee upon a national legislative information service respectfully reports as follows: In these days of easy and quick communication and transportation the interests and welfare of our several states are fast being unified. It is therefore most desirable that so far as possible the laws of the several states along well-defined interstate topics should be uniform. To this end, it is essential that so far as possible proposed legislation and progress of the same should be easily accessible at our several capitals. To make such information of real value the service must be prompt and regular. The information must be reliable, and so far as possible digested. It must be confined to the work of legislation and the activities of our several legislatures. Last and not least, our service must be national. No one state, nor group of states, can determine what is necessary for any other state, or group of states. Neither can the activities of the legislature of any state, or group of states, be disregarded. The service must be national, but so planned as to permit any state to discard such of the material as it may care to disregard. Your committee is pleased to report that it is convinced that such a national legislative information service at a nominal price is possible, feasible and desirable. We recommend that a special committee, of whom the present president shall be one, be appointed to represent this association, in conference with a similar committee already appointed by the American Association of Law Libraries, to confer with the Law Reporting Company of New York, which has expressed its willingness to undertake to render such a service at a minimum cost, probably not to exceed $100 for the year 1915. The ability of this firm to render such a national legislative information service we believe is unquestioned, as it has an international reputation for accuracy and promptness and has representatives at our several capitals. Respectfully submitted, GEORGE S. GODARD, Chairman. President WYER: The chair for information which he does not now possess would ask the chairman if this is a report from an existing committee of this Association? Mr. GODARD: Yes. President WYER: The chair did not have the proceedings of last year, and there might have been several committees in existence which he did not know anything about. This then is the report of a committee created by this Association in time past which has conferred with a similar committee from the Association of Law Libraries, and begs to submit the report which you have heard read. Mr. LIEN: I move the adoption of the report. The motion was seconded. Mr. GODARD: May I just add one word as a matter of personal privilege? It is this: I dislike to give up a thing when I start on it. That is, I want to report it to the Association. I do not care one rap whether it is adopted or " not, because I have to pay just as much as you do, but I do think that is the only feasible way to get at it although it is a big thing no matter how you come at it. The motion was agreed to. President Wyer read the following telegram: Nashville, Tenn., May 27, 1914. President National Association of State Libraries: Greetings and best wishes for a successful conference. MARY SKEFFINGTON, Tennessee State Library. President WYER: The Committee on resolutions offers a resolution of thanks to the officers and those who have contributed to the success of the meeting here. The resolution was adopted. President WYER: There is an item of business coming over from the former session. The statement from the Executive committee, which was then laid upon the table, was to be made a special order here. A motion to take it from the table and make it the special order will be considered. Is it the pleasure of the Association to consider that report? It will involve the decision as to printing the proceedings. The substance of it is that the Executive committee of this Association in 1911 decided to print our proceedings separately and not in the A. L. A. proceedings, and only to abstract them in the latter. Two reasons were given at the time that decision was made. One was that they would thereby get into print much quicker than if we left their publication to the A. L. A. The other was that it was more dignified and compatible with our separate standing among the powers of the earth to have our proceedings printed separately and not in the A. L. A. proceedings. The statement from our Executive committee indicates that the first reason has obviously lost all its force because we have not had printed yet the proceedings either for 1912 or 1913. The second reason did not impress your present Executive committee because the A. L. A. will print us separate copies in separate form for the use of our members; and for the further reason that it seems to the committee that it is more valuable to have our proceedings published in the A. L. A. volume with other interesting and related library material, when they will give us fifteen pages free and reprint our separate work at mere cost of press work, cheaper than it is to print it ourselves. If it is your pleasure to take this matter from the table and decide it here, it might facilitate publication. Mr. LIEN: I move that the matter be taken from the table and considered at this time. The motion was seconded and agreed to. President WYER: Therefore the matter is now before you, and the only ques tion involved is, do you wish to settle the matter of publication now, whether we shall publish our proceedings separately or in the A. L. A. proceedings, or do you wish to leave it to your incoming Execu tive committee? Mr. LIEN: May I ask if that is a report of a committee, or in what form is it at this time? President WYER: In effect it was a report, but it is a statement made by the Executive committee of matters it deemed should be laid before the meeting. Mr. BROWN: I understand that the suggestion made there is that the proceedings of this association be printed with the A. L. A. proceedings. President WYER: Yes. Mr. BROWN: Nothing is said then about printing a separate volume, but we can easily get pamphlets. President WYER: Something is said. We have the assurance, and it is incorporated in the report, that the A. L. A. will print under the old condition that they formerly did print our report, namely, give us fifteen pages without cost, and they will charge us the cost price for such pages as overrun fifteen, and they will print for us separate copies with our cover and title-page at the mere cost of I N such title-page, and the press work and paper. Mr. LIEN: Would a motion to adopt that recommendation be a proper one? President WYER: There is no recommendation, but a motion to instruct the present president and secretary of the Association, who are charged with the printing of the proceedings of this meeting, to have them so printed, will be in order. Mr. LIEN: I so move. President WYER: It is moved that the proceedings of this meeting be printed in the A. L. A. proceedings at rates offered by that Association, and that a suitable number of separate copies be printed for distribution to the members of this Association. Those favoring that motion will say "aye." Mr. GODARD: I notice you say "the members of the Association." It has been customary to send it to all state librarians whether they were members or not, hoping that the librarian of today who was not really able to come might come next year. I should say to give them to all state librarians. President WYER: That is in line with the report we have heard from the chairman of the Committee on distribution of documents. I am sure Minnesota will accept that amendment. The number, it may be said, varies somewhat, the same number of proceedings in separate form not being sent to all state librarians, but this will insure that every state librarian gets at least one copy whether the librarian be a member or not. Those favoring the amended motion will say "aye." The motion was agreed to. Secretary LESTER: Perhaps I might say, so that the members may understand what that printing will involve, that your vote means that we will go back to the form of printing used from 1905 to 1910 inclusive-1911 was the change and that the usual number in the past has been 300 copies of separates. I will follow that same rule unless otherwise instructed. Mr. COLE: Do you still send in accordance with the amount of contribution in annual dues? Secretary LESTER: Not necessarily. Mr. COLE: I have been receiving more than I really cared for. Secretary LESTER: I think it is true that there has never been any complaint of too few, and some have, as Mr. Cole suggested, received more than they need. President WYER: I think the secretary will always be glad to have returned to his office any surplus copies which may not be needed or desired. If there is no further business to be brought before the Association a motion to adjourn is in order. Mr. BROWN: I move we adjourn. The motion was seconded and agreed to, and the Association adjourned sine die. LEAGUE OF LIBRARY COMMISSIONS FIRST SESSION (Tuesday, May 26, 9:30 a. m.) The League of Library Commissions met in the New Willard Hotel; the president, Miss Elizabeth B. Wales, occupied the chair. In the absence of the secretary, Mr. Robert P. Bliss of Pennsylvania was appointed secretary pro tem. The report of the secretary was read and on motion approved. The president appointed a committee to make nominations to fill the various offices, as follows: Dr. Thomas M. Owen, Alabama; Miss Carrie E. Scott, Indiana; Miss Fannie C. Rawson, Kentucky. The committee was asked to report before the close of the morning session. After a short statement by the presiIdent of the tendency to divide the free library work among a number of agencies and the importance of arriving at some definition of the commission field, she called on Mr. JOHNSON BRIGHAM of Iowa, who read a paper on the topic: COÖRDINATION NOT COMPETITION The closer we get to the relation existing between the Library Commission and the state, the more we must be impressed with a sense of responsibility. When the commonwealth created the Library Commission, making it a component part of our educational system, its purpose the better equipment of the citizen for the duties of citizenship, it put upon the commission worker a heavy burden of service. The League of Library Commissions, an outgrowth of desire on the part of isolated commissions to "get together" for comparison of experiences and the con sideration of plans for service, like all other federated bodies is in more or less danger of enthusiastic commitment to policies reaching out beyond the scope of operations included in the purpose of its originators and in the law which origi nally made it an agent of the state for the accomplishment of that purpose. We have so often heard the demagog cry "Close to the people," that, like the traditional wolf-scare, the cry has lost some of its force. And yet it cannot be ignored. We cannot ignore the fact that the public is behind us-the taxpaying public, the tradition-bound public-a public in at least one respect like the well-advertised man from our league president's state, in that it has to be shown-a public that when in bad temper is given to very plain speech concerning commissions in general-not always making an exception in favor of the Library Commission. Said the chairman of a Senate appropriations committee recently: "If I had my way I'd abolish your commission. About the only thing I see in it is a nice easy place for one woman at a big salary, and junketing expenses for the rest!" The circumstance that, in view of the splendid record the commission in question has made, a Senate leader could be so blind and so unjust, and that the man who made the remark was virtually in control of legislative appropriations, reveals the fact that the Library Commission must not be content to "make good" -it must make itself felt. Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson have taught us a lesson. Certain of their demands might have carried insufficient weight with legislators, but for their way of appealing from indifferent and antagonistic statesmen directly to the people'starting a back-fire compelling the legisla |
