The report was accepted, and the committee continued and directed to carry out the recommendation contained in the report.
The following reports of the publication committee and the committee on study outlines were read:
REPORT OF PUBLICATION COMMITTEE
The publication committee of the League respectfully reports:
That they have had under consideration during the past year two publications, neither of which the committee has found necessary to publish, but both of which are to be published elsewhere.
Application was made to the committee for a new edition of Mrs. McDonald-Jones' "Magazines for the small library." At about the time this request was received it was learned that Mr. F. K. Walter had prepared a manuscript for publication which was substantially such a revision. The committee held a meeting at the mid-winter meeting of the Western Section of the League and recommended to the A. L. A. Publishing Board that this be published. We are informed that the Publishing Board has issued this and that it is now obtainable.
The committee has also had under consideration during the year the publication of a "Reading list for the insane" prepared with great care by Miss Miriam E. Carey of the Minnesota public library commission. The committee hesitated to recommend the publication of this since it seemed that the demand for it would be so limited that it would be difficult to obtain returns for the money expended. The committee is informed, however, that the list will be printed by the A. L. A. Publishing Board and that suitable arrangements for its distribution to libraries will be made.
The committee reports that the committee on study outlines, which was originally a subcommittee of the publication committee, has, as shown by their report submitted herewith, arrived at a satisfactory form of study-club outline.
It is therefore recommended that immediate steps be taken to secure the preparation of study outlines to be printed at once. If no other procedure can be found the committee suggests that after a list of the most desirable subjects to be covered is made up, a limited number of subjects be assigned to each active commission, with agreement on their part to prepare at as early a date as possible suitable outlines on these subjects, conforming each as nearly as may be to the form adopted by the League; that all these outlines be submitted to some one person to be edited in order to secure substantial uniformity of form and to insure that the outline will be useful in other states and that the committee be authorized to secure the immediate printing of these if this can be done on a basis which is financially sound.
Informal discussion of this plan with several of the commissions indicates that the work can be done in this way. It is strongly urged that this work should be inaugurated at once.