The secretary has written four or five articles on the A. L. A. for various encyclopedias and year books, and has endeavored to get the association listed in all the leading reference almanacs and annuals. Lectures before library schools by the secretary regarding the A. L. A. and its work, and official representation at the state meetings have also given publicity to the association.
During the past year twelve persons have received library appointments through recommendations of the secretary. This is a somewhat smaller number than the year before when about fifteen were helped to positions through the executive office. With two or three exceptions the secretary has made recommendations only when requested to do so.
The work of the publishing board occupies practically three-quarters of the time of the assistant secretary, at least half of the time of the stenographer and order assistant and probably a quarter of the time of the secretary. In consideration of this the publishing board appropriates $2,000 a year to the operating expenses of the office. The work of the publishing board is heavier than ever before in its history; the receipts from sales for the calendar year 1911 being $8,502.88, and for the first five months of 1912 $6,090.16. Further notice of this feature of the work of the office can be found in the report of the A. L. A. publishing board presented in print at this conference.
The secretary wishes here to commend most heartily the faithful services of his fellow-workers at the executive office, Miss Clara A. Simms and Miss Gwendolyn I. Brigham. Their capable and willing service has been a large factor in the work of the association and its publishing board and without such intelligence and loyal help the results of the year could not have been attained. For the active co-operation and good will of the officers and other members of the executive board the secretary is deeply grateful. It has been a pleasure to work under such congenial conditions.
Membership—There are more members in the A. L. A. at the present time than ever before in the history of the association. The secretary has conducted as vigorously as possible a steady campaign for new members, this work not only being the duty of the office but directly in line with the conviction of the secretary who has recommended membership in the national association to all library workers in the earnest belief that this action is fully as beneficial to the individual as to the association.
When the January membership bills were mailed we enclosed in each envelope an appeal for the member addressed to secure at least one new member for the association. This resulted directly in the addition of over one hundred new members and the secretary wishes to take this opportunity to thank most sincerely and heartily those members who aided in this work. Besides the pleasure of securing these new members it was gratifying to feel that so many old members took such practical interest in aiding the association. In April membership appeals were sent to 1854 members of state library associations who were not members of the A. L. A. This has resulted in a fair increase of membership. In December the secretary sent letters requesting membership to 232 library people who had, according to the news columns of library periodicals, recently changed their positions assumably for the better. In addition to these more or less impersonal appeals the secretary has written a large number of personal letters to those with whom he is either personally acquainted or else with whom he has conducted an office correspondence. As in all other lines of business it is this personal appeal that has been the most effective and has brought the largest percentage of returns.
When the 1911 Handbook went to press last August there were 2046 members in the A. L. A. Of this number 13 have since died and 26 have resigned. Since last August 351 new members have been received making the present total net membership 2,358. Assuming that the usual number, or about 150 persons, will discontinue their membership this summer the net membership in the 1912 Handbook will be approximately 2,208. Of the present total membership 332 are library or institutional members, 24 of whom have joined since last August.
A. L. A. Representatives at Other Conferences—The practice of having an officer or officially appointed delegate represent the association at the state library association meetings has been followed the past year with success fully equal to that in previous years. Since the Pasadena conference there have been 39 state or provincial library meetings, and a speaker representing the A. L. A. has been present at 16 of these. The A. L. A. at present has too small a budget to meet the traveling expenses of these speakers, which have been met either by the state association or by the delegates personally.
The joint conference of Michigan and Ohio at Cedar Point, Ohio, Sept. 2-8, was attended by Mrs. H. L. Elmendorf, president of the American library association, who delivered an address on "Joy Reading," and by the secretary, who spoke informally on the work of the A. L. A. The New York state meeting in New York City, Sept. 25-30, was also attended by both the president and secretary, Mrs. Elmendorf giving her address on "Joy Reading," and the secretary speaking on "What the American Library Association Stands For."
Mrs. Elmendorf was the official delegate to the Keystone State library association meeting at Saegertown, Pa., Oct. 19-21, giving an address on "Joy Reading;" at the District of Columbia library association conference, at Washington, November 8, where she gave a talk on some of the recent books; and at the New York state teachers' association meeting at Albany, Nov. 27-29, speaking on the subject, "School and library co-operation; a concrete example and a little theory."