Before discussion was opened, the secretary of the meeting read a courteous letter from Hon. Reed Smoot, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Printing, expressing regret at his inability to deliver at the Conference an address on the general topic of printing, binding and distribution of Government publications, and referring with appreciation to the intention of the A. L. A. Committee to deliver to him a concise report of the suggestions made by the librarians interested in Government publications. Discussions followed.
Mr. Henry J. Carr, a former president of the A. L. A. and a veteran document librarian, advocated concentrating the efforts of the association on getting the bill through in its present form, on the ground that it was now so nearly satisfactory, and had already been so long in preparation, that further delay would be unfortunate.
Mr. J. D. Thompson, formerly chief of the Department of Documents in the Library of Congress, now librarian of the Columbia University Law library, introduced the question of a limited distribution of bills. The following suggestions were made:
By Mr. Thompson (1) that public and private bills form separate numbered series, the former to be distributed to libraries requesting, or, if necessary, subscribing through the Superintendent of Documents, or (2) that the text of any bill under consideration should be included in the printed report on the same.
By Mr. Thorvald Solberg, United States Registrar of Copyrights, that every bill which has passed one house should be printed in a permanent form convenient for library use.
By Mr. Clement W. Andrews, librarian of the John Crerar library of Chicago, that bills not favorably acted upon should also be included in any scheme to be suggested; that better provision be at the same time recommended for supplying reports of hearings to interested libraries.
By Mr. William R. Reinick, chief of the Public Documents Department of the Philadelphia Free library, in favor of Mr. Thompson's suggestion of separate series for public and private bills, and of better distribution of reports of hearings.
By Mr. Herbert S. Hirshberg, reference librarian, Cleveland public library, that bills be printed in the Congressional Record.
By Miss Edith E. Clarke, now chief cataloger in the library of Syracuse university and formerly on the staff of the Superintendent of Documents, that the Superintendent of Documents be given a certain specified number of copies of bills to be distributed to libraries on request.
By Mr. R. R. Bowker, editor and publisher of the Publishers' weekly and the Library journal, that bills favorably reported be included in Committee reports; that reports of hearings be included in the document series; that the Superintendent of Documents be given the power to distribute, on request, copies of individual bills.