_Place of next meeting._ Invitations for the 1902 meeting of the
American Library Association were received from Detroit, Mich.;
Charleston, S. C.; Memphis, Tenn.; Brevard, N. C.; from a New Hampshire
Board of Trade, suggesting a resort in the White Mountains, and from the
Massachusetts Library Club, urging that the meeting be held on the
eastern coast, near Boston. It was _Voted_, That place and date of next
meeting be referred to the executive board, with recommendation to meet
at a resort on the New England seaboard near Boston.
_Nominations for officers._ It was _Voted_, That the ex-presidents
present at the meeting be appointed a committee to submit nominations
for officers for 1901-2. This committee reported at a later session of
the Council, and the nominations submitted were adopted, with the
provision that the ticket include also without distinction names sent in
on nominations signed by five members of the Association.
_By-laws._ H. M. Utley, chairman of the Committee on By-laws, reported
the draft of by-laws prepared by that committee. This was discussed and
amended, each section being separately considered and voted upon. It was
_Voted_, That the entire body of by-laws, as amended, be adopted,
subject to such arrangement of sections as may be made by the president
and secretary.
The by-laws were later presented to the Association in general meeting.
(_See_ Proceedings, p. 129.)
_Endowment Fund and Publishing Board._ Charles C. Soule, trustee of the
Endowment Fund, reported that the income of the fund now on hand and to
accrue during the year amounted to about $1000, and recommended that the
sum of $500 be added to the principal of the fund, unless required by
the Publishing Board or for other purposes of the Association.
W. I. Fletcher, for the Publishing Board, stated that the board would
need during the ensuing year an appropriation as ample as could be
secured; and it was _Voted_:
That the trustees of the Endowment Fund be authorized to transfer to the
Publishing Board the income of the Endowment Fund now on hand and to
accrue during the coming year.
_Reduced postal and express rates on library books._ Recommendations
were submitted from the Round Table Meeting on state library
commissions, as follows:
1, That the Council be requested to arrange for securing reduced rates
from the express companies for travelling libraries;
2, That the Council be requested to give its support to the Jenkins bill
providing for the transmission of library books by rural free delivery;
3, That the Council be requested to actively interest itself in securing
lower postage rates on library books.
After discussion it was _Voted_, That a committee of five of the Council
be appointed on express and postal rates for library books, to negotiate
with the express companies, to co-operate with regard to Congressional
legislation, and to report further to the Council as to the postal
question.
The committee was appointed as follows: E. H. Anderson, chairman; J. S.
Billings, W. C. Lane, R. R. Bowker, Johnson Brigham. It was _Voted_:
That in case of the inability of any member of the committee to serve,
the retiring president be authorized to fill vacancies.
_Relation of libraries to the book trade._ It was _Voted_, That the
executive board be requested to appoint a committee of five to consider
and report upon the relation of libraries to the book trade.
_Cataloging rules for printed cards._ It was _Voted_, That the Council
authorize the promulgation of the proposed A. L. A. cataloging rules for
printed cards, so soon as the Publishing Board and its special advisory
committee, and the Library of Congress, shall have agreed upon the
details of same;
That the committee on cataloging rules for printed cards be requested
also to formulate the variations from those rules which they recommend
for manuscript work.
_List of American dissertations._ The College and Reference Section
submitted the following communication:
"_To the Council of the A. L. A._:
"The College and Reference Section, at its recent meeting, appointed the
undersigned, a committee to prepare and report to the council the draft
of a request with reference to an annual list of American dissertations
for the degree of doctor of philosophy or science. We would, therefore,
respectfully ask that the approval of the Council be given to the plan
outlined herein, viz:
"To send to such institutions of learning in the United States and
Canada as confer the degree of doctor of philosophy or science, after
residence and examination, the following circular letter:
"_To the President and Faculty of ----_,
"GENTLEMEN: The College and Reference Section of the American Library
Association, with the approval of the Council of such Association,
respectfully requests that your institution publish in its annual
catalog, or corresponding publication, a list of the dissertations
accepted from persons who have been granted the degree of doctor of
philosophy or science during the preceding academic year, and a
supplementary list of all dissertations printed since the publication
of the last annual catalog. This list should contain the following
particulars: The full name and year of graduation of the author; the
full title of the dissertation; the year of imprint, and, if a reprint,
the title, volume, and pagination of the publication from which it was
reprinted.
"We also request your institution to require a title-page for each
dissertation, giving, in addition to the full name of author and title
of dissertation, the year in which the degree was conferred, and in
which the dissertation was printed, and, if a reprint, the title,
volume and pagination of the publication where it was first printed.
"A compliance with these requests will be a most valuable service to
the college and reference libraries of the country."
The section further instructed us to suggest to the Council the
desirability of the compilation and publication of a complete list of
such dissertations to July, 1900.
BERNARD C. STEINER, }
WALTER M. SMITH, } _Committee_.
CLEMENT W. ANDREWS, }
It was _Voted_,
That the circular letter prepared by the Committee of
the College and Reference Section be approved, and that the executive
board authorize the necessary slight expense of printing and postage
required;
That a committee of the College and Reference Section be appointed to
secure the publication of the list of dissertations referred to without
expense to the A. L. A.
_Prosecution of book thieves._ Communications were read from C. K.
Bolton, recommending that the Council appropriate, when necessary, from
the income of the Endowment Fund, money to be used in the detection or
prosecution of book thieves. It was pointed out that "a few men
systematically rob libraries, particularly in small poor towns that
happen to have some rare books. To gather evidence and rid us of these
men requires money, and seems very properly to come within our field of
work." No action was taken on the subject.
_Minute on John Fiske._ The memorial minute on John Fiske, prepared by
the special committee, consisting of J. K. Hosmer, George Iles and R. G.
Thwaites, was submitted to the Council and recommended for presentation
to the Association, to be spread upon the records. (_See_ Proceedings,
p. 130.)