INTRODUCTION This is the fourth Annual Report of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science which covers the period July 1, 1974, through June 30, 1975. The Commission's activities this year were marked by a significant milestone with the publication at year end of the official program document, "Toward a National Program for Library and Information Services: Goals for Action." During the more than two years that this document has been in preparation, NCLIS has widely disseminated various drafts and solicited comments and criticisms from anyone and everyone interested. The program, as finally published, reflects inputs from institutions, associations, and individuals from every segment of the library and information community, as well as from executives, administrators, legislators, and members of the general public of all ages, from many walks of life, representing almost every conceivable group, and from all over the country. It lays the foundation and provides a framework for a balanced, evolutionary approach to achieving adequate library and information services for all. While the main thrust of the year's activities was completion of the program document, the Commission was also active on other fronts. Among our activities and milestones of this year were: -Publication and distribution of "Library and Information Service Needs of the Nation," a comprehensive NCLIS report based on analyses by a number of specialists representing individual user clienteles. -The commissioning of 27 specialists in various fields to prepare a series of Related Papers to amplify points in the program or address the positions and roles of various constituencies. -The completion of the first round of regional hearings with hearings in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Plains States and in Philadelphia for the Middle Atlantic States. -NCLIS sponsorship of two conferences directed toward developing plans for implementing a Continuing Library Education Network and Exchange (CLENE) project, based on the final report of an NCLIS study. 213-361 O - 76 - 2 -Cosponsorship with the Copyright Office of a continuing ad hoc Conference on Resolution of the Copyright Problem, which includes representatives of both the library community and the author/ publisher community. -Cosponsorship with the Office of Science Information Service of the National Science Foundation (OSIS/NF) and the Council on Library Resources (CLR) of a permanent Advisory Group on Bibliographic Control, which is charged with developing standards for document description necessary for national networking. -The commissioning of several studies to develop needed information in such varied areas as: the role of the Library of Congress; the interaction between traditional library services and new information services; the special library and information problems of Native Americans; and the status of current library resources (an update of the 1965 National Inventory of Library Needs). -Maintaining extensive and intensive two-way communication with: professional and trade associations; Federal library and other agencies; and other individuals, institutions, and organizations with an interest in the national program. -The enactment of Public Law 93-568 authorizing a White House Conference on Library and Information Services, to be held not later than 1978. All of these activities are discussed herein, along with plans and recommendations for activities to be undertaken next year. NOURISHMENT FROM THE GRASSROOTS: From its very beginning, the Commission has recognized that an effective, practical national program for library and information services cannot be imposed by fiat from an ivory tower. In the first place, the task is just too big. Simply locating and defining the many problems, much less devising solutions, requires the experience and expertise of everyone who can be enlisted in the cause. In the second place, the best-if not the only-way to develop the support and cooperation that are absolute prerequisites of an effective national program is to involve the people who will be operating and using the national system in its design and development. It is not surprising, then, that the list of witnesses at the Commission's earliest meetings reads like a roster of association, institutions, and agencies concerned with library and information services. At its very first meeting, the Commission began planning for regional conferences across the entire country. They were sited to give the widest possible geographic coverage, and they were organized, publicized and conducted so as to evoke the broadest possible demographic response. In addition to these formal hearings, various Commissioners, singly and in twos and threes, conducted minihearings to delve more deeply into the problems of special constituencies, and, in 1973, the Commission sponsored a special two-day invitational conference on user needs. The Commission also endeavored to develop and maintain constant two-way communication with every association or institution that might conceivably have something to contribute. The response was gratifying and, at times, almost overwhelming. At every hearing, the schedule was filled, and all of the time set aside for unscheduled public testimony was invariably filled by interested citizens anxious to make their contribution to the Commission's efforts. In spite of initial distributions in the thousands of copies, the issuance of every draft and revision resulted in a flood of requests for copies. Nor were these copies simply put on a shelf or filed. Suggestions for changes, additions, deletions, et al, came to the Commission by postcards, letters, and formal statements; by written and oral testimony at hearings; and by telephone and telegram. Commissioners and staff were approached at meetings and conferences by individuals and groups of people who wanted to offer their comments. The volume of comment would have been, by itself, encouraging. However, the comments revealed that most people were reading the documents thoroughly and offering suggestions on the basis of careful analysis. For the most part, the criticisms were constructive in intent and focused on priorities and perceived emphases, without challenging the basic concepts and objectives. There can be no question that there is great interest in and enthusiasm for a national program for library and information services. It was, of course, impossible to incorporate all of the suggestions the Commission received into the program document. Some of them were not relevant to the Commission's charter or dealt with levels of detail that were inappropriate, and many of them were mutually contradictory. Nevertheless, every suggestion was considered in the preparation of the final document, which we believe represents, as nearly as can be achieved, a consensus of the community on the objectives of a national program. A summary of the national program is presented in the next section. Single copies of "Toward a National Pro |