mission was defined. In 1973 the Commission sponsored a User Needs Conference in Denver, Colorado, to define the library and information service needs of many special constituencies in the United States. Directions identified at the Denver Conference, together with regional hearings on user needs held between 1973 and 1975, led to the formation of the National Program Document, the first major publication to articulate Commission goals and objectives. The years 1975 to 1977 were years of implementation and planning, with the National Program Document providing a framework for Commission activities. A major new responsibility, that of planning and organizing the White House Conference on Library and Information Services, was assigned by P.L. 93-568 in December 1974. Since 1977 a major thrust for Commission activities has been the coordination of the White House Conference and the implementation of its resolutions. More recent major activities have included the work of several task forces and assistance with library-related legislation.

THE ORIGINS OF THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON
LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

For most of its history the United States has had no national policy
concerning libraries. In the 1930s the American Library
Association published a report calling for a Federal level library
agency to provide nationwide leadership in the library movement. A
small Library Services Division was authorized in the Office of
Education shortly afterwards. It was not until 1956 that Federal
assistance to public libraries became a reality with the passage of
the Library Services Act. In the beginning this Act focussed on
rural library needs. By 1966, urban library support and
construction authorities had been added along with interlibrary
cooperation and services to institutions and special constituencies.
As the Federal Government became more involved with funding
library programs, the need for a comprehensive library policy
became apparent.

Late in 1966 the National Advisory Commission on Libraries was established and directed to review the role of libraries as part of the evolving national information systems, to review all factors bearing on the use of libraries, to look at the funding situation of libraries, and to make recommendations for action to ensure an effective library system for the nation. The fundamental recommendation of the Commission was that a basic tenet of our national policy should be the provision of library and information services adequate to meet the needs of the people of the country. The principal means of achieving this goal would be

the establishment of a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science as a permanent and independent agency to recommend policies and plans to the Administration and

Congress. On July 20, 1970, President Nixon signed the bill that created NCLIS.

The Commission mandate has not changed. It is still a national goal to meet the library and information service needs of the people of the United States. As the Commission begins its second decade, we look forward to providing continuing leadership and guidance to the nation's providers and users of library and information services.

Fiscal Year 1981 in Review

and Future Plans

INTRODUCTION

he National Commission on Libraries and Information Science

TCL) is unique in the Federal Government. As the only

independent agency to advise both the Executive and Legislative Branches on information policy, it plays very significant roles for the government and for the library and information users of this country. It serves as a resident expert for all branches of the government in the library/information field. With information activities comprising almost half of the Gross National Product, this is a crucial area of expertise. As an independent agency, NCLIS serves as an honest broker bringing together individuals from all branches of government with those at the state and local levels and with representatives from the private sector. Through its extensive network of contacts with individuals and associations in the library/information field, it is able to provide a forum for the entire community. The Commission also serves as a catalyst identifying problems, suggesting solutions, and making things happen.

As part of its ongoing planning process to carry out these roles, the Commission established priorities for Fiscal Year 1981. Among the major sources of ideas were the President's message to Congress which transmitted the White House Conference on Library and Information Services report, the recommendations of the White House Conference on Library and Information Services Taskforce, the Commissioners' own careful examination of the 64 White House Conference resolutions, and their own assessments of issues and program areas. The Commissioners determined that NCLIS should emphasize three areas of activity for the year: (1) the development of specifications for revised library and