The CHAIRMAN: The paper just presented, and other phases of the subject, will be discussed by Mr. William H. Brett of the Cleveland public library. Mr. BRETT: My good friend Mr. Hadley has stated so clearly the problems, the purposes and the difficulties of the library school, and I am so heartily in accord with so much that he has said, that I regret that I must differ from some of his conclusions. In considering these questions we must bear in mind that a majority of the students are in schools giving only a one year's course, and only a minority are so fortunate as to be able to attend the schools giving courses of two or more years. Now, the problem and the difficulty in a one year school is to arrange a course of study which shall be best for students entering school with widely differing preparation, some with, others without, library experience, and with differing aptitudes, abilities, ambitions and plans for the future. To arrange a course which will best meet the needs of such an aggregation of students is a serious problem. The criticisms on the work of the schools in the paper, seem to be mainly, first, that too much of the routine work, the technical work, is unnecessary for those who may be so fortunate in the future as to fill administrative or other important positions, in which they will not need to do such work, and that routine work of that sort tends to deaden those more important things, sense of proportion, initiative, judgment, ability to deal with the larger problems of life. While I fully agree as to the importance of these things, I believe there is little occasion to fear that a solid technical course will lessen these qualities in any one who is so fortunate as to have them in any eminent degree. It seems to me that those qualities are rather the gift of God to their fortunate possessors than the work of the library schools. My own conviction is that whether it be had in the first year of one of the larger schools, or in a school giving a one year course, a definite, solid basis of technical training is an absolutely essential foundation for good library work. I believe that any specialization in library work should be built on such a foundation, just as specialization in law, in medicine and in the technical professions, is based on a general professional training.