The Educational screen (c1922-c1956])

ties of sample programs and lists. In addition to these, the Film Office itself has had many articles and film bibliographies reprinted and duplicated by the thousands. Public Library Film Statistics The semi-annual gathering of public library film statistics has been another fruitful undertaking, and the statistics have been used effectively with Boards of Trustees, budget agencies, government agencies, and depositors. The list has lengthened impressively from the 12 libraries which originally reported 8445 showings to 462,216 people in April, 1947 to the 103 libraries which reported 48,470 showings to 3.738,446 people in March. 1951. ALA Audio-Visual Board Finally, one of the most pleasant and productive duties of the Library Film Project Officer has been to serve as Secretary to the ALA Audio-Visual Board, which is concerned with the use of both audio and visual materials in all kinds of libraries. Working as a team, the Board and its appointed committees have been able to . bring into existence a Library Film Handbook,^ standardize statistical methods, conduct experiments with the Industrial AudioVisual Association, and prepare policy statements on controversial or troublesome issues. The AudioVisual Board has worked with many agencies to encourage new developments in the field. For example, a number of meetings have been held during the past year with officers of the Library of Congress, the U. S. Copyright Office, and the U. S. Office of Education to discuss the urgent need for film catalog cards. And when the forthcoming LC film cards are ready for sale in 1951, the Film Office and the Audio-Visual Board will lend their facilities to publicize and promote the widest possible purchase and use of these important new tools. The Board was also generally responsible for the publication of the first "Basic Buying List of Films Recommended for First Purchase"* and a revised edition, "Films for Public Libraries",^ in 1950. The Board and the Film OWce have hid preuared spscial bibliographies such as "Films of Interest to Children", "A Bibliography of Films for the Orientation of Immigrants", and "Films about the American Heritage." A special committee of the Board supplies reviews of new films on a regular monthly basis for publication in The Booklist (ALA) . We have also been able to prepare packets of informational materials for distribution at national and state library meetings, to set up and maintain audio-visual booths at conferences, to have useful articles reprinted and distributed, and to maintain profitable working relationships with such allied associations as the NEA's Department of Audio-Visual Instruction, National AudioVisual Association, and Film Council of America. The Future Although library acquisition and use of films have been dramatically expanded, we are still a long, long way from where we would like to be. For example, we still have no Cumulative Film Index. We still have no " ALA Pre-Conference Audio-Visual Worltshop July 7-8, Red Lacquer Room. Palmer House, Chicago ;; SATURDAY, JULY 7 ; 11:00-12:00 Noon— Our American Heritage: "Mount Vernon in Virginia" (McGraw-Hill), a new documentary film by Willard Van Dyke, and "Lincoln Speaks at Gettysburg" (A. F. Films). : Presentation of "Times of Crisis in American History", an exhibit of unusual historical materials from the Chicago Historical Society, and "American Heritage Film List," prepared for the conference by a committee under the chairmanship of Grace Stevenson, Seattle Public Library. Presiding: Margaret Rufsvold, Indiana ' ' University. ; 3:00-5:00 P.M.— Demonstration of Children's Materials. Film Readers, a demonstration of the new correlated readers and films by Roberta Forsyth, Teacher-Librarian, Bass Elementary School, Chicago, and a demonstration story hour with recordings by Spencer Shaw, Brooklyn Public Library. Presiding: Alice LeFevre, Western State Teachers College, Kalamazoo. 7:00 P.M. — Joint Banquet, The Ballroom. Program being arranged by the Book Acquisitions Committee under chalrmanshio of Francis St. John. New art films will be shown. SUNDAY, JULY 8 i 10:00-12:00 Noon — Diseusslonstrlps, a new device for adult discussion based on films and books. Demonstration based on "Anna and the King of Siam" by Erie Haight, Films, Inc. Presiding: Edwin Castagna, Long Beach Pub / lie Library. ' 3:00-5:00 P.M.— Demonstrations of adult materials. Book talk and film program based on "The Quiet One" (Athena Films) by Mary Dollard, Cleveland Public Library. Presiding: Miriam Putnam, Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Mass. I 8:00-10:00 P.M. — Screenings of new films, Chicago Public Library. Presiding: J. Margaret Carter, National Film Board of Canada. This program is based on an advance tentative schedule. Further information can be secured by writing to Patricia Blair, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago II, Illinois. ^Library Journal, Part II, October, 1947. ^Library Journal, Part 11, pp. 64-74, October, 1947. ^The Booklist (ALA), Part II, pp. 23-31, September 1, 1950. Film Review Digest. Yet there is a great need for such an index and digest of film reviews. There is still very little being done in library training agencies, and there has still been no real research on the use of films with adult community groups. There is also the need for further attention to educational television. In the immediate future, however, it is safe to predict a tremendous growth in circuits in every state, together with a sharp rise in the quality of library film programming. In the past year or two this rise in quality of utilization has been very apparent, especially in the libraries where film work has been well established for a number of years. The series of film discussion programs which the Detroit Public Library has had in cooperation with the Foreign Policy Association on "The Economic Foreign Policy of the United States," the Cleveland Public Library series on "Five Areas of Crisis in the Orient", and the Seattle Public Library's "This is America" series are some outstanding examples of serious adult programs on critical subjects. There would be little satisfaction in looking back on a program completely finished. That would mean leaving a static program — a dead program. Happily, that is not the case at all because the public library film field is very much alive, fraught with growing pains, but definitely growing. It has been a pleasure to have contributed something to that growth during these past four years in which the ALA Film Project has been in existence. 224 Educafional Screen I