Music by American composers is playing an increasingly large part in our educational system and cultural life, and this is due both to the growing stature of our native composers and to the increasing recognition of the importance of their contribution to our artistic life. The American Music Center was formed twenty-one years ago when six distinguished American composers (Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, Quincy Porter, and the late Marion Bauer) decided to do something about the lack of a place where American music could be assembled for reference and study, and where accurate information about it could be supplied to the public. Equally important was their concern for the promotion of American music. This broad aim was a feature of the by-laws-to foster and encourage the composition of contemporary music and to promote its production, publication, distribution, and performance in every way possible. The Center's first act was the forming of a library of serious American music, now containing over 9,000 scores, which make it the world's largest circulating collection of this music. While a substantial part of the music is published, much is unpublished, since many works by American composers have a difficult time to find their way into print. AMC is non-profit and entirely non-partisan; any and all composers are invited to participate. (Over 500 composers are current members of the Center.) For nominal yearly dues, members receive a carefully planned series of services and benefits, such as low-cost, high-quality reproduction service, the opportunity to place music in the Center's library, a free subscription to Music Today Newsletter, the official journal of the Center which carries information of members' activities, awards, etc., and discounts on scores, books, music, and records. Other categories of membership include Friends, Patrons, Institutions, Orchestras, Publishers, and Professionals, with services and privileges designed for each type. As an informational bureau, AMC maintains files of biographical material, archives of musical criticism, festival and competition data, and publishers' catalogues. Publishers are helped by the Center since it receives a constant flow of inquiries inquiring, for example, what firm publishes a certain selection and where can this music be purchased? One of the Center's latest projects is the establishing of a tape library to supplement its score library; an unfamiliar piece of music can be more readily understood when the interested conductor, performer, student, etc. can listen to a rendering and look at the score coincidentally.