Harry W. Bass, Jr.

Harry W. Bass Jr. was a visionary President of the ANS from 1978 to 1984, who saw important future trends and took steps to make sure the ANS would be at the forefront. He joined the Society in 1966 and soon became a major supporter of the library, building up an endowment for library purchasing. He understood the importance of information technology and computerization as early as the 1950s, and soon after he became President he funded purchase of a computer system and creation of a database for the collections. He pursued this interest even after his presidency, overseeing the creation of the first version of the ANS website in 1996 and digitization of the library catalog in 1997, and establishing an endowment for information technology at the ANS.

As a Texan, Bass was the first President of the ANS who did not live in the northeastern United States. He was particularly concerned to see the organization do more to engage its members, by providing more programs related to the interests of larger numbers of members and by making itself more accessible to them through the Internet.

For more about his life and career, see the biography on the website of the Harry W. Bass Jr. Foundation.