Up until the nomination of Herbert Putnam in 1899 under President McKinley, all previous librarians lacked any prior experience in the profession of librarianship; these librarians had held roles in journalism, law, writing, publishing, and politics.[13] Even to this day, only three librarians - four including acting librarian David S. Mao in 2015 - have worked in the librarian field, despite several instances of opposition from the American Library Association.[14]