In 1876, Green penned his highly influential article, "Personal Relations between Librarians and Readers", which appeared in that year's "American Library Journal" (later known simply as "Library Journal"). He also presented this work at the 1876 Centennial Conference. Green stated that reference librarians should have four goals: teaching patrons about the library's functions and resources, as well as how to utilize them; answering patrons' questions; helping patrons select good reading material; and promoting the library to the greater community. In other words, the library has a duty to the community it serves and must respond to the needs of its patrons. To Green, people ought to feel welcome in their local libraries and librarians should facilitate this by being actively engaged with patrons and personalizing their service for each individual.