A man of boundless energy, but of virtually no tact or patience, Dewey cut a wide path through numerous American educational and professional organizations during the last quarter of the 19th century. Within two years of his graduation from Amherst College, Dewey had developed and published the outline of what was to become the premier library-classification system of its day, the Dewey Decimal System (1876). That same year, Dewey founded the American Library Association (ALA), serving at one time or another as its president, secretary, and journal editor. The ALA was just one of many organizations which Dewey helped found and guide through its early, formative years, most prominent among the other such organizations being the Association of State Librarians, the Children's Library Association, and the New York Library Club. Moving to Columbia University as chief librarian in 1883, he founded the nation's first library school there in 1887. In 1889, he was appointed director of the New York State Library, a position which he held until his retirement in 1906. From his perch in Albany, Dewey worked at top speed, "making more friends than enemies" (an outstanding achievement, apparently) and bringing the usefulness of the state library to "new heights" by his success in developing its collections, demonstrating the possibilities/advantages of home education, and advancing the cause of traveling libraries and of the library school.