The Cooperative Extension Service is a bureaucracy with formal lines of communications flowing from the state director through district extension agents to area and county staffs. In view of the importance of professional reading material to the district agent, it is important to know the kinds of materials he needs and to what extent present periodicals are meeting this need. The study specifically sought answers to the following questions: (1) number and type of publications read, (2) time spent reading professional materials, (3) reasons for reading, (4) the extent to which each publication is read, (5) the purpose for reading a particular publication, (6) the use made of the material contained in a particular publication, and (7) a comparison of a particular publication to other selected publications. Information was obtained in personal interviews of 17 supervisors using a preprinted interview schedule. The results indicate that the typical supervisor receives approximately seven professional and four popular publications each month and that he spends approximately nine hours per week reading beyond the daily newspaper and reads principally for professional improvement. (CK)