RESIGNATION OF DR. EVANS Let me as a preliminary say, however, that for the past 7 years you have heard Dr. Luther Evans as Librarian of Congress speaking to this bill. As you know, he was elected Director General of UNESCO on July 1, and has left us. We shall very greatly miss his energy and drive, his determination and his humanity, but he has left us an excellent staff, Mr. Chairman, and I have made bold to bring the principal members of it here. We are prepared to answer any and all questions that you have. I have with me the following members of the staff of the Library: This is Dr. Wagman, Director of Administration. This is Dr. Wagman's last day in the Library. He is going to be university librarian at the University of Michigan. Dr. Adkinson, Director of Reference Department; Mr. Cronin, Director of Processing Department; Mr. Keitt, Law Librarian, and beyond him Mr. Hallam, the Associate Librarian of the Supreme Court, who wishes to have an opportunity, sir, if he may, to have testimony on one of the items here. And also Mr. Fisher, the Register of Copyrights, and Mr. Gooch, the Associate Director of the Reference Department. Mr. Chairman, if I may direct your attention to my letter to you dated July 3, 1953, I should like to direct my remarks to that. (The letter referred to follows:) Hon. KARL E. MUNDT, JULY 3, 1953. Chairman, Legislative Subcommittee, Committee on Appropriations, DEAR SENATOR MUNDT: I. I respectfully request that the legislative-judiciary appropriation bill for fiscal year 1954, H. R. 5805, be amended by the Senate as follows: Salaries and expenses, Library of Congress (p. 18, line 14), from $4,750,000 to $4,821,563_-_. Increase $71, 563 Salaries and expenses, distribution of catalog cards (p. 19, line 7), from $1,225,000 to $1,264,800___ 39, 800 Salaries and expenses, Legislative Reference Service (p. 18, line 22), from $866,300 to $967,200-- 100, 900 Increase of the Library of Congress, books for the Supreme Court (p. 19, 19, line 23), from $22,500 to $25,000-- 2,500 Total___ II. The effect of the above-requested amendments on the total appropriations of the Library is reflected in the following table: 214, 763 1. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS This appropriation supports the "central activities" of the Library-those : having to do with the acquisition, organization, custody, and service of the collections. " The recommendation of the House, by disallowing the increases requested for "in-grade increases" and by further reducing the amount recommended for 1954: $83,612 below the 1953 level, would have the effect of reducing the staff paid from this appropriation by 33 positions. As a result of greatly increased workloads in addition to a cutback in appropriations in 1948 these "central activities" are already far below adequacy, and both the collections and the services are suffering steady deterioration. The following partial restorations are requested. These would still leave the appropriation below the 1953 level and will still require a reduction of 17 positions under this head in order to make it possible to pay for the statutory in-grade increases for the remaining staff. (a) United States Quarterly Book Review, $26,835 The Library undertook this activity in 1944 at the request of the Department of State, in order to execute an obligation of the United States Government under the Buenos Aires Convention for the Promotion of Inter-American Cultural Relations, 1936, and under authority of Public Law 355, 78th Congress. The Library merely edits the Review. It is published and distributed by private enterprise. The book publishers provide a valuable contribution by supply-! ing copies of their publications. Nearly 600 experts all over the country provide the reviews of these books without any cost to the Government. The State Department uses the publication in its information program as a principal means of informing what important books are published in the United States. In addition the advance copies acquired from publishers by the Review fundamental to the speed of the Library's catalog-card service to other libraries. This item was reduced from the House recommendation because the Librarian informed the House committee that if she Library's appropriations were cut, the Review would have to be 1 of 4 activities which the Library would eliminate first? on the rounds that it is not a basic function related to custody and service. However, in view of the number of other activities and interests which the Review touches, its elimination at this time would in many ways be extremely inadvisable. The committee's attention is called to the statements made by the honorable H. Alexander Smith, the honorable A. S. Mike Monroney, and the honorable Clifford P. Case, as well as much other evidence regarding the importance of the United States Quarterly Book Review which appeared in the record of the Senate hearings on the legislative branch appropriation bill for 1949, pages 5-21. (b) General reader and reference service, $33,437 This item is to support the activities where the greatest increases of reader, congressional loan, agency, and other reference service have been felt (in many cases over 100 percent in the past 10 years), and where service is now consequently bad, including the telephone service, stack service, searching for con- ! gressional and executive agency loans, book charging, etc. The detail of the request, which consists exclusively of "underpinning" staff Reference assistants, Government documents (GS-7). Bookstack attendants-general, periodical, document, and newspaper at GS-7 level and below, is as follows: Telephone reference assistant (GS−7).......... bookstacks (2 GS-3, 5 GS-2) Searcher for misplaced books (GS-4) Searcher for official loans (GS-5) Charge-desk attendant (GS-4). Messenger, general reading-room service (CPC−3). Positions___ 1 2 7: 1 1.. 1 1 14 (c) Far Eastern Law Section, $11,291 There is definite need for a specialized section in the Law Library to deal with oriental law. This need has been recognized by resolution of the American Bar Association and of the Judicial Conference of the United States. (See the House hearings on the bill, testimony of Newell W. Ellison, Esq., chairman of a stand-; ing committee or the American Bar Association, pp. 223-228.) The House recognized this need, and has instructed the Library to set up the However, to set up even this small section out of existing (and even reduced) Consequently, the new funds essential to setting up this section are hereby 2. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE, $100,900 It is therefore incumbent upon us to direct this matter to your attention as it 3. SALARIES AND EXPENSES, DISTRIBUTION OF CATALOG CARDS, $39,800 This is the appropriation which supports the Library's principal services to the (For the importance of these services see the House hearings on the bill, testi- Eighty percent of the appropriation is devoted to this service. This part of This is a business operation and must be treated as such. Otherwise, sales will The House reduced the estimate by rounding off the appropriation figure, thus New funds, not allowed by the House, are also requested, amounting to $28,193. 4. INCREASE OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, BOOKS FOR THE SUPREME COURT, $2,500 5. CHANGE IN LANGUAGE (P. 20 of the bill) The following language, which consolidated previous scattered provisions of "Appropriations in this Act available to the Library of Congress shall be The authorization provided by this language has in the past made it possible The following are examples of these activities: Development of library service to the blind (a). Development of the Library of Congress Catalog Card Service (b). Standardization of cataloging (d). Standardization of book classification (d). Cooperative cataloging (d). Cooperative acquisitions (e). Cooperative microfilming projects (e). Development of union catalogs (f). Development of union lists (f). Miscellaneous bibliographic projects (f). Questions regarding copyright legislation and procedure (g). Problems of public administration, governmental organization, legislative reference service, etc. (h). Further information regarding these activities is included in the appendix attached hereto. Respectfully submitted. VERNER W. CLAPP, Chief Assistant Librarain, (Acting Librarian). APPENDIX Cooperative programs between the Library of Congress and other libraries (see item 5, p. 10) (a) Development of library service to the blind.-In its work of providing Braille books, talking books and talking book machines for the blind of the United States, the Library is assisted greatly by the counsel of the various organizations that work with the blind. Attendance by a representative of the Library at certain meetings of these organizations is essential. (b) Catalog card service.-Unless the requested language is restored, the Card Division, which conducts a profitable business returning over $1 million annually to the Treasury, would be prevented from sending a representative to library and other meetings at which he now sees hundreds of customers within a few days and answers complaints or resolves problems that would otherwise require lengthy and costly correspondence or numerous special trips to the individual institutions involved. (c) Exchange of publications.-Each year the Library of Congress exchanges its own duplicates for those of other libraries in the United States thereby enriching the collections of all participants. Problems arising in the course of these exchanges are usually discussed at library association meetings with the participants of the program, including, for example, the Association of State Librarians whose cooperation is essential with respect to publications of State governments. (d) Standardization of cataloging and classification; cooperative cataloging.-The Library of Congress takes the lead in establishing standard rules for the cataloging and classification of publications. Such standardization results in uniform library catalogs throughout the country, and effects great economies in cataloging for all libraries. In this activity the various library associations cooperate through committees appointed to work with the Library of Congress and to meet with the Library's representatives during the periodic conferences of the associations. Similarly the Library of Congress has arrangements with many other libraries whereby the work of cataloging certain books is shared. Arrangements for this cooperative enterprise and the solution of problems that arise are effected especially during the meetings of the Catloging and Classification Division of the American Library Association. (e) Cooperative acquisition and microfilming programs.-The Association of Research Libraries is engaged in the development of programs whereby its member institutions share with the Library of Congress the responsibility for acquisition of current foreign books, for acquisition by microfilming of unpublished materials necessary for research, for preservation on film of deteriorating newspapers, magazines, and books. These programs are intended both to increase the total research resources of American libraries and to reduce the cost to individual libraries. All these programs are reported and discussed at the meetings of the association and its various committees. Participation by the Library of Congress is essential. (f) Development of union catalogs of books and union lists of periodicals and other publications; other cooperative bibliographic projects.-The Library of Congress maintains the National Union Catalog and produces various union lists of acquisitions all of which are cooperative ventures in which the Association of Research Libraries, the Council of National Library Associations, and other library organizations participate. Mest problems of a policy nature that arise in these activities must be discussed with these organizations. Similarly, because of the Library of Congress' resources and its position, the various organizations cannot engage in planning major bibliographic enterprises such as supplements to the Union List of Serials without the counsel and active participation of the Library of Congress. For this, attendance of the meetings of the various associations is essential. (g) Questions regarding copyright legislation and procedure.-It is essential that representatives of the Copyright Office attend meetings of the copyright bar and other groups involved in or affected by the administration of the Copyright Act or by international treaties regarding copyright or copyright legislation. (h) Problem of public administration, governmental organization, legislative reference service, etc.-It is necessary on occasion, in order that they may maintain their expertness in their fields of specialization and their usefulness to Congress, to send members of the Legislative Reference Service staff to meetings at which questions of importance in legislation are being discussed. Hon. KARL E. MUNDT, JULY 3, 1953. Chairman, Legislative Subcommittee, Committee on Appropriations, DEAR SENATOR MUNDT: In addition to the items the restoration of which the Library has requested in my letter to you of July 3, 1953, we would like to bring to your attention for such action as you see fit the request which we have received from a number of Members to prepare summaries on important legislation. Letters requesting such summaries have been received from yourself (May 11, 1953), Senator Purtell, Senator Green, and others. Should the committee wish the Legislative Reference Service to prepare such summaries it will be necessary to include a change of language in the part of the bill referring to the Legislative Reference Service. In this event, we suggest the addition of the following clause, page 19, line 3: "Unless such publication has obtained prior approval of either the Committee on House Administration or the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration." Our thought in suggesting the requirement of committee approval rather than the complete elimination of the prohibition is that the language suggested would permit the policy committees to retain strict control over the scope of such a publications program. The Legislative Reference Service stands ready to prepare such summaries within whatever limits of staff and workload are set, should Congress so desire. Sincerely yours, VERNER W. CLAPP, Chief Assistant Librarian (Acting Librarian). Mr. CLAPP. On the first page I have just listed the four items which we should like particularly to request of the Senate in sums additional to those granted us in the bill as it passed the House. In addition to these four items, we are also asking for a change of language to appear on page 20 of the bill after line 22. This is discussed further at page 10 of the letter. On page 2 of the letter I have inserted a table showing the appropriations for 1953, our estimates for 1954 as they appeared in the President's budget, the sums recommended by the House, the amounts we now request of the Senate. There are only four items here, sir: Salaries and Expenses, Library of Congress. There the bill as it passed the House reduced us $83,612 below our level for 1953. Here I am saking for $71,563 which will still leave us below the 1953 level, and this sum is for items which I consider urgent, sir. |