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INTRODUCTION

The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science is a permanent and independent agency within the executive branch, established by Congress and signed into law by President Nixon on July 20, 1970. The text of the act, Public Law 91-345, is reproduced as appendix I of this report.

In passing the act, Congress and the President affirmed that library and information services adequate to meet the needs of the people of the United States are essential in order to achieve national goals and utilize effectively the Nation's educational resources. The act recognizes inferentially that the collection, organization, preservation, and provision for use of the record of man's creativity and progress constitute a major national problem. Information systems and libraries designed for other times and conditions are no longer able to fulfill consistently or effec tively personal, corporate, or governmental needs for informa. tion. In consequence, the national ability to accommodate changing environmental, societal, and political conditions is threatened. Without valid and timely information, the economy atrophies; without current and reliable information, society and government suffocate. The Commission was established to make studies and plans for the effective national library and information services needed to preclude such consequences. As it fulfills its charge, the Commission expects to exercise the leadership and foster the continuity of action that is required.

Passage of the act signaled a growing awareness of a problem that has been felt in public and private sectors for some years.

Variously labeled as the information crisis or the knowledge explosion, the problem is caused by rapid growth in the production of new knowledge and information and also by the rapidly changing information needs of society. Libraries and library associations, governmental bodies and professional associations in law, medicine, science, and engineering are alarmed by their rapidly deteriorating ability to obtain or to provide information necessary to themselves or to their members and users. In some areas, such as medical information, where the need is great and clearly understood, large sums of money have been spent to develop systems that have begun to provide solutions to specific information problems. In less favored areas, no action has been taken and where there has been activity, the programs to improve libraries and provide better information services are sometimes uncoordinated—lacking in continuity, overall leadership, and funding.

A significant aspect of the charge given to the Commission is to place the library and information problem in a national framework rather than in one that is local or topical.

The Commission is charged with the primary responsibility for developing or recommending overall plans for the provision of library and information services adequate to meet the needs of the people of the United States. The Commission will recom. mend the plans it develops to Congress, the President, and State and local governments. During the preparation of its recommendations, the Commission is authorized to conduct necessary studies, surveys, or analyses. It may sponsor and promote research and development activities and conduct hearings to further its objectives. While the Commission must report annually on its activities, it may produce and publish reports, studies, findings, or recommendations at any time.

As specified by the enabling legislation, the Commission has been concerned in its initial year with every type of library and with all types of information resources and services. The Commission has deliberated on how it can best take cognizance of the library and information needs of persons in rural areas and those whose access to libraries has been limited for economic, social, or cultural reasons. The special library and information needs of children, handicapped persons, and older citizens are, implicitly, a Commission responsibility.

The permanency of the Commission reflects Congressional and Presidential awareness of the fact that this century is witnessing the dawn of the age of information, an age whose changing problems are expected to yield to social, scientific, and

humanistic investigation backed by extensive data and documentation. As the Commission develops its recommendations, it will address current library and information problems and issues and also plan for imminent and predictable changes.

Because this is an era of rapid change, the Commission's planning effort must be continuous and thorough. The planning must embrace coordinated development of libraries in the private sector and at all levels of government and take into consideration existing and potential national resources for meeting current and future information needs.

ADMINISTRATION

AND ORGANIZATION

Fifteen Commission members are authorized by the act. Fourteen are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate; the 15th is the Librarian of Congress who serves ex officio.

President Nixon made his appointments to the Commission in May 1971. Under the act, five members must have a professional background in libraries or information science; the others must have special competence or interest in the field. One member is a specialist in the technological aspects of library and information services. Three of the members appointed in 1971 were asked to serve for 5 years and the others for shorter periods of 4, 3, 2, and 1 years. This provision assures continuity of membership when subsequent 5-year appointments are made. Commission members serve without salary but those who are not Federal employees are compensated for expenses and attend. ance at Commission meetings. Appendix II lists the current membership.

Dr. Frederick H. Burkhardt, President of the American Council of Learned Societies, is the presidentially appointed chairman of the Commission. Miss Catherine Scott of the Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum Library, was elected by the members to serve as vice-chairman for the year.

For its chief administrative officer, the Commission appointed as Executive Director Charles H. Stevens, who joined the staff

in January 1972 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Deputy Director, Roderick G. Swartz, was formerly Associate Director of the Tulsa, Okla., City-County Public Library System. Mrs. Mary Alice Hedge Reszetar, Associate Deputy Director and Administrative Officer, had been Administrative Officer of the National Advisory Commission on Libraries before becoming associated with this Commission in August 1971. Two executive secretaries, Mrs. Barbara Dixon and Mrs. Linda Ulrich, complete the staff. Under Public Law 91-345, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare provides administrative support to the Commission to assist the staff with budget preparation, payroll accounting, contract negotiation, and personnel records.

Headquarters for Commission activity were established at 1717 K Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20036. This location provides rapid access to many of the government bureaus and private agencies whose work relates to that of the Commission.

Appropriation

The Commission has Congressional authorization to expend $750,000 annually. During the year under review, $200,000 was appropriated. These funds have been spent to cover the expenses of Commission meetings, to pay staff salaries, to rent and equip an office, and to pay for studies and reviews prepared by consultants and others. A summary fiscal report is included in this report as appendix VI.

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