Mr. NATCHER. We take up at this time the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. WITNESS INTRODUCTION We have before the committee Mr. Charles H. Stevens, the Executive Director, and before you proceed with your request, Mr. Stevens, tell us whom you have with you this morning. Mr. STEVENS. Good morning. With me I have Mr. Roderick Swartz, Deputy Director of the Commission Staff, and Mr. Renea Hicks from the Office of Education. Under the terms of the law the Office of Education serves as an accounting agency for us and Mr. Hicks has come to help me with any questions that get into that area. Mr. NATCHER. Thank you very much. Name: Charles H. Stevens. Position: Executive Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Birthplace and date: Chicago, Ill., December 10, 1924. Education: Principia College, Elsah, Ill., A.B., 1949, University of North Carolina, B.S.L.S., 1952; M.A., 1955. Experience: Present: Executive Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. 1965-72: Associate director for library development, Project Intrex (information transfer experiments), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. 1962-65: Director of library and publications, Massachuetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass. 1959-62: Director of library and archives, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Lincoln Laboratory, Lexington, Mass. 1957-59: Head, scientific documentation service, Thermophyical Properties Research Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. 1954-57: Aero-engineering librarian, Purdue University Libraries, West Lafayette, Ind. 1952-54: Librarian, U.S. Air Force Air-Ground School, Southern Pines, N.C. Association memberships: American Library Association (council 1970–72); American Society for Information Science; Committee on Library Automation; Cosati-task group on library programs, 1969-71; Engineering Index, board of trustees, 1966–69; Sigma Xi. Special Libraries Association; Advisory council chairman, board of directors, 1966-68, 1972-75. Name: Roderick G. Swartz. Position: Deputy Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Birthplace and date: Fairbury, Nebr., May 25, 1939. Education: University of Nebraska, 1961, B.A. (history); University of Nebraska, 1962, M.A. (history); University of Chicago, 1963, M.A. (library science). Experience: Present: Deputy Director, National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. 1970-72: Associate director, Tulsa City-County Library. 1966-70: Assistant director, Tulsa City-County Library. 1964-66: Public library consultant, Missouri State Library. 1963-64: Assistant to executive secretary, library administration division, American Library Association. 1962-63: Cataloger, University of Chicago. 1958-62: Reference, University of Nebraska. 195658: Children's librarian, Fairbury, Nebr., Public Library. Association memberships: American Library Association; Southwestern Library Association; Oklahoma Library Association; American Society for Information Science. Name: M. Renea Hicks. Position: Budget Analyst, Budget Division, PBE. Birthplace and date: Denison, Tex., May 12, 1947. Education: The University of Texas at Austin, B.A. (1965–69). Experience: 1972 to present: Budget Analyst, Office of Education. May 197071: U.S. Army. August 1969 to May 1970: Budget Analyst, Office of Education. Mr. STEVENS. As I begin I would like to express to you the apologies of Chairman Frederick Burkhardt for not being here. He went to the chairman of the committee and spoke with him about his inability to be present today. He is out of the country and thus unable to be here to present his statement to you. GENERAL STATEMENT Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, our request for fiscal year 1974 is for $406,000 to provide salaries for the staff of five, compensation on a per diem basis for the Commission members, travel and other expenses of the Commission and approximately $100,000 for studies and surveys to be prepared for the Commission. The amount requested is unchanged from that appropriated for fiscal year 1973. Each member of this committee received our first annual report which indicates that the development of library and information services for the needs of the individual comes first in the working philosophy of our members. In accord with this philosophy and aim, the Commission has identified six major areas of concern and activity. 1. Information needs of users Surprisingly little is known about the information needs of some large groups within our Nation. Until users' needs are better understood it may be wasteful to amplify or expand indefinitely present types of library and information services. The Commission has just received its first reports on the user groups within our population and on the coming societal changes that will affect those needs. The two reports will be the foundation for our future work in this area. In fiscal 1974 the Commission expects to construct a reasonable approximation of the character and scope of the diverse information needs for each major segment of the population. 2. Organization of library and information service Priority has been given to understanding present patterns of library and information system organization and to the changes in these patterns that are required to meet users' needs. Commission members have studied the reports and recommendations of earlier bodies and have held regional hearings in the Midwest, Far West, and Southeast to gather new information, ideas, and suggestions from professional information specialists and from public witnesses. Written and oral testimony from nearly 400 individuals is now being restudied by the Commission. During fiscal 1974, regional hearings are planned for the New England and the Southwestern states. 3. Financial and legal problems of libraries Information is a national and an international resource; yet the institutions that provide access to the record are sometimes hedged about with financial and legal restraints that limit user access to it. The Commission will receive next month a study on State and local finance patterns of public libraries. The Commission will soon explore the financial and legal problems of school, academic and independent libraries in order to recommend a corrective program for the legal handicaps and a satisfactory framework for the Federal, State, and local components in the funding of libraries and related information services. 4. Adequacies and deficiencies of present libraries and information systems A Commission committee is at work to provide an overview of the deficiencies of current library and information systems. The Commission has sought the help of the Association of Research Libraries to determine whether a single national center or system of regional centers should be established for users who need information not available locally. This study, now in progress, will be reported soon. A committee of the Commission is studying the national service functions of the Library of Congress to suggest the role of that library in future national information systems. 5. Applications of new technology The Commission is a cautious advocate in this area. A committee is gathering background information for planning in this field. The Commission will assess the new forms of technology in terms of their usefulness to the user and the costs of changing long-established methods to newer ones. The use of closed circuit television, CATV and TV response systems, computers, and new forms of communication and information storage lie in the pathway of future library and information transfer and delivery systems. The Commission expects to take cognizance of their introduction and use by commercial firms and public bodies. Studies in this area are planned for fiscal 1974. Less glamorous, but equally important, are technical studies and plans leading to low-cost preservation of rapidly deteriorating library materials. 6. Human resources in information services Information transfer does not occur in a social vacuum; a key ingredient in the transmission is the individual assistant called the librarian, information specialist, or literature searcher. The Commission's focus on the user implies a serious concern with the number, ability, and distribution of those who provide assistance in the use of information services. The Commission is beginning to assess the future needs for selecting, training, retraining, and continuing education of these individuals to assure the availability of fully qualified information service personnel. During the year covered by this budget request the Commission plans to make useful progress in each of the six areas. In fiscal 1974 the Commission expects to provide some of the recommendations for which it was formed. In the budget justification submitted separately we have suggested a few of the studies that are needed and estimated our obligations for fiscal year 1974. To the extent possible we shall continue to coordinate our efforts with those of the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Education, and other Federal agencies. I shall be pleased to have questions on this request, and I will provide for the record a list of the members of the Commission. [The information follows:] NATIONAL COMMISSION ON LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION SCIENCE west Research Institute, San Antonio, Tex. Dr. Frederick H. Burkhardt (chair- Dr. Martin Goland, president, Southman), president, American Council of Learned Societies, New York, N.Y. Col. Andrew A. Aines, senior staff associate, Office of Science Information Service, National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. Dr. William O. Baker, president, Bell Mr. Joseph Becker, president, Becker Dr. Carlos A. Cuadra, manager, Educa- Dr. Leslie W. Dunlap, dean, Library Dr. John G. Kemeny, president, Dart- Dr. L. Quincy Mumford, the Librarian Miss Catherine D. Scott, librarian, D.C. Mr. John E. Velde, Jr., president, Velde, Mr. Alfred R. Zipf, executive vice presi- Mr. NATCHER. Thank you, Mr. Stevens. FUTURE BUDGETARY NEEDS You are requesting $406,000 for 1974, the same amount as last year. Does this indicate that the initial buildup phase is completed and that you will not be seeking any dramatic increases in the future? Mr. STEVENS. I think, sir, that would be an incorrect assumption. The problem of libraries and information sciences is one that is going to be increasingly with us. The staff of the Commission was deliberately kept small in the beginning; Chairman and members of the Commission have suggested that the staff should remain small, but to handle the large problems with which we are faced and to make appropriate recommendations as we are called on to do by law to the Federal Government, the State and local governments and to private agencies, we are going to need to reach at some point a staff level and research funding level that is in concert with the authorization originally recommended by Congress, that is, $750,000. 1973 CONTINUING RESOLUTION Mr. NATCHER. Are you having any problems spending the full amount appropriated in the continuing resolution for 1973? Mr. STEVENS. The full amount appropriated by Congress became available to us by a ruling made by the Treasury Department and the Office of Management and Budget on March 8 of this year. |