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INCREASES-Continued

TABLE III. Summary of increases and decreases requested, fiscal year 1966

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NOTE.-Appropriations with no increase: Organizing and microfilming the papers of the Presidents, $112,800; preservation of motion pictures, $50,000.

STATEMENT BY DR. L. QUINCY MUMFORD, LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS

Senator MONRONEY. We welcome as our first witness Dr. L. Quincy Mumford, the distinguished Librarian of Congress, along with members of his staff, and ask that you proceed with your presentation, Dr. Mumford.

Dr. MUMFORD. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have a brief summary statement here which I would like first to present and then go into details of the justifications as much as the committee wishes.

My colleagues and I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you to answer any questions you may have regarding our estimates for fiscal year 1966, to summarize briefly the action taken by the House on these estimates, and to explain all our requests, especially those for restoration of a limited number of items cut by the House as reflected in H.R. 8775 and Report No. 442 of the House Committee on Appropriations.

INCREASES GRANTED OVER FISCAL YEAR 1965 ALLOWANCE

The Library of Congress is very grateful for the increases totaling $1,420,500 over the 1965 level granted by the House. These increases allow for such costs as within-grade increases, which are necessary merely to maintain the current level of operations; provide for 76 of the 89 new positions requested under all appropriation heads other than the special foreign currency appropriation; authorize $200,000 of the $225,000 requested to get underway on the Library's automation project; grant $100,000 of the $145,000 increase requested in our two regular book acquisition funds; grant in full the amounts requested for the Copyright Office, Legislative Reference Service, and books for the blind, including all increases requested to meet workload requirements and improve these important services; and, in essence, permit the full amount requested for the self-supporting card distribution service, since the $50,000 reduction is in the contingency fund of $250,000 requested and it is possible that the $200,000 provided for the contingency fund will be sufficient to met unusual increases in this program.

May I state again that I am pleased with this recognition by the House of the needs of the Library of Congress and I hope very much that the Senate will approve this action.

RESTORATIONS REQUESTED

I now wish to direct my remaining introductory remarks to just a few items cut by the House which my colleagues and I firmly believe merit further consideration by this subcommittee if the Library is to fulfill its mission of service and leadership.

SALARIES AND EXPENSES, PERSONNEL

First, under our main appropriation, "Salaries and expenses, Library of Congress," which the House committee has aptly referred to as the Library's backbone general operating fund, I am formally requesting a restoration of $84,000 to finance an estimated 13 out of 63 new positions requested under this head but reduced by the House without specific designation of positions.

I wish to assure this subcommittee that all of the 63 new positions requested were carefully selected by me from a long list of new positions recommended by the directors of the several departments involved, all such recommendations actually representing bona fide needs.

However, my selection was made on a priority basis in order to reduce the amount of our estimates. Of the 63 new positions requested, most of them are for various processing activities, and any reduction in such positions would necessarily result in increased arrearages and consequent impairment of service.

The remaining new positions requested were to strengthen reference services in various areas throughout the Library, and reductions in these would seriously affect these essential services.

SALARIES AND EXPENSES, AUTOMATION PROJECT

Under the same appropriation, "Salaries and expenses, Library of Congress," I am also requesting a restoration of $25,000 for the automation project. As I have tried to make clear in the justification before you, I feel that the total request of $225,000 is quite modest in the light of the great significance of the undertaking, the need for making greater progress in an area in which the library world looks to us for guidance and leadership, and in comparison with the recommendation of a distinguished committee of experts that the Library request $750,000 to start this project.

BOOKS FOR GENERAL COLLECTIONS AND LAW LIBRARY

Under the appropriations, “Books for the general collections" and "Books for the Law Library," I am making a request for restoration of the $45,000 which was not allowed by the House.

I wish to make clear that this $45,000 does represent bona fide needs, as books and library materials are obviously the lifeblood of the Library, and this need includes preservation of library materials as well.

COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS (SPECIAL FOREIGN CURRENCY PROGRAM)

Finally, there is the reduction in the appropriation for the "Collection and distribution of Library materials (special foreign currency program). The total reduction comes to $737,500 of which $685,000 is for the purchase of excess foreign currencies and $52,500 for hard dollar support.

Of this total, I am asking for restoration of $526,800 of which $483,000 is for the purchase of excess foreign currencies, and $43,800 for hard dollar support.

I am not asking for restoration of the amount that was originally requested for beginning a program in Brazil. We were informed by a Bureau of the Budget bulletin that excess foreign currencies were available for purposes of the fiscal year 1966 estimates, but we have just now learned that a proposed agreement with Brazil has not materialized and that Brazil is out of the picture for the time being as an excess foreign currency country.

It is pointed out that of the amount now requested for restoration some 92 percent is for foreign currencies excess to the normal needs of the United States, that this program has been highly successful in bringing to the Library of Congress and to other important libraries throughout the country materials essential for research which might otherwise not be available, that a moderate expansion in current programs is clearly indicated by experience, and that we have reliable information that in Poland and in Yugoslavia, where we propose to establish new projects, there is available much material that is important for research.

Mr. Chairman, my colleagues and I will be glad to elaborate on my introductory remarks and on the justification before you.

(The document referred to follows:)

Hon. A. S. MONRONEY,

THE LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS,

Washington, D.C., June 10, 1965.

Chairman, Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Appropriations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR MONRONEY: In accordance with instructions from the Senate Committee on Appropriations that we submit a letter stating the position of the Library of Congress with respect to the House action on H.R. 8775, covering appropriations to the Library of Congress for fiscal year 1966. I respectfully submit the following comments and requests.

The Library of Congress is pleased with the increase of $1,420,500 granted over the 1965 level. It will enable the Library of Congress to make substantial progress in many of the operating areas. We hope that the Senate will approve this action and will give sympathetic consideration to certain of the requests which were disallowed.

Alternate arrangements were made for taking care of some activities for which requests were made but which were not allowed. Other decreases, however, affect operations where the needs for additional direct appropriations seem to us important and urgent. We, therefore, request the following restorations:

1. Salaries and expenses, Library of Congress: Restoration requested, $109,000. A. $25,000, representing the reduction from $225,000 to $200,000 for prosecution of the Library's automation project.

B. $84,000, the amount cut from the $352,000 requested for new positions. This amount would reduce the new positions by approximately 13.

2. Books for the general collections: $40,000, representing the cut made in requests under this appropriation.

3. Books for the Law Library: $5,000, representing the cut made in requests under this appropriation.

4. Collection and distribution of library materials (special foreign currency program): $483,000 for payments in Treasury-owned foreign currency and $43,800 in U.S. dollars, or a total restoration of $526,800. This restoration would provide for a much needed but moderate expansion of the current book acquisition and related programs in India, Indonesia, Israel, Pakistan, and the United Arab Republic, and for initiation of programs in Poland and Yugoslavia. We have just been informed that, in the absence of the anticipated agreement with Brazil, that country is not now considered an excess foreign currency area and the amounts considered necessary to initiate a program in Brazil have therefore been deleted from the original estimates.

Sincerely yours,

L. QUINCY MUMFORD,
Librarian of Congress.

TOTAL RESTORATION REQUESTED

Senator MONRONEY. Thank you very much, Dr. Mumford, for your statement. You are asking in simple arithmetic for restoration of how much of the budget cut of $1,142,500 that the House reduced your appropriation request?

Dr. MUMFORD. A total of $680,800.

Senator MONRONEY. I didn't get that quite added up correctly. In other words, you are asking to put back every single penny that the House cut out?

Dr. MUMFORD. No, sir.

Mr. ROSSITER. $292,000 was reduced by the House under our main

appropriation. We are asking for restoration of $109,000. Senator MONRONEY. Let me get those established.

Senator YARBOROUGH. The House cut was $1,142,500.

Mr. ROSSITER. Yes, sir.

Senator YarbOROUGH. And you are asking restoration of $680,800? Mr. ROSSITER. That is right.

Senator YARBOROUGH. About 60 percent.

Senator MONRONEY. That is item No. 18 on the sheet. You are

requesting $109,000 restoration in that item?

Dr. MUMFORD. Yes; that is under the general appropriation,

“Library of Congress, salaries and expenses.”

Senator MONRONEY. As against $292,000?

Dr. MUMFORD. That is correct.

RECAPITULATION OF REQUESTS

Senator MONRONEY. No restoration in Legislative Reference Service, Copyright Office, and Books for the Blind?

Dr. MUMFORD. No, sir.

Senator MONRONEY. Catalog distribution, no cut there?

Dr. MUMFORD. There was a reduction there, sir, a cut of $50,000 from the contingency fund of $250,000 that we had requested, but we have no absolute evidence that precisely $250,000 would be required. This was requested to cover the unexpected increases in the sale of catalog cards and we think possibly $200,000 will enable us to get through.

Senator MONRONEY. Next books for the general collection, and you are asking for full restoration of that $40,000.

Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir; we are.

Senator MONRONEY. That would seem to me to be logical to try to keep your book collection up to the very limit that you require.

Dr. MUMFORD. With the tremendous increase in publication, both in this country and around the world, as well as a steady increase in prices, it is essential that we continue to increase our book appropriations if we are to keep pace with the important publications that are being issued.

Senator MONRONEY. And you are asking for the full restoration of that amount, $40,000?

Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir.

Senator MONRONEY. And for the full restoration of the next item, $5,000 for books for the Law Library?

Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. The same considerations apply to that as to the general collection.

Senator MONRONEY. “Books for the blind, salaries and expenses,” that was approved as requested? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir.

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