CONTINGENCY FUND Senator BARTLETT. Going back to the cataloging, referring to the statement on page 172 regarding the use of $200,000 in the contingency fund in fiscal year 1967 and the further statement that you do not anticipate using any of the contingency fund in fiscal year 1968, do you anticipate that if you are not granted the additional 30 employees you might again have to utilize the contingency fund for fiscal year 1969 ? Mr. WELSH. Yes, sir. Senator BARTLETT. You are going to have to have them one way or another? Mr. WELSH. Yes, sir, assuming that the workload continues to increase as it has for the past many years. Senator BARTLETT. That is an absolute requirement then? Mr. WELSH. Yes, sir. UNDERESTIMATES Dr. MUMFORD. For several years we have found it next to impossible to estimate at the time our request was submitted what the increase in card orders would be. We were having steady increases but each year it exceeded our estimate. So we asked for this contingency fund as a safety valve if the business grew more than we had estimated in the regular request. I think it does serve a very good purpose to have it available if we get an emergency of a tremendous increase beyond what we expected. Senator BARTLETT. The way it has been presented here this morning it is downright essential. Dr. MUMFORD. I think so, Senator. If not needed, it is returned to the Treasury. Senator BARTLETT. I have no further questions on this subject. Do you, Senator Cotton? Senator COTTON. No, I have taken more time than I should. BOOKS FOR THE GENERAL COLLECTION Senator BARTLETT. Now, let's turn to books for the general collection. The Library is requesting a net increase of $175.000 which will bring the total appropriation to $765,000. Without objection pages 173 and 174 of the justifications will be placed in the record here and now. and I think it is important likewise to have printed the tables on pages 176 and 177 reflecting the increased costs of books and publications. (The justification and tables follow :) Analysis of increases The purchase of books and other library material.. $118, 000 The price of library materials continues to increase. It is expected that by the end of fiscal 1969 the increase will be about 20 percent more than in fiscal year 1967, the last year an increase in this appropriation was requested. In order to maintain the 1967 rate of acquisition an increase of $118,000 is requested. Acquisitions of retrospective publications_. 42, 000 Gaps in our collections especially on Africa and the Far East are revealed by surveys and during compilation of bibliographies. An increase of $42,000 is requested to strengthen the collections with the acquisition of retrospective publications. Books for Legislative Reference Service___ 15,000 To provide for additional research in depth and to provide more immediate response to inquiries, an increase of $15,000 is requested. +$175,000 Senator BARTLETT. What do you mean by the term "retrospective” publications which is found on page 173? Dr. MUMFORD. It means an older book, one at least more than 2 years old. We treat as current those books that have been published within the last 2 years, but, as is indicated in this justification, despite all of our efforts we do miss occasionally some important books because they are not announced in a way to come to our attention. This leaves a gap that we need to go back and fill in. We don't try to buy everything old that we don't have, by any means, but a selection of the older important books. Mrs. HAMER. It does not necessarily mean rare materials and by rare I mean very expensive, but rather materials that are important for research purposes and are not what we call current. Senator BARTLETT. How is it that you happened to seize upon the word retrospective? Mrs. HAMER. It is just one of those library terms. Senator BARTLETT. I guess we have to accept that use of the term. 93-511-68-12 Senator COTTON. It is just like sending a birthday card to a friend late because you forgot his birthday. Dr. MUMFORD. I might add, Mr. Chairman, that there were several years when the Library's budget was quite inadequate to purchase the important materials that were coming out and there are still items of that sort that we need to acquire today. Senator COTTON. Retrospectively? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. ADDITIONAL BOOKS FOR LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE Senator BARTLETT. You are also requesting $15,000 additional for books for the Legislative Reference Service. Dr. MUMFORD. In order to provide as prompt service as possible to the Congress the Legislative Reference Service maintains a select collection of some of the more important reference works. If it is necessary for the research assistant in the Legislative Reference Service to send to the stacks and someone else is using the reference work at that time, the service to the Congress may be delayed. Mr. JAYSON. I might add that the problems on which we may be looking to books for help are the ones that are usually very current and these are the very books that other Government agencies or other people in the public would be interested in at the very same time; so that there is a good likelihood that the book will not be on the shelf. Dr. MUMFORD. It is not our intent to build up a large library in the Legislative Reference Service. As soon as the demand goes down the Legislative Reference Service would not continue to retain the item. SPECIAL RESERVE FUND Senator BARTLETT. With respect to the special reserve fund, would you tell us something about that? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. A few years ago I requested this committee and the House Committee on Appropriations to set up a special fund through which we could purchase important historical items, particularly materials relating to American history, as they came on the market. Our funds were needed completely for current periodicals and books. If a letter of George Washington or Lincoln came on the market, we had no money to use in trying to purchase such materials. The committee, I am happy to say, set up this special reserve fund of $25,000. It has enabled us to acquire some very important documents that relate to collections we already have, including the papers of 23 of the Presidents. Senator BARTLETT. You asked for $25,000? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Senator BARTLETT. And it has proved useful? BOOKS FOR THE LAW LIBRARY Senator COTTON (presiding). For books for the Law Library, you are requesting the same as last year, $125,000. Is this sum sufficient to keep your acquisitions current? Dr. MUMFORD. We think it is for the time being, Mr. Chairman. Senator COTTON. Thank you. FOREIGN LEGAL MATERIAL Dr. MUMFORD. We acquire a considerable amount of legal material by way of exchange with foreign countries. As you know, our Law Library includes not only American and British law, but also the law from various foreign countries in the world, but the amount of increased publication has not been as great as for general works. Mr. Coffin, the Law Librarian, is here and might wish to elaborate upon it. Mr. COFFIN. About 67 percent of this appropriation, sir, is spent for books, from other countries. We have had a gradual increase in expenditures over the last few years, but we do think that this $125,000 will be sufficient for this next year. STATUTES AND REPORTS Senator COTTON. You have the statutes of the various States obviosuly. Mr. COFFIN. Yes sir. Senator COTTON. Do you also have the reports? Mr. COFFIN. Yes, sir. Senator COTTON. The whole set of reports of each State? Mr. COFFIN. We may have several sets of the reports of the various courts of the States as well as the Federal courts and the administrative bodies and of course we not only get the official statutes, session laws and so on, but we do stock the codifications which are often published privately, as you know. Senator COTTON. These reports run clear back to the conception of the reports? Mr. COFFIN. Yes, sir. Senator COTTON. Some of those must be difficult to obtain. I recall that when I was practicing law in New Hampshire there were a couple of reports for years-and it is a small State that they didn't feel any private concern or publisher considered it worthwhile to republish, and they were out of existence. It go so that there was one New Hampshire report that you would have to pay $125 for. I believe recently it has been reproduced. Do you run into that sort of thing? Mr. COFFIN. Yes, occasionally we have to purchase some of the reproduced reports, those that have been specially reproduced, but over the years our people in the Law Library have tried to collect all of the reports of all of the State courts. Senator BARTLETT (presiding). Without objection, pages 181 and 182 of the justifications will be inserted in the record. (The justification follows:) 1968 regular bill. 1969 estimate___. Net increase___ Books, law $125,000 125, 000 0 GENERAL STATEMENT This appropriation provides for the purchase of materials for the Law Library, perhaps the largest and most comprehensive collection of law books ever assembled. This fund is the principal means by which the Law Library can acquire those essential materials not received through copyright deposit, international and domestic exchange, transfer from other Government agencies, and gifts. Approximately 67 percent of the appropriation is used to purchase foreign law materials. The Congress, the executive departments and agencies, and the the Federal courts are dependent upon the Law Library as the most complete and most accessible sources of legal information on all subjects for all countries of the world. Continued development of the foreign law collections is imperative for the protection and advancement of Government interests in foreign activities and international relations. Continued preeminence of the Law Library in all fields of law, domestic as well as foreign, prevents wasteful duplication in the working libraries of many Government agencies. No increase is requested in this appropriation for fiscal 1969. BOOKS FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED Senator BARTLETT. We come now to salaries and expenses and books for the blind and physically handicapped. I will ask that pages 183 and 188, inclusive, be placed in the record at this point. (The justification follows:) Funds are requested to cover the cost of within grade increases and reallocations as follows: Fiscal year 1969 required the payment of salary funds for one day in excess of the stated annual rates, or a total of 261 days. Fiscal 1968 had only 260 days, therefore funds are requested for the additional day in 1969. 3. Annualization of pay increase... Public Law 90-206 granted pay increases to government employees effective the first day of the first pay period after October 1, 1967. The Library's first pay period began October 9, 1967, and the computation for the supplemental to cover these pay costs was based on this beginning date. This request is necessary to provide for the pay raise for a full year. Salaries Personnel benefits Total +1, 481 +5, 847 $4,997 4. Postage The Library of Congress reimburses the Post Office Department annually for postage usage. In a recent survey it was detemined that the books for the blind and physically handicapped has increased substantially its postal usage necessitating an increase of $5,000. |