this year. An In 1966, commercial binding prices averaged $2.29 per volume. increase of $60,000 would allow the binding or rebinding of an additional 26,200 volumes. Three binding assistants can assure the necessary preparation, review, or collation of unbound parts, preparation of binding specifications and records, and review of materials returned from the binderies. The binding appropriation is used for the binding and rebinding of books, periodicals, and newspapers; the placing into covers of pamphlets; the repairing and conditioning of rare books; preservative treatment such as mounting or laminating for maps, prints, and fine arts items; and the restoration and repair of manuscripts. It is a basic element of library economy to keep the collections in as good a state of repair as possible. The Library's collections have grown from 34.4 million pieces in 1955 to 44.2 million pieces in 1965. Use of the collections by readers has consistently been between 2 and 3 million pieces a year during the same period. Use by the Library's research and reference staffs and others adds a further element of wear to the collections. It is important to rebind materials that have deteriorated through age or use before they reach a state that makes rebinding impossible. The increasing demand for current information has also greatly augmented the publication of periodicals. For quick and easy access to these publications, it is imperative that they be regularly collated and bound into volumes. Over the last 5 years the binding allotment has been increased 11 percent. This has been primarily to meet rising costs. This increase is requested to help meet rising binding needs. In 1965 the division was responsible for a binding allotment of $509,127. Dr. MUMFORD. The situation is this: With the growth of the Library's collection, more and more material needs to be bound and rebound. A considerable part of the material acquired comes in unbound, and the materials on the shelves require rebinding because of use. We have asked for some increases in the past because of price increases in binding, but we are asking for this additional amount in order that we may do more binding. Mr. ANDREWS. I notice you say in 1966, "Commercial binding prices average $2.29 per volume." Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. How does that compare? Do you do binding? Dr. MUMFORD. We do not. The Government Printing Office does some binding for us. Mr. ANDREWS. How does this compare? Dr. MUMFORD. It is much cheaper. Mr. ANDREWS. You mean commercial binding prices are cheaper than Government Printing Office binding? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. You want three new positions for this project? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. These positions are to enable us to prepare the material for binding. When it is sent out it has to be checked, slips made for it, directions to the binder, and when it comes back it has to be checked. Mr. ANDREWS. You want $15,595 to pay these three new employees. Is that part of the $60,000 total request? Dr. MUMFORD. No, sir. The $60,000 is purely payment for the binding. Mr. ANDREWS. You plan to do most of that work how-through the Government Printing Office or through commerical binders? Dr. MUMFORD. Through commercial binders. Mr. ANDREWS. Roughly how many bound volumes are there in the Library? Dr. MUMFORD. We number approximately 14 million volumes in the form of books and pamphlets. Mr. ANDREWS. What is the average annual usage, if that is a correct way to express it? Dr. MUMFORD. Between 2 and 3 million pieces are used. May I call attention to one statement on page 21 of the white sheets-that our collections have grown from 34.4 million pieces in 1955 to 44.2 million pieces in 1965. This naturally means that we have to do more binding if we are to keep pace with the incoming material and with the old material on the shelves that needs rebinding. Mr. ANDREWS. Do I correctly understand that presently you spend $516,527 for binding to which you propose to add $60,000? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. Where is your binding done? How much is done by the GPO and how much is done elsewhere? Dr. MUMFORD. The larger part of it now is done commercially. Several years ago we obtained a waiver from the Government Printing Office to enable us to send material to commercial binders. Quite a bit of specialized work is still sent to GPO, such as large and valuable volumes, newspaper volumes, books with rare bindings that need repairs, and materials to be laminated, but the larger part of our conventional bookbinding is sent to commercial binders. I don't have the exact percentage. Mr. WELSH. In fiscal 1965 the GPO bound 43,074 volumes and 64,563 volumes were bound commercially. Mr. ANDREWS. You stated that commercial binders do work cheaper than the Government Printing Office. Would you give us an example of that? Mr. ROSSITER. We are doing business with two binders at the moment. They are in low-labor cost areas. There is no way to really compare some of the quality jobs which may be done at the Government Printing Office with what we call an economy type binding done by the commercial people. It is a very adequate and satisfactory binding. Mr. ANDREWS. It answers your need? Mr. ROSSITER. That is right. Dr. MUMFORD. It is adequate for the preservation of the material. MONTHLY INDEX OF RUSSIAN ACCESSIONS. Mr. ANDREWs. We will turn now to page 9. You want $162,200 for financing of the Monthly Index of Russian Accessions. Do I understand that this item is connected directly with the item of $223,361 shown on the next sheet, for a total increase in this connection of $385,561? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. If so, suppose you give us a complete explanation at this point? Dr. MUMFORD. This is a rather involved picture but I shall try to make it as clear as possible. First of all, if I may ask, I would like pages 22 through the top of page 27 of the white sheets placed in the record. Mr. ANDREWS. That may be done. (The pages follow :) SALARIES AND EXPENSES, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PROCESSING DEPARTMENT To continue the monthly index of Russian accessions1 Cyrillic Bibliographic Project, Monthly Index of Russian Accessions: $223, 361 162, 200 385, 561 Total direct financing requested in 1967.. Direct appropriations to the Library of Congress are also allocated to the support of this project. Financial support for the "Monthly Index of Russian Accessions (MIRA)" has come from several sources since its inception in 1948. It is now proposed that the total support for this publication be provided by the Library of Congress. This would add 49 positions to those already in the direct appropriation to the Library. During the past two years, this project has been supported by direct appropriation to the Library of Congress and by funds transferred by the National Science Foundation at the direction of Congress, and the remainder of the work required to produce MIRA has been a byproduct resulting from utilization of other work undertaken by the Cyrillic Bibliographic Project on a transfer fund basis. Discontinuance of this other work beginning with fiscal 1967 has resulted in a review of total requirements if the Library is henceforth to produce MIRA entirely under its own auspices. New positions requested (now being supported from other sources) 1 GS-14-5 Chief, Cyrillic Bibliographic Project_ 5 GS-9-8 Subject Cataloger Translators at $9,256 1 GS-9-7 Subject Cataloger Translator_. 1 GS-9-6 Subject Cataloger Translator.. $16, 703 46, 280 9,006 8,757 1 GS-9-5 Subject Cataloger Translator___ 1 GS-9-1 1 GS-7-8 Subject Cataloger Translator_. 1 GS-7-1 Subject Cataloger Translator__. 1 GS-6-4 8, 486 6 GS-9-4 Subject Cataloger Translators at $8,237 2 GS-9-2 Subject Cataloger Translators at $7,738_. 49, 422 15, 476 European Exchange Specialist (Exchange and Gift Division) 7,488 7,717 6, 261 6, 282 5, 699 5, 699 5, 179 5, 117 4, 285 15, 504 1 GS-6-1 Administrative Secretary-. 1 GS-6-1 Library Assistant-Searcher_. 1 GS-5-1 Proofreader.. 1 GS-4-4 Clerk Typist- 1 GS-3-2 Filer Arranger_. Personnel benefits_. 26 positions--- 223, 361 The value of this publication to scholars and other researchers has frequently been cited. It records the Russian language materials which the Library of Congress and more than 300 other libraries throughout the country receive, and it serves as both a research and a bibliographic tool. It is used extensively by Library of Congress staff as well as by specialists elsewhere in the country. An independent "consumer use" study of MIRA was financed by the National Science Foundation in 1961. The Diebold Group, Inc., which did the study, issued a report at the end of 1962 showing that at that time there were approxi 1 The cost of printing this publication, $28.000, is partly covered by an $18,000 transfer of funds from the National Science Foundation administered under the appropriation Distribution of Catalog Cards. The other $10,000 is provided by direct appropriation to the Distribution of Catalog Cards appropriation. A request for direct appropriation of $18,000 is included in the 1967 Distribution of Catalog Cards appropriation. mately 4,000 individual users of MIRA, including some 2,400 users in the physical sciences. The survey further found that 63.5 percent of the users would be critically affected in their work if MIRA no longer existed. The Summary Chapter of the Diebold Group report concluded (page II-5): "This study has accomplished its purpose of substantially enlarging the data base available to the Government in arriving at a decision regarding the future of MIRA. The body of opinion developed in this study discloses numerous important benefits from the use of MIRA, and many claims of serious adverse effects should the publication be discontinued. The results of the study point toward the continuation of MIRA. The benefits from the use of MIRA cannot, however, be assigned dollar values and weighed against the cost of the publication." MIRA averages 416 pages a month. The monthly printing run is 1,349 copies. These are distributed approximately as follows: 329 copies distributed to depository libraries by the Superintendent of Documents; 600 copies printed for sale by the Government Printing Office (there are 334 subscribers of record, some of whom purchase multiple copies); 420 copies are provided for Library of Congress use, and of this number 20 are distributed to reference and research specialists within the Library as service copies or are added to the Library's collections, 41 are distributed directly to other U.S. Government agencies for their use, and the remainder are used for exchange purposes with other libraries. The National Science Foundation has consistently urged the Library of Congress to seek direct funding of MIRA, on the grounds that about one-third of the contents of MIRA relate to subject fields outside the mission of that agency, and on the grounds that the National Science Foundation does not generally undertake to fund endeavors of this kind on a continuing basis. The value of this publication is such that its termination would necessarily result either in widespread requirements to build up additional research staffs or in the loss of current and comprehensive subject analysis of Russian publications in scientific, technical, political, and other fields. In view of the unique character of this publication, full direct support for its continuance is requested. Dr. MUMFORD. The Monthly Index of Russian Accessions is a publication which lists the Russian material which we receive in the Library of Congress and that which is received by some 300 other libraries around the country that obtain Russian material. It indexes the material by author, subject and title, and there is a table of contents. It is the only tool which gives access to the Russian materials coming into this country. It is a very valuable tool which is used by scientists, social scientists, humanists, and others. If it were not in existence it would be very difficult for users to know the information that is represented in U.S. holdings of Russian publications. Approximately twothirds of the material that is included in it is in the area of science and technology. When we refer to the Cyrillic bibliographic project on the next page, this is the group which receives the publications and analyzes and provides the data-the Monthly Index of Russian Accessions being the product. The two go together. The text we have set forth on the white sheets which I requested be inserted spells out the value of this publication and its historv. It has been supported in three ways-by the use of some staff at the Library of Congress; by transfer of funds from the National Science Foundation, at the direction of this committee; and by the Department of Defense. Mr. ANDREWS. Off the record. (Discussion held off the record.) Mr. ANDREWS. What will be the total cost of this project? Mr. ROSSITER. $478,000. Mr. ANDREWs. Does that include this $162,200 increase? Mr. ROSSITER. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. How much did you have for this project in 1966? Mr. ROSSITER. $162,000 from National Science Foundation, $223,361 from the other source, plus $93,000 in direct approprations to the Library. Mr. ANDREWS. So your direct appropriation was around $93,000? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. Mr. ANDREWS. What would the direct appropriation be this year if this full request is allowed? Mr. ROSSITER. $478,000, sir. Dr. MUMFORD. I should point out, Mr. Chairman, that we have a Slavic and Central European Division in the Library which provides service on material from Soviet Russia and it would be seriously handicapped without this publication. It would require considerable additional help on the part of reference assistants to try to service the material which we receive without this index. Mr. ANDREWS. How many of your people are actually engaged in working on this index? Mr. WELSH. A total of 64 people are involved, some of whom came from the Library of Congress staff. Most of them, however, have been recruited from the outside. Mr. ANDREWS. What percentage of this total amount requested would be for personal services? Dr. MUMFORD. All of it. The cost of printing is in the card distribution appropriation. About $28,000 is the total cost for printing the publication. Mr. ANDREWS. How often is this publication published? Dr. MUMFORD. Monthly. Mr. ANDREWS. What distribution do you make of it? Mr. WELSH. The monthly printing run is 1,349 copies, of which 329 are distributed by the Superintendent of Documents to depository libraries, 600 are for sale by the GPO, and 420 copies are provided for Library of Congress use. Mr. ANDREWS. Do you get any revenue from the sale or distribution? Mr. WELSH. No, sir. Mr. ANDREWs. You do not sell them? Mr. WELSH. No, sir, the Superintendent of Documents sells them. Mr. ANDREWS. Have you any idea how much income it brings in? Mr. WELSH. $14 times 600 copies roughly $8,400. Dr. MUMFORD. For a year, sir. The income is relatively small but that in no way measures the usefulness of the publication. Mr. ANDREWS. Tell us just what would happen if this item were dropped. What would be the disservice, if any, in view of the fact that one of the Government agencies which cosponsored the project has now evidently lost interest in it? Dr. MUMFORD. I think a large number of scientists around the country would not be nearly as aware of what the Russians are doing in their fields and scholars in other fields such as the social sciences and in political science, would likewise be deprived of this information. Mr. ANDREWS. Is this the only source of information that those scientists have? Dr. MUMFORD. It is the only guide and index to Russian literature and materials coming into the country. |