separate serial publications-the largest operation of its kind in the world-and serves as a clearinghouse for information on serial literature for the entire nation. To maintain currency in the recording of serials 2 GS-6 senior accessioners, at $5,867 4 GS-5 accessioners, at $5, 331. 2 GS-4 Serial sorters, at $4,776__ Total Personnel benefits--. 8 positions_ $11, 734 21, 324 9,552 42, 610 3, 312 45, 922 Every hour, about one thousand separate pieces of material are received in this Division to be recorded in the Serial Record. Unfortunately, the staff available to record incoming serials has in recent years been insufficient to handle the steadily rising number of serials received. The result of this situation has been a large and growing arrearage of material to be processed, an arrearage which affects not only the efficiency of acquisitions, cataloging, and related operations in the Processing Department, but also seriously undermines the level of service provided by the Reference Department, the Law Library, and the Legislative Reference Service. In August of 1966, the arrearage amounted to almost a quarter of a million pieces. Overtime work and a part-time night shift of temporary employees have now reduced the arrearage to less than 150,000 preces, but these measures do not provide any real or lasting solution to the problem. The rate of acquisition still substantially exceeds the capacity of the regular staff to handle it, so that without the use of overtime or other emergency measures the arrearage will continue to grow unless additional personnel are hired to handle the increased intake. During fiscal 1967, an estimated 2,050,000 pieces of serial material will be received for processing. A good accessioner— that is, an employee who records information in the Serial Record-can process about 70,000 pieces per year. This means that we have a current need for 29 accessioners merely to process the current material being recieved. There are presently only 23 accessioners; an additional 6 accessioners (2 at grade GS-6 and 4 at grade GS-5) are requested. Two GS-4 serial sorters are also needed to handle the preliminary sorting of these additional materials. Without adequate staff it has also been impossible to edit the Serial Record Properly. Consequently, it does not accurately reflect the Library's holdings. This affects the level of service provided as seriously as the arrearage in accesKoning. Out-of-date entries must be updated, changes in title must be recorded, *rroneous information must be corrected, and adequate cross references must be Eade. The anticipated future automation of this record will be impossible before his editing task has been completed. To begin this process during fiscal 1968, e GS-9 senior serial cataloger, 3 GS-7 serial catalogers, and one GS-5 editorial assistant are requested. These positions will enable us to edit and revise an estimated 25.000 records, as well as to ascertain the magnitude of effort necessary to complete the task. To eliminate the arrearage of new serials awaiting cataloging 5 GS-9 senior serial catalogers, at $7,696_. Personnel benefits 5 positions $38, 480 2,879 41, 359 Mr. ROSSITER. Actually we have had a computer, if you want to call it one, since back in 1940, for payroll work. We have improved it over the years as the newer equipment came out. It was called EAM in those days, electric accounting machines; now it is automatic data processing. We have been in this business for 27 years in our fiscal operations. Mr. ANDREWS. Do you think the machine saves manpower? Mr. ANDREWS. I won't ask you if you reduced your manpower since you got the machine. Dr. MUMFORD. I do not think we have. But as the volume of work has increased over the years we would have been forced to request additional manpower if we did not have the machines to aid the work. Mr. ANDREWS. You won't get any additional equipment; you will just beef up, so to speak, the equipment if you get the $150,000 additional request. Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. TOTAL NEW POSITIONS REQUESTED Mr. ANDREWS. That brings the next question. The next item is for an increase of $630,522 for 98 new positions. 45 NEW POSITIONS TO ELIMINATE ARREARAGES AND MAINTAIN Dr. MUMFORD. This is for an entirely different purpose, Mr. Chairman. Beginning with the Processing Department, I referred yesterday to the Serial Record Division that we have. It records periodicals. journals, and serials in all form. It provides a central control, which is indispensable to being able to know whether we have a particular serial and information about its location. As more and more materials are published, this file grows larger. We have developed large arrearages in material awaiting to be checked into the file and new titles waiting to be cataloged. The file has not been edited, that is. checked and brought up to date. It is badly in need of editing. We have not been able to claim issues that we are not receiving. We have no manpower to do it. There are many gaps in the collections which should be filled. I would ask, if I may, that several pages relating to this, since it is a large group of positions, be placed in the record. Mr. ANDREWS. They are already in the record. Dr. MUMFORD. I was thinking of pages 24 to 31, which give a more elaborate explanation of each one of these operations, of checking the serials in when we already have titles, cataloging new titles, editing the record, and claiming issues from publishers which have not been received, or trying to obtain missing issues to fill gaps. This is one of the most important records in the Library. It is the most complete record of serials in the Nation. It serves not only the Library of Congress but other libraries in providing information about serials. (The pages follow :) A. Serial Record Division.—Because of the fast-changing nature of many fields of knowledge today and the reliance of most of the physical and social sciences on current periodical literature, the Library's Serial Record is of critical inportance. The Serial Record Division maintains this file of data on over 600,000 separate serial publications-the largest operation of its kind in the world—and serves as a clearinghouse for information on serial literature for the entire nation. To maintain currency in the recording of serials 2 GS-6 senior accessioners, at $5,867_. 4 GS-5 accessioners, at $5, 331_. 2 GS-4 Serial sorters, at $4,776_ Total Personnel benefits-- 8 positions. $11, 734 21, 324 9,552 42, 610 3, 312 45, 922 Every hour, about one thousand separate pieces of material are received in this Division to be recorded in the Serial Record. Unfortunately, the staff available to record incoming serials has in recent years been insufficient to handle the steadily rising number of serials received. The result of this situation has been a large and growing arrearage of material to be processed, an arrearage which affects not only the efficiency of acquisitions, cataloging, and related operations in the Processing Department, but also seriously undermines the level of service provided by the Reference Department, the Law Library, and the Legislative Reference Service. In August of 1966, the arrearage amounted to almost a quarter of a million pieces. Overtime work and a part-time night shift of temporary employees have now reduced the arrearage to less than 150,000 pieces, but these measures do not provide any real or lasting solution to the problem. The rate of acquisition still substantially exceeds the capacity of the regular staff to handle it, so that without the use of overtime or other emergency measures the arrearage will continue to grow unless additional personnel are hired to handle the increased intake. During fiscal 1967, an estimated 2,050,000 pieces of serial material will be received for processing. A good accessionerthat is, an employee who records information in the Serial Record-can process about 70,000 pieces per year. This means that we have a current need for 29 accessioners merely to process the current material being recieved. There are presently only 23 accessioners; an additional 6 accessioners (2 at grade GS-6 and 4 at grade GS-5) are requested. Two GS-4 serial sorters are also needed to tandle the preliminary sorting of these additional materials. Without adequate staff it has also been impossible to edit the Serial Record Properly. Consequently, it does not accurately reflect the Library's holdings. This affects the level of service provided as seriously as the arrearage in accessoning. Out-of-date entries must be updated, changes in title must be recorded, rroneous information must be corrected, and adequate cross references must be zade. The anticipated future automation of this record will be impossible before Lis editing task has been completed. To begin this process during fiscal 1968, he GS-9 senior serial cataloger, 3 GS-7 serial catalogers, and one GS-5 editorial assistant are requested. These positions will enable us to edit and revise an estimated 25.000 records, as well as to ascertain the magnitude of effort necessary to complete the task. To eliminate the arrearage of new serials awaiting cataloging 3 GS-9 senior serial catalogers, at $7,696Personnel benefits__. 5 positions... $38, 480 2,879 41, 359 Mr. ROSSITER. Actually we have had a computer, if you want to call it one, since back in 1940, for payroll work. We have improved it over the years as the newer equipment came out. It was called EAM in those days, electric accounting machines; now it is automatic data. processing. We have been in this business for 27 years in our fiscal operations. Mr. ANDREWS. Do you think the machine saves manpower? Mr. ANDREWS. I won't ask you if you reduced your manpower since you got the machine. Dr. MUMFORD. I do not think we have. But as the volume of work has increased over the years we would have been forced to request additional manpower if we did not have the machines to aid the work. Mr. ANDREWS. You won't get any additional equipment; you will just beef up, so to speak, the equipment if you get the $150,000 additional request. Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir. TOTAL NEW POSITIONS REQUESTED Mr. ANDREWS. That brings the next question. The next item is for an increase of $630,522 for 98 new positions. 45 NEW POSITIONS TO ELIMINATE ARREARAGES AND MAINTAIN Dr. MUMFORD. This is for an entirely different purpose, Mr. Chairman. Beginning with the Processing Department, I referred yesterday to the Serial Record Division that we have. It records periodicals. journals, and serials in all form. It provides a central control, which is indispensable to being able to know whether we have a particular serial and information about its location. As more and more materials are published, this file grows larger. We have developed large arrearages in material awaiting to be checked into the file and new titles waiting to be cataloged. The file has not been edited, that is, checked and brought up to date. It is badly in need of editing. We have not been able to claim issues that we are not receiving. We have no manpower to do it. There are many gaps in the collections which should be filled. I would ask, if I may, that several pages relating to this, since it is a large group of positions, be placed in the record. Mr. ANDREWS. They are already in the record. Dr. MUMFORD. I was thinking of pages 24 to 31, which give a more elaborate explanation of each one of these operations, of checking the serials in when we already have titles, cataloging new titles, editing the record, and claiming issues from publishers which have not been received, or trying to obtain missing issues to fill gaps. This is one of the most important records in the Library. It is the most complete record of serials in the Nation. It serves not only the Library of Congress but other libraries in providing information about serials. (The pages follow:) A. Serial Record Division. Because of the fast-changing nature of many fieldof knowledge today and the reliance of most of the physical and social sciences on current periodical literature, the Library's Serial Record is of critical importance. The Serial Record Division maintains this file of data on over 600,000 separate serial publications-the largest operation of its kind in the world—and serves as a clearinghouse for information on serial literature for the entire nation. To maintain currency in the recording of serials 2 GS-6 senior accessioners, at $5,867_ 4 GS-5 accessioners, at $5, 331_ 2 GS-4 Serial sorters, at $4,776_ Total Personnel benefits__ 8 positions---- $11, 734 21, 324 9, 552 42, 610 3, 312 45, 922 Every hour, about one thousand separate pieces of material are received in this Division to be recorded in the Serial Record. Unfortunately, the staff available to record incoming serials has in recent years been insufficient to handle the steadily rising number of serials received. The result of this situation has been a large and growing arrearage of material to be processed, an arrearage which affects not only the efficiency of acquisitions, cataloging, and related operations in the Processing_Department, but also seriously undermines the level of service provided by the Reference Department, the Law Library, and the Legislative Reference Service. In August of 1966, the arrearage amounted to almost a quarter of a million pieces. Overtime work and a part-time night shift of temporary employees have now reduced the arrearage to less than 150,000 pieces, but these measures do not provide any real or lasting solution to the problem. The rate of acquisition still substantially exceeds the capacity of the regular staff to handle it, so that without the use of overtime or other emergency measures the arrearage will continue to grow unless additional personnel are hired to handle the increased intake. During fiscal 1967, an estimated 2,050,000 pieces of serial material will be received for processing. A good accessioner—– that is, an employee who records information in the Serial Record-can process about 70,000 pieces per year. This means that we have a current need for 29 accessioners merely to process the current material being recieved. There are presently only 23 accessioners; an additional 6 accessioners (2 at grade GS-6 and 4 at grade GS-5) are requested. Two GS-4 serial sorters are also needed to handle the preliminary sorting of these additional materials. Without adequate staff it has also been impossible to edit the Serial Record operly. Consequently, it does not accurately reflect the Library's holdings. This affects the level of service provided as seriously as the arrearage in accessoning. Out-of-date entries must be updated, changes in title must be recorded. erroneous information must be corrected, and adequate cross references must be zade. The anticipated future automation of this record will be impossible before Es editing task has been completed. To begin this process during fiscal 1968. de GS-9 senior serial cataloger, 3 GS-7 serial catalogers, and one GS-5 editorial assistant are requested. These positions will enable us to edit and revise an estimated 25.000 records, as well as to ascertain the magnitude of effort necessary to complete the task. To eliminate the arrearage of new serials awaiting cataloging 5 GS-9 senior serial catalogers, at $7,696Personnel benefits-- 5 positions $38.480 2, 879 41, 359 |