Mr. LANGEN. This might well be. The statistics that we have before us are, by your own estimate, the number of inquiries on a per position basis for fiscal 1967, as estimated, which is not over yet.

Mr. JAYSON. We are trying to drive it down further through our 2

year program.

Mr. LANGEN. In the pattern, as established by the figures, that you have before us, is it going to have increases in the coming fiscal year? I do not doubt but what you will have. If the pattern established between 1965 and 1966 is right, then I suppose a big additional workload is going to be in translations and the material already prepared. I had kind of been thinking a little more in terms of workload having increased in the category of the Government services that have multiplied. Whether it be because of the numerous programs that are coming into being on which there will be any number of inquiries Congress has a burden of determining whether they are working well and how they are applied to respective areas. I know these are not involved in translations.

Mr. JAYSON. Bear in mind one of the principal problems we have had, and one of the principal complaints we have had, relates to the quality of the work. We cannot improve quality unless there is more time available to our researchers.

Mr. LANGEN. By virtue of that, your quality should have been improved in 1966 because of those categories. You handled less of them.

INQUIRIES TURNED DOWN

Let me ask you another question. Did you ever have occasion to turn down any requests?

Mr. JAYSON. Yes, sir.

Mr. LANGEN. What is the nature of those turned down?

Mr. JAYSON. There are a good many requests we get which relate to particular Members of Congress. One Member wants the legislative record of another Member. This happens particularly as we approach election periods. We will not do research on a Member at the request of another Member unless the first Member gives his written consent.

There are occasions where the deadline is just impossible to meet in view of the fact that the staff is already tied up and there we will call the office and explain to them the situation we are in.

As you know, our subject expertise is pretty thinly spread about. For example, we may have only one or two people who are experts in Southeast Asia and yet if a particular incident occurs there, resulting in much congressional interest, all of the inquiries will converge on those two experts. We have to turn down requests of that kind when we do not have sufficient manpower to handle them.

There are occasions where we discover that the request is really intended for a constituent and requires a good deal of research work. We don't do extensive research work for constituents so we decline that type of request.

Mr. LANGEN. Are there any instances in which the request was for work that ought to be done by the congressional staff to begin with? Mr. JAYSON. We are not in a position to know what instructions the congressional staff had. I would assume that when you are dealing with

figures like 117,000 inquiries per year there are times when we are doing something which a staff man should have been doing. This is inevitable when you do that volume.

Mr. LANGEN. I appreciate the vagueness and the difficulty of defining it. I am not so sure that I do not have some staff people that find it easier to call up the Legislative Research Service and get the inquiries done than make the effort themselves.

TRANSLATION WORK

You got 35 new employees last year. How many of them were translators?

Mr. JAYSON. One, but we also have two temporary translators on hand. We added one permanent and two temporaries that we have been operating with this year.

Mr. LANGEN. With the addition of one translator, you handle the heavier workload in that field and 34 additional people in the other categories handled less work.

Mr. JAYSON. We have four translators on a permanent basis and we have two temporaries on hand at the present time. Among the new employees we are now asking for would be an additional translator. Ďr. MUMFORD. Mr. Langen, may I add to that?

There are limitations imposed upon the amount of translation that will be done. The Joint Committee on the Library, several years ago. adopted a resolution to the effect that translations for constituents should be brief; namely, no more than a few lines of text.

Mr. LANGEN. You say they should be brief, such as a letter?

Dr. MUMFORD. Yes sir; limited to a very brief form. Not a whole book.

Mr. LANGEN. A book they wanted translated?

Dr. MUMFORD. No; we would not translate such a lengthy document. That is correct.

Mr. JAYSON. This translation service deals primarily with letters from constituents to Members of Congress. In recent times we have made agreements with various offices that send over letters for translation, agreements to provide mere summaries where that will be effective for the office use.

ESTIMATED INQUIRY WORKLOAD INCREASE IN 1968

Mr. LANGEN. What do you anticipate the increased workload to be for the coming fiscal year?

Mr. JAYSON. We estimate roughly 130,000 inquiries for fiscal 1968. This is based upon what we see on this chart.

Mr. LANGEN. Which will be 5,000 more than the estimate for fiscal year 1967?

Mr. JAYSON. Probably.

Mr. LANGEN. I inquire because of the increase in the total inquiries which is up 1 percent.

Mr. JAYSON. Yes. It is a little less than 1 percent, calendar 1966 over 1965, but calendar 1966 was up 23 percent over 1964.

Mr. LANGEN. But the increase in personnel that we granted last year was up over 10 percent.

Mr. JAYSON. When we set forth our request last year for a 2-year program to bring our staff up to approximately 300 people, we were talking about the workload in calendar 1965 as against 1964. That is the reason we set up in our charts here the 1964 figure. If you compare either calendar year 1966 or fiscal year 1967 against that earlier figure, you will see that we are still, at least as we figure it, very much understaffed.

Mr. LANGEN. This is the reason I raise the question. Obviously you based that request somewhat on the increase from 1964 to 1965. The increase was not comparable from 1965 to 1966, which surprises

me.

Mr. JAYSON. The increase over 1964 is a substantial basis for our present request. We felt you should see the whole picture, which is the reason we set forth the 1964 figures there.

Mr. LANGEN. It surprises me that it did not go up more. That is why I raise the question of what the anticipated increase may be for the coming year. That is the determining factor in adding further personnel.

That is all, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ANDREWS. We will see you gentlemen again Monday morning at 10 o'clock.

Mr. ANDREWS. We shall take up this morning the request for appropriation for salaries and expenses, books for the blind and physically handicapped. That request is found at pages 120 of the committee print and 186 of the justifications.

Dr. Mumford, you are requesting $6,085,000 for fiscal year 1968 for this program, which is an increase of $1,480,900. Is that correct? Dr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir.

Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Reporter, we shall insert pages 186 through 194 in the record.

(The pages follow :)

APPROPRIATION: SALARIES AND EXPENSES, BOOKS FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED

2. Ingrade increases and other anticipated increases in salary costs_ Funds are requested to cover the cost of within-grade

increases and reallocations as follows:

Salaries

Personal Benefits_.

Total

$6,057
408

6, 465

+6, 465

3. Annualization of positions acquired in 1967 Supplemental Appro

priation

Public Law 89-522, approved July 30, 1966, stipulates

that the Library of Congress shall provide the same
services to the physically handicapped, certified by
competent authority as unable to read normal printed
material as a result of physical limitations, as are
provided the blind. The Supplemetnal Appropriation
Act, 1967 which provided funds to implement the pro-
visions of that act (P.L. 89-522) included salaries
and personnel benefits for 9 new positions for three-
fourths of a year. This request is to provide full
annual salaries and benefits for these 9 positions as
follows:

Salaries

Personnel Benefits--

Total

+$18,996

$17,655

1,341

18, 996

+7,000

4. Transportation of things.

Establishment of new regional Libraries and expansion of existing ones to include services for physically handicapped as well as blind readers will require additional transportation funds. It is estimated that $7,000 will provide for this cost.

5. Long Distance Telephone_-_

The need for contact by telephone with organizations in respect to the new service to physically handicapped is expected to increase greatly.

6. Printing and reproduction_____

It will be necessary to revise and acquire additional copies of brochures, catalogs, and manuals to meet the anticipated demand. Of this increase, $10,000 is for publications and $3,000 for photoduplication.

7. Other contractual services__.

Professional and Consultant Services_.

A thorough reader interest type survey at an estimated cost of $10,000 is deemed essential in consideration of the anticipated increased program. Also, it is planned to contract with technical consultants to determine the best possible circulation system to accommodate the expansion of readers due to the increased program. This is estimated to cost $12,000. Repairs to machines__

About one-half of the talking book machine inventory of approximately 100,000 is 5 years or more old and in heavy use. In order to keep these machines in good operating condition an adequate supply of repair parts must be maintained by each of the 54 state agencies. Publication contracts_

Circulation of the bi-monthly Talking Book Topics and Braille Book Review is expected to increase by 40,000 and 5,000 copies respectively in fiscal 1968. In addition, these publications will necessarily be enlarged to include the increase in titles expected to be produced in fiscal 1968. Also, the printed catalogs will be supplemented by a recording which will enable the readers to select titles without assistance.

78-653-67-35