1 (2) a member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior

2 to the expiration of the term for which his predecessor was 3 appointed shall be appointed only for the remainder of such

4 term.

5 (b) Members of the Commission who are not in the 6 regular full-time employ of the United States shall, while 7 attending meetings or conferences of the Commission or 8 otherwise engaged in the business of the Commission, be 9 entitled to receive compensation at a rate fixed by the 10 Secretary, but not exceeding the rate specified at the time 11 of such service for grade GS-18 in section 5332 of title 5, 12 United States Code, including traveltime, and while so serv13 ing on the business of the Commission away from their 14 homes or regular places of business, they may be allowed 15 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, 16 and authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, 17 for persons employed intermittently in the Government 18 service.

19

(c) (1) The Commission is authorized to appoint, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, 21 covering appointments in the competitive service, such pro22 fessional and technical personnel as may be necessary to en23 able it to carry out its function under this Act.

24 (2) The Commission may procure, without regard to the 25 civil service laws or the Classification Act of 1949, as

6

1 amended, temporary and intermittent services of such per2 sonnel as are necessary to the extent authorized by section 15 3 of the Administrative Expenses Act of 1946, but at rates not 4 to exceed $100 per day (or, if higher, the rate specified at 5 the time of such service for grade GS-18 in section 5332 of 6 title 5, United States Code), including traveltime, and while

7

so serving on the business of the Commission away from their 8 homes or regular places of business they may be allowed 9 travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as 10 authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code, for persons employed intermittently in the Government service.

11

12

14

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS

13 SEC. 7. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated $500,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1970, and for each succeeding fiscal year such sums as may be appropriated

15

16

by the Congress for the purposes of carrying out the provi17 sions of this Act.

Hon. RALPH YARBOROUGH,

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
Washington, D.C., April 25, 1969.

Chairman, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare,

U. S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in reply to your requests for reports on S. 1146 and S. 1519, bills to establish a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

This Department favors the objective of the proposed legislation.

These bills provide for the establishment of a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science to assure provision of libary and information services adequate to the needs of the American people, to assure cooperation with State and local governments and private agencies to improve such services; and to strengthen Federal programs and policies relating to library and information services by a continuing process of review and evalution.

Because of the continuing increase in the literature and the varying requirements of our citizens, studies and analyses of user needs, appraisal of the adequacies and deficiencies in resources and services, and development of effective programs to meet these library needs are of particular importance.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that there is no objection to the presentation of this report from the standpoint of the Administration's program.

Sincerely,

CLIFFORD M. HARDIN,
Secretary of Agriculture.

Hon. RALPH YARBOROUGH,

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,

BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D.C., April 29, 1969.

Chairman, Commitee on Labor and Public Welfare,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is in response to your request for the views of the Bureau of the Budget on S. 1146, the "National Library Commission Act of 1969," and S. 1519, the "National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act." The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare has already testified on S. 1519 and has recommended that S. 1519 be reshaped to be similar to S. 1146. The Bureau of the Budget concurs generally in the testimony presented by HEW. Accordingly, the Bureau of the Budget has no objection to enactment of a bill along the lines of S. 1146.

Sincerely yours,

WILFRED H. ROMMEL, Assistant Director for Legislative Reference. Senator PELL. The proposed National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Act would

(1) Affirm that library and information sciences are essential to achieve national goals, and to fully utilize the Nation's educational resources effectively; and that the Federal Government will cooperate, with State and local governments, and with public and private libraries, in assuring optimum provision of library and information services: and

(2) Establish, as an independent agency, a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science which would advise the Federal, State and local governments on meeting the national policy with respect to library and information sciences.

The Commission would be provided administrative services by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The 15 members of the Commission would be appointed by the President with the advise and consent of the Senate. It would advise the President and the Congress on the implementation of national library policy; conduct surveys, analyses, and evaluations of library needed and programs; develop plans for meeting national library needs and for conducting governmental activities to meet those needs; provide technical assistance to governmental and private agencies; and promote research and development activities.

The bill would authorize $500,000 to be appropriated in fiscal year 1970; thereafter, there will be a permanent open-ended authorization of appropriation.

The bill is, to my mind, an excellent one, and will now be considered for discussion by the various witnesses who will be coming forward. The first witness scheduled is Mr. Grant Venn.

Before he commences, however, I would hope that the sponsor of the bill, the chairman of this committee, might have some thoughts or good advice.

Senator YARBOROUGH. Mr. Chairman, I am grateful to the chairman of the Education Subcommittee for his diligence in promptly setting a bearing on this bill. That exceptional diligence and promptness is so characteristic of this distinguished Senator for Rhode Island, with whom we are privileged to serve on this committee.

Mr. Chairman, on September 2, 1966, by Executive order, there was established the National Advisory Commission on Libraries. It was charged with four tasks: (1) To make a comprehensive study and ap

praisal of the role of libraries as resources for scholarly pursuits, centers for the dissemination of knowledge, and as components of the evolving national information system; (2) to appraise the policies, programs, and practices of public agencies and private institutions and organizations together with those factors which have a bearing on the role and effective utilization of libraries; (3) to appraise library funding through the Federal support of libraries to determine how funds available for the construction and support of libraries and library services can be more effectively and efficiently utilized; (4) to develop recommendations for action by government or private institutions and organizations designed to insure an effective and efficient library system for the Nation.

At one of the regional meetings held by the Advisory Commission over the country, 47 people from my home State of Texas testified before the Commission. In its report of July 1, 1968, carrying out the mandate of that Executive order, the Commission made its first recommendation, and I quote from it:

1. Establishment of a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science as a continuing Federal planning agency.

That is the first recommendation.

Now, in support of the recommendation, the Commission explained that in furthering library services "The most important single measure that can be undertaken is the establishment of the continuing Federal planning agency."

This bill, S. 1519, was introduced by me on March 12 to carry out that recommendation. We have a number of cosponsors for it. I think the need is self-evident. The budget amendment submitted by President Nixon cut back the funding for purchases of books and materials under the Library Services and Construction Act from $35 million to $17.5 million, although $75 million was authorized. I think the authorization of $75 million was modest.

The Johnson budget of January cut more than half of it and cut it down to $35 million.

The Nixon budget has now cut that in two again to $17.5 million. That is tokenism in the purchase of study books and materials and for construction.

This Nixon administration budget amendment cut $1.9 million from construction, eliminating this program.

In its accompanying statement it declares:

In line with our general policy to defer new construction starts in tightening the budget, this budget will eliminate funds for about 90 library construction projects from the 1970 budget.

That is an interesting statement. I serve on the Military Construction Subcommittee, and we get more requests, for hundreds of millions more, for new construction for South Vietnam every year. I went over there last November. We have no agreement with South Vietnam as to what will happen, what is going to become of that property over there. And we want to appropriate a bare $1.9 million for construction in this country for libraries; for books. If we had a few more libraries and books, it might help settle that war over there.

Tuesday, the New York Times editorialized on the proclaiming of National Library Week. It said:

The original 1970 budget request for major library programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the Library Services Construction Act amounted to $134,500,000. The revised budget cuts this down to a trifle over $46,000,000.—

And they might have said, "cut it down to a trifle"

Equipment and construction materials for schools, public and academic libraries will be reduced or terminated altogether.

That is why I say the need for a continuing Commission planning agency for financial resources, to focus attention to the needs, for financial support of libraries, is self-evident.

The devastating effect of the budget recommendations is to cut down. on reading books, and we will all get us a gun.

Mr. Chairman, I am grateful for the time the chairman is taking for this hearing and for his support, cosponsorship and aid to this bill. Senator PELL. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

We will now hear from Mr. Grant Venn, the Associate Commissioner for Adult, Vocational, and Library Programs, Office of Education.

You might care to introduce your associates who are with you.

I have been over your statement, which is relatively short. You may want to give it in full, or you can digest it, as you see fit. In any event, we will be very interested in your comments.

Mr. VENN. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, Senator Yarborough.

I would like to introduce the people with me. On my left is Mr. Scott Adams, Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health; next to me on my left is Mr. Ray Fry, Director, Division of Library Services and Educational Facilities. On my right is Mr. Lee Burchinal, Director, Division of Information Technology and Dissemination, Bureau of Research, and on my immediate right is Mr. Albert Alford, Assistant Comissioner for Legislation.

With your permission, I would like to read my statement, since it is relatively short.

Senator PELL. Yes. You may proceed in whatever manner you desire.

STATEMENT OF GRANT VENN, ASSOCIATE COMMISSIONER FOR ADULT, VOCATIONAL, AND LIBRARY PROGRAMS, OFFICE OF EDUCATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE; ACCOMPANIED BY RAY M. FRY, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF LIBRARY PROGRAMS, BUREAU OF ADULT, VOCATIONAL, AND LIBRARY PROGRAMS; LEE G. BURCHINAL, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DISSEMINATION, BUREAU OF RESEARCH; SCOTT ADAMS, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, AND ALBERT L. ALFORD, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR LEGISLATION

Mr. VENN. I am pleased to appear today to testify on S. 1519, a bill to create a National Commission on Libraries and Information Science.

We feel that the proposed National Commission could, in many helpful ways, alleviate difficulties of libraries across the country. As it now stands, the bill would establish a National Commission carrying