The legislative branch appropriation bill for the current fiscal year has not yet been reported by the House committee. This morning, we are pleased to welcome the Librarian of Congress, Dr. L. Quincy Mumford, along with the members of his staff. INTRODUCTION OF ASSOCIATES Before you proceed with your statement, Dr. Mumford, will you please introduce your associates for the purposes of the record. Mr. MUMFORD. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. On my right here is Mr. Lorenz, the Deputy Librarian of Congress, and next to him Mrs. Hamer, who is Assistant Librarian of Congress, and beginning on the front row is Mr. Welsh, Director of the Processing Department; Mr. Rohlf, Director of the Administrative Department; Mr. Jayson, who is Director of the Legislative Reference Service; Mr. Reimers, who is Coordinator of Information Systems; Mr. Berry, Director of the Reference Department; Mr. Coffin, who is a Law Librarian; and Mr. Cary, who is Deputy Register of Copyrights. And on the back row as an observer, Mr. Kenyon, Associate Law Librarian; Mr. Yabroff Assistant Director for Management Services, Administrative Department; Mr. Curran, who is deputy budget officer; and Mr. Bray, who is Chief of the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped; and Mr. Applebaum, who is Assistant Director of the Processing Department. On my left is Mr. William W. Rossiter, the Library's budget officer. Senator MONTOYA. Thank you, Dr. Mumford. You may proceed with your statement, sir. SUMMARY STATEMENT: RISING WORKLOAD AND RESPONSIBILITIES Mr. MUMFORD. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I have a summary statement which I would like to present, if I may. Senator MONTOYA. It will be made a part of the record, or if you want to present it yourself, go ahead. it. Mr. MUMFORD. I would appreciate the opportunity of going through Senator MONTOYA. Do you have another statement besides this? Mr. MUMFORD. No, sir. This is a kind of a summary of the requests. Senator MONTOYA. Yes. Mr. MUMFORD. First let me say the opportunity to appear here in behalf of the Library's 1970 budget estimates is most welcome. My introductory statement will be brief. For the most part, the increases I have requested, in addition to providing for salary and price increases, are designed to meet the rising workloads and responsibilities of the Library in numerous areas and do not contemplate any major new services or programs. BUDGET REQUEST The total request which you have before you under all headings is $44,677,800, which represents an increase of $2,964,900 over the fiscal 1969 levels. About $1,200,000 of this increase is for such built-in costs as in-grade salary and price increases and annualization of pay increases. Of the remaining increases, $1,120,000 is for acquiring, cataloging, and servicing library materials and $645,000 is for special services, primarily for the book program for the blind and physically handicapped and, to a lesser extent, for the Copyright Office. INCREASES REQUESTED These increases include requests for a total of 96 additional positions for the purpose of meeting increased work loads. Of these, 63 are under the appropriation item "Salaries, and expenses, Library of Congress," eight are for the Copyright Office, 17 for the Legislative Reference Service, and eight for the Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Almost all of the other significant increases are for the purchase and preservation of books and other library materials. ACQUISITION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS The acquisition of books to meet growing demands for service is a major undertaking for most libraries and is, of course, an even greater one for the Library of Congress. There is, as you know, a continual increase in the variety of subjects being investigated; there is an equally large increase in the number of books on each subject; and the price of each book has increased at a greater rate than the general price level for other commodities. For these reasons I am asking an increase of $190,000 for the purchase of books, of which $15,000 is for lawbooks, and that is a separate appropriation, and an increase of $347,000 for the reading program for the blind and physically handicapped, primarily for the acquisition of additional Braille books and sound recordings. PRESERVATION OF MATERIALS For several years the Library has, of necessity, been placing greater emphasis on the preservation of its collections in order that this material may be available for future generations. Because time is an important element in this program, I am requesting an additional $165,000 for the restoration and preservation of books and for the microreproduction of materials that have deteriorated beyond the point where they can be restored. AUTOMATION Although I am not requesting an increase for the automation program-that item remains at $1,600,000-I should like to make a few comments about this activity. The automation program at the Library has two interrelated goals. One is to provide better, more-efficient access to the Library's resources through automation; and the second is to serve as a focal point in the development of a central library information system offering automated cataloging and other bibliographic services to the Nation. Not only is this program essential to future Library of Congress operations and to our work for the Congress and the Government, but other libraries and their users throughout this country will be direct beneficiaries. MACHINE-READABLE CATALOGING Through funds provided in part by Federal grant programs, many This makes it possible, for the first time, for libraries throughout the During the past fiscal year, we have inaugurated a subscription AUTOMATION IN THE LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE An important aspect of our automation program is directed toward DISTRIBUTION OF CATALOG Cards Turning to the distribution of catalog cards, which is a self-support- However, until the changeover is completed, we will experience the JAMES MADISON MEMORIAL BUILDING Finally, I should like to say a few words about the continuing crit- RENTAL SPACE In the meantime, the General Services Administration has provided This will complete the leasing program started in 1967, and the I hope that this space will see us through until the Madison Build- RETURNS TO THE TREASURY The Library, as you know, does have two revenue-producing serv- RESIDENT ENGINEER One additional point for the record. The Architect of the Capitol, I thank you for the opportunity to present this summary. My staff ORGANIZATION OF THE LIBRARY Senator MONTOYA. Mr. Mumford, in order to have the record prop- Mr. MUMFORD. Yes, sir, I will be glad to summarize that. FUNCTIONS OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS The functions of the Library of Congress are largely reflected in The Office of the Librarian is made up of the Librarian, the Deputy tems Offices. The Librarian is, ex officio, chairman of the Permanent Committee for the Oliver Wendell Holmes Devise, created by an act of Congress to administer the bequest of the late Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; the projects of the Committee a definitive multivolume history of the Supreme Court of the United States and the Holmes lecture series-are administered through the Librarian's office. ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT The Administrative Department is responsible for the Library's central fiscal and personnel administration, its computer facility, the preservation of library materials, the photoduplication service, and the general housekeeping operations of the Library. COPYRIGHT OFFICE The Copyright Office is responsible for administering the copyright law, examining and registering claims to copyright, recording assignments and related documents, furnishing copyright data and other information about copyright to the public, indexing and cataloging all registrations and printing catalogs of copyright entries, and making studies of copyright problems and recommendations to the Congress for the general revision of the copyright law, which is now before the Congress. LAW LIBRARY The law library has custody of legal collections numbering some 1,500,000 volumes and gives a reference service to the Congress, other Government agencies, the bench and the bar, and the public. It is the largest law library in the country, is the Government's only general law library, and is strong not only in American and British law but its collections also contain legal literature of all foreign countries. At the present time, the newly developed subject classification for law— class K-is being applied to the Library's legal materials. LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE The Legislative Reference Service is the department of the Library devoted exclusively to providing information, reference materials, and research studies for Members and committees of Congress and their staffs to assist them in their legislative responsibilities. Although the first duty of the entire Library is to serve Congress, LRS is a relatively small department of about 300 persons-backed up, of course, by the total resources of the Library. Although its services are not directly available to the public, it should be pointed out that LRS, through the Congress, performs a national service, and much of the research done for the Congress is embodied in published, publicly available congressional documents. Senator MONTOYA. I want you to know, as far as I am concerned, the Legislative Reference Service has been most helpful to my office, and the good staff in that Service has indeed been of extreme help to me. Mr. MUMFORD. I am very happy to hear that, Senator. |