are books, manuscripts, all kinds of documents, maps, microfilm, prints, photographs, and motion pictures.

This request for an increase of $518,000 in nonpersonal services is based upon the fact that we have not been able in the past to keep up with the tremendous amount of deteriorating materials.

BRITTLE BOOKS

We have in the book collection alone some very, very serious problems. The paper of the last century is so brittle that this is what happens to it (illustrating).

We estimate there are thousands upon thousands of these volumes that we cannot give to a user because simply to turn a page would break it off.

We must treat these books either by deacidification or lamination, which is a chemical treatment, or if they are so far gone that this is impractical from the standpoint of expense, we must microfilm.

The request this morning is based upon an increase in several categories:

For $107,000 over last year to enable us to bind more materials, to deacidify and laminate more of these materials, to restore other kinds of materials, maps, and other materials that I mentioned, so that we can keep these for future generations.

Thousands of these volumes, if they are not preserved now, will be gone within the next 20 years. As a matter of fact, from studies made back in the 1960's, it was indicated that of the books published between 1900 and 1939, approximately 97 percent of those books had a useful life of less than 50 years.

MICROFILMING OF DETERIORATING MATERIALS

We also have this morning a request for an increase for $145,000 for the preservation of materials of this sort which are so far deteriorated that they can only be saved by microfilming. We are now spending about $100,000 a year at a cost of approximately $10 a volume to microfilm these materials for preservation.

Chairman ELLENDER. The entire book?

Mr. POOLE. The entire book.

We can't keep up with the number of items which are deteriorating unless we increase this rate of microfilming. So, this request includes a doubling of our microfilming program, microfilming for preservation.

PRESERVATION OF SOUND RECORDINGS

We have also a rather minor increase of $20,000 requested for preservation of sound recordings. We do have some very valuable sound recordings. They are old discs and old cylinders. The materials are of extreme value for research purposes but they are deteriorating and must be transferred to tape in order to save them.

PRESERVATION OF MOTION PICTURES

There is finally an increased request for $245,000 for the preservation of motion pictures. We have a very extensive motion picture col

lection, many millions of feet of which are on the old type of nitrate film which becomes brittle or turns to dust unless it is properly preserved. Even the best of preservation techniques will not maintain this film.

In order to preserve these motion pictures, we must transfer them to acetate tape which is permanent. We are finding the tremendous number of films which we have in our collection are simply going to dust. The only way we can preserve them is to transfer them to acetate so that these can be kept for the future.

MICROFILMING OF BOOKS

Senator HOLLINGS. Let me ask, Mr. Poole: Who decides what books? All books?

Mr. POOLE. No; we don't have enough staff or enough funds for all books. These books are selected by our staff that works in this field. They are submitted to the selection officer and to the experts in various fields, in Italian, Slavic languages, history, etc. Experts in each field make a judgment as to whether this book is worthy of spending the money on it for preservation.

Senator HOLLINGS. Then you could not tell what percentage is being preserved?

You were talking about all books from 1900 to 1939.

Mr. POOLE, I used that by way of example of the magnitude of the problem.

Senator HOLLINGS. That is right. You said about 97 percent.

Mr. POOLE. About 97 percent of the books published in this period have a useful life of 50 years or less.

PAPER CHEMISTRY

Chairman ELLENDER. Is that because of the use of inferior paper? Mr. POOLE. Yes, sir; beginning about 1840, when we began to make paper out of wood pulp, about 1850, when we began to go from the old gelatin sizings which had been used to make paper we began to use alum resin sizing. The alum rosin in the presence of moisture in the atmosphere breaks down into sulphuric acid. It is the acid in the paper which creates deterioration.

Senator HOLIINGS. I just got back from looking at the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Book of Isaiah. They had the right kind of ink and parchment there.

Mr. POOLE. They did.

NITRATE FILM

Mr. BERRY. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to add a word on the problem of the nitrate film.

These examples I have here demonstrate what happens to nitrate motion picture film. The image, of course, disappears and eventually the base of the film, itself, will disintegrate. The whole film finally will just turn to powder so that there is nothing left of that particular motion picture film.

As you can see from these other examples, the image that does remain on nitrate film in many instances has shrunken; it gets out of focus; and it just pulls away from the film base.

In addition to the kind of damage that occurs from the very nature of the nitrate film, there is also physical damage in running films through a projector. A number of things can actually happen to them. The real purpose of our program is to attempt to save in the best way we can this motion picture record which is a valuable record of our culture and history.

In order to preserve and save this record, we have now established in the Library of Congress a laboratory which can copy these deteriorating films and do this work on a relatively inexpensive basis.

We also use commercial laboratories to the extent that they are available, but much of the work is very tedious; it takes experts and expert equipment to copy it and to get a good print on safety film that can be preserved for the future.

MICROFILMING RECORDS OF RUSSIAN ORTHODOX GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CANADA: LETTER OF GOVERNOR EGAN

Senator HOLLINGS. The Governor of Alaska, the Honorable William A. Egan, has written the committee endorsing the appropriation of funds to the Library of Congress to index and microfilm the records of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church in Alaska.

I will insert the Governor's letter in the record at this point. (The letter follows:)

STATE OF ALASKA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

JUNEAU

April 19, 1971

The Honorable Allen J. Ellender

Chairman, Senate Appropriations Committee

1235 Senate Office Building Washington, D. C. 20510

Dear Senator Ellender:

Enclosed is a copy of the following Joint Resolution which recently passed the Alaska State Legislature:

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 45

Enclosure

Sincerely,

Willion an

William A. Ega
Governor

Source:

HJR 45

Alaska State Legislature

1971

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 45

Relating to the indexing and microfilming of Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church records in Alaska.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA :

WHEREAS the federal budget now pending before the United States Congress includes an appropriation item in the amount of $4,000 for the Library of Congress to index and microfilm the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church records in Alaska; and

WHEREAS these records are of particular value as a source

of vital statistics data; and

WHEREAS they are extremely valuable also as a research tool for historians and other individuals interested in church activities in Alaska and contain information which constitutes a largely untapped source of Alaskan history; and

WHEREAS the age and condition of the records dictate the fact that microfilming is an absolute necessity if this vital information is to be retained;

BE IT RESOLVED by the Seventh Alaska State Legislature that it unqualifiedly supports the inclusion in the federal budget of funds for this small but extremely important work and urges the Congress not to delete from the appropriations measure before it any of the money currently earmarked for the indexing and microfilming of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church records in Alaska.

COPIES of this Resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Allen J. Ellender, U. S. Senator and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; the Honorable George H. Mahon, U. S. Representative and Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee; the Honorable L. Quincy Mumford, Librarian of Congress; and to the Honorable Ted Stevens and the Honorable Mike Gravel, U. S. Senators, and the Honorable Nick Begich, U. S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.