Mr. ELLIOTT. Our next witness today is the Honorable E. C. Gathings, an able and outstanding Member of Congress from the State of Arkansas. He is a member of the Committee on Agriculture and is interested in rural people and their welfare; and, for a long time he has been one of the most able and most devoted supporters of this program for better library services for rural people. We are happy to have you, Mr. Gathings. You may proceed. STATEMENT OF HON. E. C. GATHINGS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARKANSAS Mr. GATHINGS. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. It is a real pleasure to appear before your subcommittee this morning. I am most grateful to you for this privilege and opportunity. I am vitally interested in the extension of this great act which has meant so much to our rural people, particularly in my State. Out of 75 counties in the State of Arkansas, 53 have voted the 1-mill tax. More of them are coming into the program all the time. They feel it is a great program for the rural people in the State of Arkansas to join in this cooperative effort. Mr. Chairman, National Library Week has just been observed throughout the Nation, and I can think of no better way truly to celebrate the occasion than to restate my strong support of the library services program. This splendid program since 1956 has brought to millions of Americans, young and adult, their first library service. In rural areas of America, the bookmobile has brought the joys of reading and learning to many denied this service so commonplace to most of our urban citizens. The Library Services Act has provided assistance through Federal funds to help expand our library services. It has provided a strong impetus to State and local efforts. Through the expanded library program, 30 million rural people now have new or improved service available as a result of this cooperation between Federal, State, and local agencies. Approximately 200 new bookmobiles are traveling rural roads, bringing reading pleasure and information to people in remote sections. Over 200 separate projects to extend and develop rural library services were included in plans for 1959. But these statistics are known to the committee, for the membership of this committee furnished the vision and the foresight to sponsor and support this wonderful program. My purpose in appearing today is to support legislation to extend the Library Services Act, and also to commend you, Mr. Chairman, for introducing legislation to extend this program, and you, gentlemen of the committee, for your strong support of the program. To justify your continued confidence and support of this program, I should like to tell you something of the operations of this program in the State of Arkansas. The Bureau of the Census tells us our State now has a population of about 1,750,000 people. If this is true, then about one of every three persons in Arkansas is receiving benefits under this Library Services Act. Over one-half million Arkansans are using the eight regional libraries established under this Federal-State-local program. These eight projects are serving citizens throughout the rural areas of some 29 counties in Arkansas. Eight bookmobiles, carrying loads of books, bring education and pleasure to areas never before served by a library. One librarian in my district, Miss Minnie Gay, has written to me stating: I taught school in our State for about 30 years, but I now feel that I am helping more people than I did while I was teaching school. If we could supply the books requested for specific purposes, more people could learn professionally as well as having a chance to read for pleasure. Now, Mr. Chairman, I would like to refer to one little sentence in a letter that I received from Miss Eula McDougal, librarian for the rapidly expanding Crittenden-Mississippi Counties Regional Library. She writes me as follows: We are reaching many families that have library service for the first time. What a wonderful thing. Imagine another program which brings the same benefits and pleasure to a young boy as does this one which opens before him the magic pages of Robert Lewis Stevenson's "Treasure Island." Try to visualize another Federal activity that encourages local and State action in so worthy a cause. For this Federal encouragement has acted as a starter to secure increased local and State support. Each area receiving Federal assistance has had to furnish suitable quarters for library and salaries for the headquarters staff from local tax money. Six Arkansas counties which passed the 1-mill library tax had no county library services before. As stated to you earlier, some 53 of the 75 counties in Arkansas now have enacted this tax. At the State level, our State legislative council has approved the addition to our State payroll of four staff members from a centralized cataloging staff. State assistance to county and regional libraries has been increased 30 percent, from $100,000 to $130,000 per annum. The following figures show how this cooperative program works in Arkansas: Where can a more efficient program be found that provides such tremendous benefits? Where can so little money be used that will give the same results? I trust that legislation extending this program will be reported by your subcommittee, and that the full Committee on Education and Labor will bring to the House of Representatives extending legislation at this session so this wonderful program may proceed and develop throughout the rural areas of the Nation. Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask consent to incorporate in the record a letter under date of January 18, 1960, received by me from Mrs. Karl Neal, executive secretary and librarian of the Arkansas Library Commission. Mr. ELLIOTT. Without objection, the letter will be made a part of the record immediately following the gentleman's statement. Mr. GATHINGS. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. (The letter referred to follows:) ARKANSAS LIBRARY COMMISSION, Hon. E. C. GATHINGS, House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. DEAR MR. GATHINGS: I am grateful to you for your letter of January 12, telling me that legislation has been introduced at this session of Congress to extend the Library Services Act of 1956. Arkansas needs this program very much. We have been able to make considerable progress during the past 3 years because of the Federal aid which has made bookmobile service possible in 33 counties. We are now operating eight bookmobiles under the Federal-aid program. Four of the bookmobiles were bought with Federal aid and four with State aid. Federal aid is supplying salaries for the bookmobile staff but local support is providing salaries for the headquarters staff. Books are being purchased with local tax money, with State aid and with Federal aid. We do not wish the Federal Government to do anything for us that we are able to do for ourselves, but with the low per capita income in our State and the small amount of tax which comes from the legal limit of 1 mill for the support of the library, we cannot have a public library program which meets the needs of our people. Our greatest need at present is to improve the minds of our people and this can be done through education. The public library program serves people of all ages and reaches many people who had little formal education. Miss Eula McDougal, your librarian, was in the office last week and we went over plans for the improvement of library service in Crittenden and Mississippi Counties. You are very fortunate in having Miss McDougal, as your librarian. You are also fortunate in having the cooperation of two good judges, Judge Milton Beck, Crittenden County, and Judge Phillip Deere, in Mississippi County, who are giving additional support to the program this year from the local quorum court funds. The Arkansas Library Commission in regular quarterly meeting, January 9, extended the contract for the use of the bookmobile in your area for another year. We are hoping that both Crittenden and Mississippi Counties will pass the 1-mill library tax at the next election in November. At present there are 60 counties in the State-aid program; 53 of these counties already have the 1-mill tax. We are hoping that the six counties lacking the tax will be able to secure it in November. The cost to the individual taxpayer is small. A regular income is necessary for the support of this good program. Sincerely yours, Mrs. KARL NEAL, Executive Secretary and Librarian. Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you, Congressman Gathings, for that moving story of the accomplishments under this bill and under Arkansas legislation and local efforts in your State. That is the same type of story we are hearing from all the States. It is an inspiring and moving thing. I agree with you this has been a wonderful program. I want personally to thank you for lending your support to this program by introducing a bill, H.R. 11514, to accomplish the extension. Mr. GATHINGS. I just wanted to join with you in your interest in this great work which is so beneficial to our people. Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you very much. Mr. ELLIOTT. Our next witness today is Mr. Roger McDonough, director of the New Jersey State Library, Trenton, N.J. Mr. McDonough will be introduced by Mr. Paul D. Falcey, administrative assistant to Congressman Frank Thompson, of the Fourth District of New Jersey. We are happy to have you, Mr. Falcey, to present Dr. McDonough. Mr. FALCEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, as you know, Congressman Thompson had to be at another meeting. This is one of the occasions on which he would like to be in two places at once, particularly since Mr. McDonough is a longtime friend of his. May I also say that Mr. McDonough is a friend of my family, so it becomes a great pleasure and I appreciate Mr. Daniels' suggestion that I introduce him to this committee. Mr. Roger McDonough. Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you very much, Mr. Falcey. You may proceed, Mr. McDonough. Mr. DANIELS. Before Mr. McDonough proceeds, may I supplement the remarks of Mr. Falcey by adding that Mr. McDonough is director of the division of the State library archives and history in the New Jersey Department of Education, Trenton, N.J., and has contributed many professional articles. He is chairman of the Federal Relations Committee of the American Library Association, as well as being a member of the ALA executive board. We are happy to have you here. Mr. ELLIOTT. We feel that our subcommittee is very fortunate to have such fine representation from New Jersey as Mr. Dominick V. Daniels brings to it. He is a very able, loyal, and hard worker. This is a rather hard-working subcommittee, I think. We hold many hearings and are active. I am always happy to have Judge Daniels by my side. He gives me great support. STATEMENT OF ROGER MCDONOUGH, DIRECTOR, NEW JERSEY STATE LIBRARY, TRENTON, N.J. Mr. MCDONOUGH. Mr. Chairman, I share the good opinion of the chairman of this subcommittee with respect to Mr. Daniels. You may recall, sir, that I recently had the pleasure of appearing before this subcommittee in Jersey City when you were holding hearings there on education for the handicapped. Before I begin my formal statement, I would like to say that it has been a very thrilling experience for me this morning to sit here and to listen to a parade of distinguished witnesses speak in behalf of the extension of the Library Services Act. I have been coming to Washington since 1946 to work for this or similar legislation. It is a great pleasure to know that the Congress appears to be so deeply in favor of it. We appreciate this very much indeed. If I may turn to my formal statement, sir. I am Roger McDonough, director of the division of the State library archives and history in the New Jersey Department of Education. I am here today to speak in behalf of the extension of the Library Services Act of 1956. I want to speak as the head of a State library agency which has been involved in the actual business of administering a State program to improve rural library services in New Jersey and, in addition, as chairman of the Federal Relations Committee of the American Library Association. I would like to recommend to this subcommittee and Congress that the advances made under the Library Services Act be extended beyond June 30, 1961. Specifically, I urge your support of the 50, or more, similar House bills which would amend Public Law 597 of the 84th Congress to extend its 5-year period to 10 years. I am pleased to note that members. of the New Jersey congressional delegation are among the sponsors of these bills and that a similar bill in the Senate has 53 sponsors, including the distinguished junior Senator from New Jersey. This initial interest and support of public library development by so many Members of both Houses of Congress is heartening to me and to our entire association. I believe that the final determination as to whether the life of the Library Services Act should be extended or whether it should be allowed to die is dependent upon our beliefs concerning (1) the role of the free public libraries in our democracy, (2) the role of the Federal Government in library development, (3) what has already been accomplished by the Library Services Act, and (4) what remains to be done.. As one who has spent his entire life in library work-at the municipal, university, State, and National level-I am firmly convinced that the public library is, or should be, an integral and essential part of our National and State programs of public education. It may be trite, but it is true, that our scheme for public education for the children of all our people is the keystone to our way of life, and that our form of government can exist and prosper only so long as we have a wellinformed citizenry. If there is general agreement on this brief description of the place of the library in our great Nation, it follows naturally that we should next determine the role of the Federal Government in supporting the establishing and maintaining of effective libraries throughout all parts of the United States. While our public school systems are primarily the responsibility of the several States, the Federal Government for a long time has, and does, encourage and assist the States and local school systems through special grant programs of various kinds. We have long recognized this to be in the national interest. The Federal Government, however, has not extended parallel assistance to the development of public libraries. Four years ago, the Congress made a modest beginning in this direction by passing the Library Services Act. As you know, this act authorized the appropriation of $72 million annually for a period of 5 years to be allocated among the States on a matching basis. This was "seed money." This amount, in itself, could not fill the many lacks in library services in many areas of our country; it is a very small part of the total public library expenditures. Its primary purpose was to encourage, stimulate, spark the States, and their subdivisions, to provide the levels of library services that their people needed and wanted. The accomplishments under the Library Services Act have been truly tremendous. In terms of the goals of the act, I am of the firm opinion that these Federal moneys have been extremely well spent. All of the States, except one, have formulated State plans, and then approved by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, met the matching requirements and participated in the Federal grants. Each of these plans, tailored to fit local needs and situations, has con |