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my deep and continuing interest in the program and my reason for being here today.

I travel rather widely in my work and I am constantly impressed, as I go from State to State, of the impact of the Library Services Act, both in the strengthening of State agencies and their extension divisions in their general work and in the more striking and glamorous but extremely effective demonstrations of what can be accomplished in county and regional library work in rural areas when bookmobiles, deposit stations, increased resources, and dedicated personnel are available. These are made possible by the larger administrative units of service about which we are talking and on which so much remains to be done. Since, however, I know my own State and its adjacent areas best, I wish to state briefly what the act has meant to Oklahoma and what still remains to be done in the belief that this is probably typical of the situations in many other States-particularly some of the Western States-as well.

Oklahoma, as you know, is one of the younger States. I have seen it develop within my lifetime from a pioneer land with few cities, no roads, and one room, 3-months-a-year schools to, in many ways, the modern progressive State it is today. While we have some industry and you may hear considerably about our oil, agriculture is really our major occupation and Oklahoma is essentially a rural State.

Understandably, few libraries were founded in the early development of the State-people were too busy taming the frontier. Partly as a result of this, we still have 20 counties without any public library within their borders. Although Oklahoma is 2 percent of the total number of States, it has today almost 10 percent of the total number of counties in the United States without library service.

And I would like to add a remark about area which enters into the Western States in general. Our Western States, every State west of the Mississippi is larger than any State east of the Mississippi except one. Miss Foster's Georgia is the largest State east of the Mississippi. The States west of the Mississippi are larger and bigness in area brings problems. Arkansas is the only State west of the Mississippi that is smaller than any State east of the Mississippi, and Oklahoma is small as a Western State. Of course, Texas is the largest.

Mr. ELLIOTT. But Oklahoma is large as a Southern State. Of course, I believe you folks do not claim to be Southern any more?

Mr. Low. We are a little bit, sir, like Will Rogers who, in talking about whether he was born at Vinita or Claremore, said Vinita insisted he was born at Claremone, and Claremone insisted he was born at Vinita. The Southern States do not think we are southern and the Northern States do not think we are northern. Nobody wants to claim us. I think we are mixed. We are southern in the southern part and northern in the northern part, according to how the population flowed in.

The fact we still have 20 counties without any public library within their borders is also partly a result of a constitutional amendment, passed some 30 years ago, which limits all ad valorem taxation to a total of 15 mills. This total millage was immediately voted in almost all counties and divided between cities, counties, and school districts. Although later library legislation was passed permitting 2 mills to be voted for library support, these 2 mills had to be within the con

stitutional 15 mills, which meant they had, if voted, to actually be taken away from one of these units, all of which were local, and vocal, and very influential.

As a consequence of the above, until the Library Services Act came into being, friends of libraries had been completely unable to arouse sufficient interest in a constitutional amendment to establish this library millage outside the 15-mill limit. Now, due to the interest generated by the Library Services Act, we feel quite sure this is going to happen if the act is extended so that the members of the legislature, the county commissioner, and the people in general can see clearly a way to reach our goals.

That is, the people of the State are seeing that we simply cannot get this support for libraries unless we can get this millage outside the 15-mill limit.

A Citizen's Committee for Library Development, composed of over 200 prominent citizens of the State, has been formed to promote this amendment, the newspapers are supporting it, and there is a wonderful awakening of library interest throughout the State. It is surprising to me that we have encountered no opposition to it as yet. If this is passed, as we have every reason to assume it will be, Oklahoma, with the assistance of the Library Services Act in demonstration work, can move rapidly forward toward the goal of making library service available to all her people. The attached flyer shows some of our publicity and the citizen's committee has already decided to make their organization a permanent one, enlarge their membership, and to work constantly for library improvement throughout the State. I should now like to call attention briefly to what we have accomplished in Oklahoma in the past few years directly as a consequence of this act.

(1) We have strengthened our State agency, hired additional personnel, and purchased bookmobiles and books for demonstration purposes.

(2) Passed a Multi-County Library Act to enable counties to pool their resources to support a larger and more efficient library unit. That was not legal before.

(3) Established three multicounty library demonstration projects bringing library service for the first time to some 200,000 people in the State.

(4) One multicounty library already firmly established on local funds, with the belief others will follow. In this one, the bookmobile has already traveled some 37,000 miles, or 111⁄2 times the distance around the world and has distributed over 125,000 books.

(5) Secured passage by the legislature of the constitutional amendment referred to above to provide opportunity for counties to vote additional library millage and organized a Citizen's Committee for Library Development, with a membership of over 200 to promote passage of this amendment and promote general library development throughout the States.

All this interest has been sparked during the past 3 years by this act and now, when we are on the seeming threshold of a major breakthrough, it is extremely important to us that the act continue. In various ways, depending on the individual State, it is equally important to the other States as well and I do believe that the Library

Services Act will do for libraries equally as much, if not more, than the Morrill Act did a century ago for vocational and higher education in our country.

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to appear before you this morning in behalf of this legislation to amend the beneficial Library Services Act for an additional 5-year period. Thank you very much. Mr. ELLIOTT. It is a very great privilege to have you Mr. Low, and to have the benefit of the well-presented, well-organized, and wellspoken statement that you have brought us.

I notice you are the president-elect of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

Mr Low. Yes, sir.

Mr. ELLIOTT. When does your term of office begin?

Mr. Low. I am vice president now. My year as president will start after our meeting in Montreal this summer in the last part of June. The election as vice president makes me automatically president the next year. I shall serve from July 1 to June 30 of next year. Mr. ELLIOTT. You have already had your primary?

Mr. Low. Yes, and the general election is without opposition, fortunately for me.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Any questions, Mr. Giaimo?

Mr. GIAIMO. Mr. Low, I wish you would tell us something about how books are selected, the types of books, quality, and so forth, in Oklahoma. The reason why I ask that is, whenever we get into this type of Federal legislation, be it on library extension or the National Education Act or anything else, we always find some member of the Government or of Congress picking out one book out of millions, some ridiculous type of book, and saying, "This is what Federal money is being spent for." Can you tell us something about how books are selected in Oklahoma?

Mr. Low. I can speak for my own State and it may not be too different in other States.

This act is administered in each State through the State agency. In our case Mr. Hudson, the State librarian, and Miss Henke, director of library extension, and their assistants are primarily responsible for the selection of the books. But librarians all over the State suggest titles that might be good. I send them titles occasionally and sometimes I sit in with them on their selections. Then other books are bought because of requests bookmobile librarians get in the field.

The chief problem in selection, in our State at least, has been in trying to determine what books are the most useful for the people. We have had no criticism about any books that have been selected, not any at all, so we have been entirely free to determine as well as we could what kind of books would be the most useful. We do try to get books that appeal to all classes of people, readable books, books that are accurate and informative, and also so far as we can we try to answer specific requests to stock books as the bookmobile comes around the next time.

Mr. GIAIMO. Thank you.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you very much, Mr. Low, for a fine statement. Mr. Low. Thank you.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Our next witness is Mr. John Kelley, who brings us a statement from the gentleman from Nebraska, Mr. Donald F. Mc

Ginley, who represents the Fourth District of Nebraska. Mr. Kelley is Mr. McGinley's administrative assistant. This subcommittee is very happy to have you, Mr. Kelley, and you may proceed in any way you

care to.

STATEMENT OF JOHN KELLEY, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO HON. DONALD F. McGINLEY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA

Mr. KELLEY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I shall be very brief. We do have, I think, a rather warm story that has come out of Nebraska. Mr. McGinley's district is in the cow country, in a rather remote area. They tell the story of a very hot summer day when a young girl came to the bookmobile and they did not know who she was. They asked where her home was, and she told them she had ridden 12 miles by horseback to get to the bookmobile. The establishment of libraries in some of these remote areas has been a real service, we think it has been done through the stimulus of the Library Services Act.

I will submit this statement of Mr. McGinley's and I would like to submit for your file a report on public library activity in Nebraska, 1957-60.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Without objection the statement of Mr. McGinley will be made a part of the record at this point, and the report on public library activity in Nebraska, 1957-60, will be made a part of the files of the subcommittee.

(The statement of Mr. McGinley follows:)

STATEMENT OF HON. DONALD F. MCGINLEY, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA

Mr. Chairman, while legislation generally is a mechanical sort of thing, on this occasion it becomes a pleasure.

The Library Services Act has supplied the stimulant needed to expand the quality and volume of book and library services in Nebraska. My district, the Fourth Congressional District of Nebraska, comprises 38 counties. One of these countries is comparable in area with the State of Connecticut and has 8,000 people--and, incidentally, 300,000 head of cattle.

This gives you an idea of how remote and sparce is the population. One of these sandhills counties which now has a bookmobile, has supplied a modernday Abe Lincoln story. The following is a story told by one of the persons operating this bookmobile:

'Last summer, on a very hot day, a young girl came into the bookmobile. A stranger, we asked her where she lived. She told us she had traveled 12 miles by horseback to get to the bookmobile-and she was happy."

Another sandhills rancher remarked that people came to the bookmobile "like a herd of hungry heifers to a feedlot." I understand that one rural school in that area was moved several miles so that it would have access to the services of the bookmobile. There have been many, many other developments in Nebraska as the result of the Library Services Act. There is more to be done. Perhaps this will duplicate information this committee has already received, but I would like to submit for your files a copy of "Public Library Activity in Nebraska, 1957-60." This book outlines better than I can the benefits derived from this program so far, as well as projects yet to be completed.

I should like to add a list which briefly summarizes the accomplishments and goals yet to be achieved:

Under the 5 years of the Library Services Act, i.e., by June 30, 1961, the following major accomplishments in Nebraska will be:

1. Establishment of a regional library covering Phelps, Harlan, and Franklin Counties, two communities in Kearney County, Axtell and Wilcox, 54418-60- -5

and Oxford and Edison in Furnas County. This regional library will give vastly improved library service to some 23,963 persons-with plans to expand into three adjourning counties.

2. Establishment of a new Thomas County library.

3. A greatly strengthened book and reference collection at the Nebraska Public Library Commission with additional staff to meet growing demands from public libraries for reference service.

4. Establishment of an adult film project at the Nebraska Public Library Commission for public libraries.

5. Bookmobile service established from a county library, Rock County to a county which had no local public libraries, Keya Paha County.

6. First Governor's Conference for Public Library Trustees.

GOALS TO ACCOMPLISH

1. Demonstrations of six regional and multicounty library systems. 2. Library service for 494,593 people in the State who now have no local library service.

3. Improved library service for 427,853 people who now have inadequate library service.

Mr. Chairman, I have joined several of my colleagues in introducing bills to extend the authorization for 5 years for the Library Services Act. I strongly urge this committee to support this legislation which will continue a program that has proven itself worthy of more time to accomplish greater benefits for Nebraska and the Nation as a whole.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Our next witness is Mrs. Ruth Gagliardo, of Lawrence, Kans.

We are very happy to have you, Mrs. Gagliardo, and look forward to your testimony. You may proceed however you see fit.

STATEMENT OF MRS. RUTH GAGLIARDO, LAWRENCE, KANS.

Mrs. GAGLIARDO. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My name is Ruth Gagliardo. I live in Lawrence, Kans. For 10 years I served as chairman of reading and library service for the Kansas Congress of Parents & Teachers and for 6 years as reading and library service chairman for the National PTA. The PTA with its emphasis upon parent education has long recognized the library as an educational force, a center for adults, for all the people who must be reached if they are to be effective, informed citizens able to make wise decisions in today's complex world.

Children, too, need books. How eager they are I have learned as national reading chairman in the last 15 years as I have taken exhibits of children's books out over our State in a program supported by the teachers of Kansas through the State Teachers Association. Likewise, the importance of books and libraries has been dramatically demonstrated in the national merit scholarships. Almost without exception high-ranking students are avid readers which is true also in the national science awards. Yet equally bright young people today are being denied adequate library opportunities by the mere chance of residence and it is our rural youth who most often suffer. In 1953-54, only 54 percent of all the schools in the Nation had central library services which threw added burden on public libraries in these communities-where there were public libraries.

But great numbers of children had neither school nor public library service. For years parents had been trying to do something about this. They solicited books wherever they could get them, from private homes, from libraries in neighboring towns, from State agencies, them

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