est until he is perhaps faced with the necessity of making a living and his chances to improve himself have lessened. When this happens, the country is the loser.

Today we are fitting our children for life in tomorrow's complex world-indeed, in a world which has suddenly crystallized into a one single community. We are engaged in a life and death struggle with another great ideology. In this battle for the minds of men, education is one of our most important weapons. We bemoan the fact that in the field of education we have fallen sadly and badly behind the Soviet Union. History shows us that nations which have achieved greatness in the world sense have drawn heavily upon their educational processes in order to maintain that greatness. So it must be with us.

While we must, of course, face this need on a very broad scale and provide for the necessary classroom space and qualified teachers, we must not overlook the importance of books. The cost of the books for a well-stocked elementary school library for 500 pupils is about $18,000 according to the N.E.A. Only one in five elementary schools has a library. Many existing school libraries are woefully inadequate.

I consider the funds spent to provide easily available books to our people as an expression of confidence in the American way of life, and an investment in our finest national product our youth-the children who must tomorrow shoulder the same responsibilities and problems which we struggle with today.

I sincerely hope that your faith in your children and the tomorrow which they face, will guide you in your decision to extend the Library Services Act.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you very much, Mrs. Wolf, for a very fine and excellent statement.

Your husband is the sponsor of H.R. 11295, his own bill, to extend the Library Services Act. We are happy to have his views and to have also a report of the operation of the act thus far in your State of Iowa. The gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. DANIELS. I have no questions, Mr. Chairman.

Mrs. WOLF. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Our next witness this morning is Dr. Lawrence G. Derthick, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

We are happy to have the Commissioner of Education appear here with his usual good nature and his usually well fortified facts and conclusions.

I am very hopeful that this morning the gentleman brings us great and good tidings.

STATEMENT OF DR. LAWRENCE G. DERTHICK, U.S. COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE; ACCOMPANIED BY DR. RALPH FLYNT, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT, U.S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION; AND DR. JOHN G. LORENZ, DIRECTOR, LIBRARY SERVICES BRANCH, U.S. OFFICE OF EDUCATION

Dr. DERTHICK. Mr. Chairman and Mr. Daniels, I hope my tidings will be of great joy to all people. As you know, we, in the Office of

Education, have Dr. Lorenz and Dr. Flynt, who are with me today. We, in the Office of Education, always covet the privileges of appearing before your committee, the work which is of such encouragement to us, and it is certainly a pleasure for me to be here, Mr. Chairman.

I do appreciate, indeed, this opportunity to appear today, to discuss proposals for the extension of the Library Services Act beyond its statutory termination date of June 30, 1961.

I have been impressed in hearing the witnesses who have preceded me and their factual reports on the impact of this program in their respective States. It has been good news. The committee has, for consideration, over 40 identical or very similar bills, including H.R. 9812 and bills introduced by other members of the subcommittee. All of these bills would extend the present act to June 30, 1966, and authorize an appropriation of $7.5 million annually.

The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Office of Education, is pleased to recommend extension of the act for an additional 5 years.

Mr. ELLIOTT. That is the good news, Dr. Derthick, that we had hoped you might be able to bring us today.

Dr. DERTHICK. Thank you, and I find great pleasure in doing so, as you know.

We are suggesting certain amendments, which I shall discuss briefly at a later point in this statement, it would be highly desirable that the act be extended during this session of the Congress in order to avoid any uncertainty on the part of the States and localities about the continued availability of Federal funds with which to plan and carry out programs of improved library services.

Mr. Chairman, from the earliest period of mankind's written history, the library has been a basic instrument of education. Without the institution of the library, the great cultural advances of mankind would not have been possible; there would have been no means of preserving and transmitting accumulated knowledge. In our own timein which the volume of essential knowledge has reached staggering proportions and the need for lifelong learning has never been more essential-we have come to the point where society, as we know it, could not exist without libraries. A library is the very heart of every educational program.

The importance of adequate library services, however, is not limited to their function in formal education. Access to books and other publications is a prime requisite for the continuing education of every citizen. A few weeks ago, in testimony before this committee on general university extension education, I had occasion to emphasize the fact that education is a continuing process, extending far beyond period of formal instruction. I would reemphasize that fact now, and add the point that the existence of adequate library services is the most important factor in enabling our citizens to continue their intellectual development. A community without library services is culturally impoverished.

Yet, in 1956, large segments of our rural population had little or no access to libraries; 26 million rural residents were without any library services. An additional 50 million citizens lived in areas with extremely inadequate service. Three hundred nineteen rural counties had no library services available within their confines. This

was the appalling situation that prompted the Congress to enact the Library Services Act in 1956.

As you know, the basic purpose of that act was to stimulate the States and rural communities to formulate programs designed to end this situation. The attainment of this objective is clearly in the national interest. After 3 full years' experience with the operation of the act, we are convinced that this objective can be obtained within a definite period of time. Despite the fact that much time was required to prepare and initiate effective State and local programs to extend and improve rural library services, and that Federal appropriations have never reached the maximum authorized, great progress has been made.

By June 30, 1961, the date of expiration of the present act, 4 million citizens will have library services for the first time; 32 million people will have had their library services improved; 169 counties and townships previously without service will have library services. In spite of these impressive results, there will still remain 22 million rural residents with no library facilities, 18 million others with inadequate service, and 150 rural counties without library services. The record of appropriation action and program accomplishment is summarized in the following brief tables:

Mr. ELLIOTT. I believe this cooperation is even greater than we originally thought it would be, is it not?

Dr. DERTHICK. Yes; we have been impressed, encouraged, and even surprised at the stimulation results.

Mr. ELLIOTT. In fiscal 1957 these figures show $4,373,826. In fiscal 1960 that has increased to $13,176,916, or an increase of about 300 percent.

Mr. DERTHICK. That is right; so it is an outstanding example of the impact of the stimulation of Federal aid.

Mr. Chairman, it has been possible to achieve these results because the Library Services Act is sound legislation. Under the act, each State designates a State library extension agency which prepares and submits to the U.S. Commissioner of Education a State plan designed to assure the most effective use of the funds. Funds under a State plan may be used for books, library materials and equipment, salaries,

and other operating expenses-but not for purchase of land or construction of buildings. The Federal funds are allotted to the States on the basis of the relative size of their rural populations, and are matched by the States on the basis of relative per capita income. To remain eligible for a grant, a State must maintain its expenditures for all public library service at least at the level of fiscal 1956; and State and local expenditures for rural public library service must not fall below the 1956 level. Rural areas are defined as any places of 10.000 population or less.

Fifty-two States and territories are now extending and improving their rural library services under this program. In fiscal 1959 alone, over 280 separate projects were undertaken to develop libraries in rural America. Many States are making incentive grants to counties and regions which will develop cooperative library services to bring books and information to all the rural people. Some States are establishing State library branches in sparsely settled regions from which bookmobile service is extended.

Many libraries are cooperating on large-scale buying and cataloging of books, records, and films in order to cut costs and to have more time for direct service to their people. State library agencies, administering the State plans, have been able to strengthen their book collections for statewide supplementary service and have been able to add trained, experienced librarians to their staffs to assist rural libraries in improving their services through training programs. They have also been able to assist counties and regions organizing library service for the first time to do so in the most efficient and effective manner. Two States, Arizona and Utah, actually established their first State library extension service and three States, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Oregon, voted their first State grant programs for public libraries as a result of the Library Services Act.

Library development projects inaugurated during the first 3 years of the program have illustrated that in most areas demonstrations of good library service for periods of at least 2 or 3 years are required before counties and regions will vote to support such new or improved library services with local funds. It has also been found that the results of demonstrations in one area do not automatically spread to other areas. Rural residents in each area seem to require direct experience with new or improved library services before deciding to support it themselves.

Another major reason for lack of contagion between demonstration projects is the substantial capital outlay required to begin new and improved services in counties or larger regions including purchases of bookmobiles, large book stocks, and other equipment and materials necessary for library service.

Bookmobiles have proved to be a most effective way of getting library service, efficiently and economically, to small communities in remote areas. Over 200 bookmobiles have already been added to rural library programs. After short demonstrations, many counties and regions have voted to support such new library services with local funds. However, many more counties need bookmobiles before all rural areas will have the educational and cultural opportunities which this service can provide.

A major deficiency in many rural communities at the beginning of the Library Services Act program was the complete lack of basic reference materials and current books and other library materials in many rural communities.

Approximately 5 million books have been purchased under State plans to stock bookmobiles and county and regional libraries, and to improve State library collections for rural service. The heavy use of these new materials has illustrated the need for more books in all areas which have had inadequate library services or no libraries at all. New and impoved service still requires further development before the full measure of library materials and sevices needed in these rural areas will be available. The most difficult part of the job still remains to be accomplished, achieving library service for those people and those counties that are still without any library service.

The first chart found at the end of this statement illustrates the ways in which the funds have been utilized in these programs at the State and local levels. Over 5 million books have been purchased under the program, and State library agencies have been able to add some 90 field consultants to assist rural areas.

The second chart shows the amount of Federal, State, and local funds made available under this program during each year of the

act.

It is gratifying to note that State appropriations for rural library service have increased 54 percent between fiscal 1956 and fiscal 1960, and local library funds have increased 45 percent. However, these increases represent only a beginning in the job of stimulating the States and local communities to assume their full share of the responsibility in developing good public library service for all their citizens. For example, with all the gains that have been made, only three added States have inaugurated State grant-in-aid programs for public library development since 1956. This still leaves 25 States and territories without such important programs, although many are planning to propose grant-in-aid programs to their State legislatures in future sessions. There are projects in many States which still have not progressed to the point of achieving local, regional, or State support to continue an adequate level of library service.

State reports and field consultations indicate that most of the library development programs under State plans to extend and improve public library service to their rural areas without such service or with inadequate service will not reach peak performance and effectiveness until 1961. The State programs up to this point have, to a large degree, involved developing and training professional staffs at State library headquarters or in regional projects; acquiring necessary equipment, such as bookmobiles, stocks of books, and other library materials; experimenting with various methods of library extension and development; encouraging and obtaining local cooperation in the organization of library systems; obtaining added State and local appropriations for public library development.

It has been found that library extension and development in rural areas even with maximum effort and resources requires time, particularly when action by the people, county or town commissioners and/or local library boards are involved. Most State library extension agencies have more requests for library development projects than