concern in his very first message to the Congress on education when he said: The human mind is our fundamental resource. A balanced Federal program must go well beyond incentives for investment in plant and equipment. It must include equally determined measures to invest in human beings, both in their basic education and training and in their more advanced preparation for professional work. In brief outline, each of these bills would authorize the following 5-year program: Remove the present Library Services Act population limitation of 10,000 or less and increase the annual appropriation authorization from $7.5 to $20 million. Authorize $30 million annually for grants to State educational agencies (to be matched after the first year) to assist in the provision of library services in public elementary and secondary schools. Authorize $10 million annually for matching grants to colleges and universities for the acquisition of books (other than textbooks), periodicals, documents, audiovisual, and other library materials. Authorize $7.5 million the first year and $10 million annually for the remaining 4 years to enable colleges and universities to operate short-term or regular session institutes to improve the qualifications of librarians and individuals preparing to engage in library work (these would be similar to institutes now conducted for teachers of science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages). The increased authorizations provided in this bill total $302 million for the 5-year period. It is clear that additional Federal assistance for library programs is necessary. In the limited time available to us since the introduction of these bills we have not reached a conclusion as to the exact scope and character of the provisions that should be included in an expanded Library Services Act, nor the size of appropriations required to fund an adequate program. The Nation's investment in public libraries is a most direct and effective investment in our vital intellectual resources. The modern public library is not a musty sanctuary for a few people with scholarly interests; it serves not only those interests but many, many others. Increasingly, the well-stocked library is a source of books and materials required to keep abreast of technological and professional advances in a wide range of essential occupations. The stepped-up national interest in manpower training and retraining, for example, has already created new demands upon public libraries. In several economically depressed areas, a substantial contribution to manpower retraining programs is being made through library services supported under the Library Services Act. Actually, good, modern public libraries play an important role in the whole spectrum of adult and continuing education, with tangible benefits to business, industry, and the professions. In short, the library is widely recognized as an important social and economic resource, as well as a fundamental educational institution of our society. In view of the importance of public libraries, our investment in library services has been so low that it can only be characterized as shortsighted. Various studies made in the last decade indicated that municipal tax revenues devoted to public libraries averaged only about 2 percent and that the operation costs of public libraries represented less than one-sixth of 1 percent of all public expenditures. In 1945, for example, the total operating budget for all public libraries in the Nation was $66 million, whereas the reasonable minimum expenditure estimated at that time would have necessitated an additional sum of about $130 million. The inevitable result of this was that a substantial part of our population had extremely inadequate library services or none at all. It was this recognition which I believe enabled Congress to take action in 1956 in passing the Library Services Act to help develop services in rural areas where nearly 26 million rural residents had no access to a public library and an even larger number had very inadequate library service. As a direct result of the Library Services Act: Thirty-six million rural residents now have available new or improved public library services. More than 8 million books and other informational materials have been added to the resources of rural communities, and over 300 bookmobiles have been placed in operation to serve outlying areas. State library extension services have been greatly expanded, and the States have added about 115 field consultants to assist local libraries in this program. Significantly, State appropriations in the last 6 years for rural library services have increased $6 million, or 92 percent, and local expenditures have increased $23 million, or 73 percent; and a number of States have instituted grant-in-aid programs for local libraries, while others have markedly increased existing grant programs. In fact, largely under the stimulus of the Library Services Act, overall State expenditures for all public library services have doubled-increasing from $12.3 to $25 million. I think this point of bringing out through the Federal grants-inaid increased State and local money vastly beyond what is required by the matching provisions is so important that I have included two tables showing State by State, Mr. Chairman, the increased State and local efforts in this field for the last 6 years. We would ask that they be put in the record for your consideration. Mr. BAILEY. Without objection, they will be accepted for the record. (The tables referred to follow :) 88630-62 Funds available from State sources for all public library service, fiscal years 1956 and 1962, excluding fully earned Federal balances Source: Data supplied by States and outlying parts on form OE-DSR 359. Comparison of State and local funds expended in fiscal 1956 and available for Source: Data supplied by States and outlying parts on form OE-DSR 359. Mr. COHEN. The modest Federal expenditures under this act have thus paid rich dividends in terms of stimulating increased State and local action to expand and improve public library services. Congress took note of these accomplishments in 1960, when the act was extended for 5 years by Public Law 86-679. I should also like to include in the record a report on the first 5 years of the Library Services Act. Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Do you have extra copies of that report? Mr. COHEN. Yes, we have. Mr. BAILEY. That report will be accepted for inclusion in the official record. (The report referred to follows:) A SUMMARY OF PROGRESS IN THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF THE LIBRARY SERVICES ACT The Library Services Act, signed into law in 1956, was originally planned as a 5-year program scheduled to terminate on June 30, 1961. This brief lifespan plus the requirement that each State prepare a comprehenstive State plan for the use of LSA funds combined to create a real sense of urgency to the implementation of the act. The ability of the States to act quickly and plan effectively toward "the further extension of public library services to rural areas" is sharply revealed by the summary reports from the States contained in this publication. These reports are included here without substantial change from the original text so that the successes and failures, the hopes and disappointments, and the originality and ingenuity of the States will be communicated to the reader by those who actually did the job. In August 1960, Congress amended the Library Services Act to extend the program for 5 years to June 30, 1966. This publication, therefore, instead of being a final report of progress under the act, becomes an interim review of developments. Some of the reports evaluate the current status of library development in terms of the past 5 years and project future needs, activities, and programs on this basis. Others reveal an imaginative and creative attack on persistent library problems. All show some degree of flexibility in adapting to the particular characteristics within a specific State. On the other hand, a few reports describe some traditional activities which are not well designed to meet the library needs of our rapidly growing and dynamically changing society. Even the most casual reader of these 5-year summaries cannot fail to be deeply impressed with the significant quantitative achievements made by the States under their State plans. Three frequently mentioned accomplishments which will continue to exert a profound influence on long-range public library development are the basic strengthening of the resources and services of State library extension agencies; the comprehensive pattern of professional and nonprofessional library training activities; and the creation of a new and enlarged concept by a vast number of people of the role which a good public library can play in the life of every citizen. This increased recognition-by citizens, by voters, by elected officials, and by library users of the present and potential value of good public library services may come to be regarded as the most significant single result of the Library Services Act up to this time. Each of the State plans has devoted some portion of the program to various activities which could be described as "strengthening the State agency." These activities include such things as: employing additional State library personnel; acquiring additional books and other library materials for State library collections; providing personnel, books, and equipment for demonstration programs; and increasing the quantity, quality, and effective distribution of informational publications related to the State's library development program. These and related projects have unquestionably improved the resources and services available directly from State library agencies. An achievement of greater significance, however, is that the LSA program has been an important factor in making it possible for many States to carry out more adequately their leadership role in extending and improving public library services. State library extension agencies have been the prime movers in such LSA projects as: demonstrating county and multicounty library organization; encouraging the extension of library service by contract from existing libraries; promoting or establishing centralized reference services and centralized technical processing |