Mr. MACLEISH. No, sir. Hearings were held before the House Committee on the Library, but the bill was not reported out. WITHIN-GRADE PROMOTIONS For within-grade promotions, under the act of Aug. 1, 1941, under Legislative Reference Service... $2, 930 On page 58 there are within-grade promotions and revised allocations, and those we keep in. REVISED ALLOCATIONS Revised allocations effective Jan. 1, 1942 (30 positions): Cost, fiscal year 1942 Cost, fiscal year 1943.. Of this total the amount of $5,110 is requested to be made immediately available in order to meet obligations of the present fiscal year. Mr. O'NEAL. Doctor, will you explain the revised allocations? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes, sir. The "Revised allocations" are under the "Legislative Reference Service," and the Civil Service Commission has completed a reclassification of the Legislative Reference Service bringing in 30 reallocations. Mr. O'NEAL. And they have actually been brought in? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes, sir; they have been brought in by the Civil Service Commission. As the committee will recall, a classification survey of the entire Library is under way. On page 98 of the bill, "Distribution of card indexes," we are retaining one additional position and the within-grade promotions, an item of $4,575. Mr. O'NEAL. Where does that appear on the page? Mr. MACLEISH. That appears in the middle of the page, opposite No. 2, within-grade promotions, $4,575. That remains in. The additional position appears on page 60. Mr. O'NEAL. Which one is that? Mr. MACLEISH. That is the first one on page 60-one SP-5, $1.500-Expert searcher, Investigation Section. Mr. O'NEAL. The others are all out? Mr. MACLEISH. The others are all out. This SP-5 position is an expert searcher in the Investigation Service, and I think the best comment I can make on it is that this increase in the duties bears an almost precise ratio to the increased sales over the past year. In other words, this addition will carry itself. INDEX TO STATE LEGISLATION Index to State Legislation: Appropriated for 1942. $39, 785 Not requested for 1943: Half of printing and binding item... 3, 350 Mr. O'NEAL. Then we come to the "Index to State Legislation," on page 100 of the bill. Mr. MACLEISH. On page 62 there is no change. The withingrade promotions and revised allocations are retained. The item of $3,350 for printing and binding is not requested for There has been a biennially recurring item for this purpose for the Index to State Legislation which we are now asking to be distributed equally in each year's appropriation. Mr. O'NEAL. Will you make a statement, Doctor, on the value of this Index to State Legislation? Mr. MACLEISH. That is a matter that has been up here before. I was asking Dr. Evans the other day what his opinion of it is, as of now. He informed me that very recently, within the last few months, the Index to State Legislation has prepared a report on the war powers of the governors of the States, which was widely requested and has been widely useful. I think Dr. Evans' opinion, briefly stated, as to the value of the index, would be pertinent. Dr. EVANS. We have examined recently, very carefully, the possibility of reducing that staff, and I have presented the matter to Dr. Griffith, and he tells me that the work requested of the State Law Index by the principal defense agencies is fully as much as they can handle, and that if you cut out the work on the laws of the States regarding the emergency powers of State governors and the laws of the States regarding civilian defense, which is needed by the Office of Civilian Defense, it would merely mean that they would have to set up the activities themselves. Mr. O'NEAL. Who is using these studies now? me a report. Dr. Griffith has handed The Defense Unit of the Department of Justice has asked for the following: A report on the emergency war provisions of World War No. 1. A report on expediting the business of criminal prosecution. A memorandum relating to universal fingerprinting. The Council of State Governments has asked for a report on the war powers of the State governors, exclusive of those derived as commander in chief of the State militia. The Office of Civilian Defense has asked for a report on State defense appropriations for 1941, State laws regarding defense councils, and State laws regarding appropriations for State maintenance. All this is since December 7, 1941. Mr. O'NEAL. Have you had any requests from State taxing bodies relative to State finances? Dr. GRIFFITH. We handle State tax inquiries continuously. I can give you a list, if you wish. The State Law Index handles about 300 inquiries a year of various kinds. Mr. O'NEAL. How much of a force have you now? Dr. GRIFFITH. Thirteen. The important thing for the purposes of the record is to emphasize that ours is the only State Law Index in the country, and that it serves the States as well as Congress. If it were superseded for any reason, there would not be any index of State legislation available for Congress or any other governmental body. Mr. LEAVY. As a concrete illustration, if we were anxious to ascertain what the sales taxes were in any of the 48 States, could you furnish that information? Dr. GRIFFITH. We have already done just that for Members of Congress. Mr. MACLEISH. That closes page 63. Within-grade promotions under provisions of the act approved Aug. 1, 1941. $925 Revised allocations (4 employees) effective Jan. 1, 1942: Obligations fiscal year 1942 Obligations fiscal year 1943 Total increase requested.. 200 400 600 Of this amount it is requested that the sum of $200 be made immediately available in order to meet obligations for 1941. On page 64, again, we have within-grade promotions and revised allocations. The Civil Service reclassification has been completed there. SUNDAY OPENING On page 102 of the bill, "Sunday opening," there is no change. Mr. O'NEAL. Is that item sufficiently justified by the use that is being made of it? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes, sir; it is very heavily used. Also the visitors to the building show a 23 percent increase, 1941 over 1940, and the total is quite impressive. It is 232,561 people. POSSIBLE ECONOMIES IN THE LIBRARY Mr. O'NEAL. Is there not any item here in which, from the standpoint of the use of the Library, there might be some economies effected? Is there anything here where, due to present conditions, the Library is called upon for less service? Mr. MACLEISH. As you know, the President has addressed a communication to the heads of all agencies asking them to survey their operations, with a view to determining whether there is any personnel that can be transferred. We are in the middle of that survey now, and I suspect we will come out with some rather interesting conclusions. Briefly, the situation is this: Certain of our functions are so closely related to defense activities that we could not make any cut without slowing operations, such as in the reading rooms, Legislative Reference Service, State Law Index, Bibliography Division, Aeronautics Division, and so forth. Others are no less essential in their effect on our operations, such as those of the Processing Department. If it stopped turning out cards, the library system would clatter and fall apart. There are other functions where we may be able to make some adjustments. UNION CATALOGS Mr. O'NEAL. The next item is for Union Catalogs on 103 of the bill. Mr. MACLEISH. The only increase there is for within-grade pro motions. Mr. LEAVY. The estimate for 1943 is $73,045, according to the justifications. Mr. MACLEISH. We have reduced that amount now to $27,065. Mr. LEAVY. It is back to where it was? Mr. MACLEISH. Plus $420 for within-grade promotions. Mr. O'NEAL. Is the Union Catalogue still here in Washington? Mr. MACLEISH. It has been moved. Mr. O'NEAL. Will it be serviced? Mr. MACLEISH. It is being serviced where it is. There are no changes in the items on pages 67, 68, 69, 70, and 71. The item on page 72 is for within-grade promotions under the act of August 1, 1941, involving eight positions, for which the amount is $420. Mr. O'NEAL. You feel there is nothing you can do about those; that has to be done? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes; and I am glad that has to be done. INCREASE OF THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Increase of Library of Congress, general: Appropriated for 1942 Not requested for 1943 Estimate for 1943-- The appropriation for the present year is for the following purposes: 4. For purchase of Herndon-Weik collection of Lincolniana__. Total___ For 1943 a renewal of items 1, 2, and 3 is requested. Mr. O'NEAL. The next item is for the general increase of the Library of Congress on page 106 of the bill. Mr. MACLEISH. There is a decrease of $50,000 there, the estimate for 1943 being $198,000. Mr. O'NEAL. Are there any unobligated balances in this item? Mr. MACLEISH. Certain items are dropped out. We are not requesting for 1943 the $50,000 made available by this committee last year for the purchase of the Herndon-Weik collection of Lincolniana. That was a special item. Mr. O'NEAL. Doctor, is most of this purchase due to the normal, continuing load you have, where there is a standardized situation, or is it due to something that comes up suddenly, which you may want to obtain? Mr. MACLEISH. No; it is a continuing operation. There is very little in our picture during this last year which you would describe as rare items or museum pieces. These purchases are generally purchases of continuing materials, which are essential. Mr. O'NEAL. Of course, the $50,000 was the amount for the purchase of the Lincoln papers? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes, sir. I would like to speak with as much emphasis as I can about this item. I think it is extremely important that the basic item for increase should be retained, if the committee can see its way to doing so. We have examined our minds and our hearts on this, and we feel perfectly clear that the fund is necessary to enable us to go on doing the work we must do, in order that the library may be able to perform its functions. There are markets in England and in South America where material is available and can be purchased, if we have the money to spend. Mr. O'NEAL. You have listed certain categories in this amount. Do you want to hold to those categories? You have, for instance, an item for books, periodicals, and so forth, for which the amount is $143,000; you have another item for microfilming, for which the amount is $40,000, and you have another item for recording of folk songs, et cetera, for which the amount is $15,000. Mr. MACLEISH. Those three items make up a total of $198,000, which is being spent according to that ritual. It will continue to be spent. I should prefer, if the committee sees fit, to have a total appropriation of $198,000 without these specific categories, leaving us free to make decisions within these areas. But those amounts show the way the money has been going, and they reflect the actual situation. Mr. O'NEAL. Does the item for books and periodicals include subscriptions to the standard periodicals? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes; they are continuing subscriptions. The basic charge which we have to meet amounts now to $55,000, and this includes provision for the continuation of this amount. Mr. O'NEAL. So far as books are concerned, there is not any continuing series, as in the case of periodicals? Mr. MACLEISH. There are certain series especially in the scientific felds, where we get continuing series over a number of years. Mr. O'NEAL. You have for the present year $40,000 for microfilming. Will you use all of that during the present year? Mr. MACLEISH. Yes; that will be used, and a great deal more could · be spent. Mr. O'NEAL. You also have an item for recording of folk songs, for which the amount for the present year is $15,000. Mr. MACLEISH. Yes. Mr. O'NEAL. Is that a practical thing right now, during this mergency? Mr. MACLEISH. It is an extremely useful thing. We have been able, through that means, to provide materials in connection with the Army's morale programs, which have been extremely successful. |