that they have required the detail to the Division of employees whose services are required elsewhere. These additional assistants are to avoid such details. New positions in place of old New positions incident to the increased activities of the Library in place of positions discontinued: With the added activities of the Library, new duties have arisen which have occasioned new positions. Other positions have, in consequence, been suspended. The difference in salary, at the minimum of the grades in which the old positions were classified and that of the grades in which the new positions have been classified by the Civil Service Commission, amounts, in total, to $6,560. Main reading room Subprofessional 2: 3 deck attendants at $1,260 each.. The need for the above is due $3, 780 2, 400 6, 180 1. To the increase in the collections (numbering now over 4,805,000 volumes and increasing at the rate of 170,000 per annum) and also the increased spread of them, a million and a half volumes being in spaces not reached by the book carriers. 2. To the present congestion which requires many thousands of books to be shelved behind others, impeding access, or in the cellars. It requires also the frequent shifting of large groups under special pressure. 3. To the increased demand by Congress and the public. The latter includes the service of books to the study rooms and other remote points for the use of serious investigators. 4. To the need of more systematic checking of the shelves, more constant inventories, and perfection of the deck catalogs. 5. To the need of speeding up the messenger service to the Senate and House Office Buildings, delays in which are now the cause of much complaint. Rare-book rooms Professional 3: 1 curator in charge of evening service.. $3, 200 2, 520 5, 720 The $3,200 position and 1 of the $1,260 are to enable the service (now suspended at 6 p. m.) to be carried through the evening. The other $1,260 position is to aid in safeguarding the collection and the use of it. LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE SERVICE An increase of $5,800 for new positions, as follows: Professional 3: 1 assistant at.. $3, 200 2,600 5, 800 The steadily increasing work has made it necessary to add to the staff a position (professional 3) at $3,200 and a position (professional 2) at $2,600 which have been charged against the hour fund. During the past year and a half the various Government offices comprising the new organizations in the Federal Government have discovered that we have information of great value to them and are calling upon us to a steadily increasing extent for aid. This puts a burden on the service that can only be met by an appropriation for these two positions, so that the hour fund may again be available for special and emergency service. UNION CATALOGS An increase of $4,000 ($24,000 requested for the fiscal year 1933 and granted by the House; $20,000 granted by the Senate; requested again for 1934 and 1935, but not appropriated) _. $4,000 Our Union Catalog is a repertory on cards of the important books in all the research libraries of the United States, together with the locations of copies. It is bibliographic apparatus quite unique and of high importance 1. As a reference tool for our own catalogers; 2. As an aid to our service as a bureau of information for the entire country (libraries, scholars, and the general public); 3. As an aid to bibliographic projects centering here; 4. For reference in aid of cataloging and bibliographic work in numerous other libraries. The Union Catalogs now contain nearly 14,000,000 cards, representing approximately 8,000,000 titles. Its usefulness for the above purposes requires continuous extension by the addition of further titles, as secured from the various libraries. The project of the Union Catalogs was originated and developed under a grant from Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.-$50,000 per annum for a period of 5 years which expired August 31, 1932. The work was continued under the appropriation provided for 1933, but with a greatly decreased staff. We requested $24,000 for the fiscal year 1933. This was granted by the House but reduced to $20,000 by the Senate. We again requested $24,000 for the fiscal years 1934 and 1935, respectively, but the addition of $4,000 has not been granted. We are now asking the full sum. It is the minimum upon which efficient service can be provided. An increase of .... SUNDAY OPENING $1,000 Five hundred dollars is required for the Smithsonian division and $500 for the Slavic division. The need for the opening of the Smithsonian division on Sundays and holidays is due to the constantly growing recognition by research scholars of the importance of the Smithsonian collection of material, namely, the proceedings and transactions of learned societies which always contain the latest results of scientific research. There is a special demand for the use of the Slavic division by scholars who are not free to use the collection during the regular working hours on week days. The division now closes at 4:30 p. m. INCREASE OF THE LIBRARY To restore reductions made in the appropriation for the fiscal year 1933 (and not appropriated for 1934 or 1935)_. Purchase of books (general increase). $30,000 30, 000 The original amount ($130,000) was little enough to enable the Library to keep abreast of the current publications and to take advantage of the market for the noncurrent necessary to perfect its collections. PRINTING AND BINDING As provided by section 23 of the independent offices appropriation act an increase in the cost of labor for printing and binding became effective March 28, 1934. The Public Printer has estimated that the average increase will be 10 percent. To meet this increase there is recommended: For miscellaneous printing and binding.. For printing of Catalog cards.. Total... For miscellaneous printing and binding, an increase to be applied toward clearing arrears in binding....... Total increase_ $8, 500 2, 000 5, 000 15, 500 50,000 65, 500 Books bound in perishable materials, e. g., eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth century leathers, are now badly in need of rebinding; witness our law collections, our document collections, including the first 5,500 volumes of the congressional documents, the State documents, the document series of foreign countries, files and periodicals, encyclopedias, etc. All these classes are in need of serious attention. There are at least 30,000 volumes and pamphlets (chiefly documentary) regularly cataloged and classified which cannot be placed on our shelves for want of binding. And these volumes are entered in our Main Catalogue-this means that when called for by a reader they are reported "out." They are not “out” but simply not in their place on the shelves because not in condition for use. In addition there are many thousands of volumes, or serials in parts, still in their paper covers. This great arrearage is so serious an impediment to our service, and so serious a peril to the material, that we made application to the Public Works Administration for a grant of $450,000 to deal with it. The grant was not vouchsafed, and we are obliged to ask Congress for a special addition to our binding appropriation that will enable us during the coming year to deal with the fraction of the arrears that may be covered by this $50,000. Salaries (new position): Subprofessional 3: 1 nurse LIBRARY BUILDING $1, 440 The permanent position of nurse is to supersede the temporary arrangement which we have at present of calling upon one of the regular employees who is a registered nurse. Dividing the duties of this employee has not proven satisfactory. Custody and maintenance: a decrease of $1,900 This item of $1,900 is requested every alternate year for purchasing uniforms for guards and special clothing for workmen. Net decrease (Library Building). CHANGE IN PHRASEOLOGY Index to State legislation: Add “* fiscal year 1937". $460 *to continue available during the Increase of the library-purchase of law books; Add “* *to continue available during the fiscal year 1937." Books for the adult blind: Add "* * * including not exceeding $500 for necessary travel expenses connected with such service and for expenses of attendance at meetings when incurred on the written authority and direction of the Librarian." * Library building-care and maintenance: Add "* * and elevator conductors, medical supplies, equipment, and contingent expenses for the emergency room * * * "" JANUARY 10, 1935. HERBERT PUTNAM, 129686-35- -8 SALARIES, LIBRARY PROPER Mr. LUDLOW. I notice under the item of salaries the amount asked for, for the coming fiscal year, is $910,860, as against $774,341 during the fiscal year 1935. That is a very large increase. If it is agreeable to your presentation of the matter will you analyze that increase? Dr. PUTNAM. The total amount we are asking for exceeds the appropriation for this year by about $325,000. Of that amount $161,000 is due to the restoration of the 10 percent for salaries throughout the establishment, including the building. Mr. LUDLOW. Now you are speaking in reference to the whole library? Dr. PUTNAM. Yes. That leaves to be explained $163,000, roughly speaking. An analysis of that $163,000 is this: $65,000, roughly, is on account of printing and binding; $30,000 is in the appropriation for the purchase of books, and the balance is for personnel. Mr. LUDLOW. That is for additional personnel? Dr. PUTNAM. For additional personnel we are asking 23%1⁄2 additional positions, as listed on the first page of the memorandum of estimates. The cost of the additional positions requested would be $50,940, as stated in the memorandum. Otherwise for personnel we have included $13,420 and $3,660 covered by the supplemental estimates to meet reallocations; that is, changes of grade of employees already in the service, but who, after a study by representatives of the Classification Board, have been deemed to be wrongly allocated and entitled to another grade. To cover those already reallocated by the Board we have allowed $13,420, plus the $3,660. There is a small additional item of proposed increase within the grades, but we are allowing only $4,965 for that. Mr. LUDLOW. That is for single advances in the grades? Dr. PUTNAM. That is for single advances in all the grades, based upon the efficiency ratings. Then there is $1,000 for an increase in the Sunday opening appropriation. Those several items make up the $163,000. NEW POSITIONS REQUESTED Mr. LUDLOW. Will you now go into the matter of new positions requested? Dr. PUTNAM. The new positions requested are noted on the first page of the memorandum of estimates." The two of outstanding importance are one chief reference librarian, and one in charge of our cooperative cataloging work. They are in the Budget on page 91, listed as Chief Librarian and Senior Librarian. Mr. LUDLOW. That is, there is one under each of those classifications? are Dr. PUTNAM. These two positions of outstanding importance Mr. LUDLOW. There are not two in each group? Dr. PUTNAM. No. There is one Chief Librarian at $5,600, and one Senior Librarian at $4,600. Those items I would like to speak of particularly. These two items are in the Library proper, one for the office of the Chief Reference Librarian, which includes the chief himself at $5,600, and one stenographer-typist at $1,620. CHIEF REFERENCE LIBRARIAN AND STENOGRAPHER TYPIST Mr. LUDLOW. You say the positions you are chiefly interested in are for a Chief Reference Librarian at $5,600, with a stenographertypist at $1,620? Dr. PUTNAM. Yes, sir. Mr. LUDLOW. What is the next position? Dr. PUTNAM. The next is the chief of the cooperative catalog and classification service. The total amount. for that is $6,400, and that includes the man in charge at $4,600, and one assistant at $1,800. Now, Mr. Chairman, I would like to explain here these two positions of outstanding importance. First, as to the Chief Reference Librarian. We have never had that position in our organization. It is quite usual to have such a position in reference libraries and research libraries generally, but we have gotten along without it by contributing some services and aid to the reference work, in the reading room and in certain other divisions. But with the increased activities and the use of the Library, the demands put upon it involving reference work have now reached a point beyond the abilities of the present service. Except for the Bibliographic Division, whose small staff is overpressed with the routine of response involving lists of authorities, there is no section of our organization specifically concerned with inquiries involving research or requests in aid of it. The bulk of such inquiries and requests are addessed to the main reading room and have received such attention there as could be vouchsafed by a staff also under pressure of routine. But the routine there cannot continue to be sacrificed for such service, even if it could be effective without responsible expert direction. Meantime there is represented in our organization as a whole, including the incumbents of chairs and the consultants, a considerable amount of specialized knowledge in various fields not yet fully utilized in behalf of the investigator. And in numerous other Government establishments there are specialists of high competency whose suggestions at least should be sought. What is required is an expert attached to the overhead staff who will personally meet all such inquiries at the threshhold, answer many of them from his own superior knowledge, and route the others effectively; but who will also systematize and coordinate the reference apparatus of the Library as a whole, and incidentally bring to its aid all the resources of Washington for the aid and promotion of research. Under the title of "Chief Reference Librarian", usual in libraries, we have established such a position, and are asking leave to maintain it. Mr. LUDLOW. In that connection, how is this man paid now? Dr. PUTNAM. He is paid only by accumulations from leave. He and the other man who has charge of the cooperative work we have managed to pay because of leaves of absence and holding vacant some positions. |