and travels upward through the open decks, where it is discharged to atmosphere by fans located just below the roof.

The main reading room is heated and ventilated by warm air supplied by propeller fans and unit heaters located at the cellar level which circulate fresh air over hot-water coils similar to those used for heating the pavilions and curtains. The fresh warm air is introduced through grilles in the reading desks, and leaves through ducts with outlets located behind a ring of lights midway up the domed ceiling. The vitiated air is discharged to atmosphere near the top of the dome. No fans are used on the discharge side.

The heating and ventilating systems in general are unsatisfactory by presentday standards, this being understandable since they represent a technology practiced some 65 years ago. Some of the undesirable features are summed up as follows:

(a) Temperature control is all manual, with the control being accomplished by hand adjustment of the steam supply to the coils of the heat exchangers, and also by hand adjustment of fresh air supply over the cast iron hot water coils. Since the heating load varies with the sun positions and other climatological factors, it is impossible to control the temperature satisfactorily in widely dispersed areas simultaneously requiring different conditions.

(b) The lighting and occupancy loads have increased in certain areas to a point where no additional heat can be tolerated and windows must be opened, with the consequent dust, dirt, and draft problems.

(c) Installation of new partitions and the placement of desks and bookcases have, in some instances, defeated the purpose of the original design. A typical case is where new partitions have created a small office or space with an individual oversized warm air outlet, and inescapably have deprived the adjoining office or space of any warm air supply. In addition, flues have been bricked up during certain modifications to the building, thus cutting off heat and ventilation from areas formerly served by the obstructed flues.

(d) Routine preventive maintenance of the vertical steam-to-water heat exchangers is a major undertaking since there is insufficient working space above these units for the replacement of deteriorated tubes. They are each 6 feet in diameter and approximately 10 feet high, with the upper extremity just a few inches below the ceiling. To perform any internal maintenance work the upper head must be removed and the entire unit temporarily rotated to a horizontal position in very cramped quarters. This is a difficult, time-consuming and inordinately expensive operation, the results of which still would not provide a suitable heating system for the reasons set forth herein. Conse quently, these heat exchangers have not been provided with a major overhaul since 1930. Seven of the 12 vertical steam-to-water heat exchangers are out of service due to the need for tube replacements. Many of the steam heating coils are also out of service due to leaky tubes and fittings which are totally inaccessible. In addition, the lack of strainers and dirt pockets in the system has resulted in excessive accumulation of prohibitive amounts of insoluble materials in the piping systems.

(e) The books in the bookstacks show the effects of a poor air filtration and distribution system and the books are often dust covered due to poor or no filtration of the supply air.

(f) Some areas are inadequately heated to the extent of being injurious. To provide minimum comfort conditions in these spaces, particularly in the north curtain, supplementary steam and electric radiators have been installed as a temporary expedient. At the present time there is an urgent request from the Law Library and manuscript division for supplementary heating in the north and northwest curtains. Plans to relieve temporarily the almost untenable situation have been formulated but the ultimate solution lies in general system improvement, not in piecemeal application of emergency measures.

(g) Generally, the bookstacks are of open construction with free air circulation from the basement to top deck. Only decks A and B are air conditioned and sealed off. The open-deck construction is required by the present heating system but it also introduces a fire hazard which has been condemned by the fire marshal.

Summing up the existing heating and ventilating system, it may be described as an ineffective, inefficient patchwork which is being held together by the efforts of the building staff, but which has very little time left before a serious breakdown may be expected, which will jeopardize building operations and personnel comfort. In the meantime the voluminous quantity of printed matter stored in the bookstacks and other areas of the building is slowly deteriorating due to prevailing temperature, humidity, and dust conditions, this in addition to the loss in employee efficiency and general utilization of the facilities provided by the Library.

When the main building of the Library of Congress was designed and constructed, the advantages of controlled atmospheric conditions (temperature and humidity) and filtered ventilation so essential for the preservation of paper products were not known or realized. Even if these advantages had been known at that time, practical and economical means for implementing such controlled conditions were not commercially available. When the rare book section and the annex to the Library of Congress were designed, greater knowledge of preservative essentials had been developed by scientific laboratories and others. Simultaneously, mechanical equipment for commercial air conditioning was being introduced by the Carrier Corp. and other manufacturers. In this age it would, of course, be unthinkable to construct new Library facilities without including equipment capable of automatically controlling the temperature and humidity throughout the entire structure, regardless of the additional expenditure.

Additional discussion on proper Library design criteria is contained in section III.

CLERK'S NOTE. - Sections III through VI omitted, since they deal with design criteria, etc.

SECTION VII. FIRE RETARDATION IN BOOKSTACKS

EXISTING BOOKSTACK ARRANGEMENT

The north and south bookstacks were constructed with the original building in 1897. The southeast and northeast bookstacks were added in 1910 and 1925, respectively, in the then existing northeast and southeast courtyards. The courtyard walls serve as the enclosure for the two added bookstacks areas with very little additional interior treatment. The north and south bookstacks consist of 9 levels between the attic and cellar, whereas the northeast and southeast bookstacks extend 2 levels above the attic and contain 13 levels between these two limits.

The book storage arrangement consists of continuous tiers of books extending from the lowest to the highest extremity of the bookstack areas. Horizontal circulation is provided at 7-foot vertical intervals, the floor construction consisting of marble slabs set in frames supported by the book tiers. These slabs extend to within 4 inches of the book tier proper, the 4-inch open space all around the bookracks extending vertically up and down the entire bookstack space. The original windows in between the north and northeast and south and southeast bookstacks remain in place. Many of the openings where windows existed in the east side of the newer bookstacks have been bricked up. Elevators and open stairwells connect the various levels.

At the present, decks A and B of the southeast bookstacks are air conditioned and are of solid floor construction, sealed off from the remainder of the bookstack. The perimeter offices (study rooms) of deck 37 in the northeast bookstack are air conditioned.

The general interior arrangement of all bookstack areas is extremely hazardous when considered from the aspect of retarding or localizing a fire, due to the open construction of the bookracks, stairwells, and other miscellaneous openings. This unsatisfactory condition has been noted by the local fire marshal and remedial action has been strongly recommended.

In our opinion this recommendation is well justified, particularly considering the value of the book collections which are jeopardized by the possibility of the spread of fire.

RECOMMENDATIONS

It is our recommendation that: (1) each deck be completely isolated from other decks and surrounding spaces by fire-rated material; (2) all glass between book storage areas be replaced by wire glass or blocked up with fire-rated material; (3) stairwells be enclosed by fire-rated construction or be removed and marble decking installed where stairs are not required for deck access; (4) all doors be replaced by fire doors.

The above procedure will of course nullify the heating and ventilating facilities as they now exist and will necessitate the installation of the system described previously in section VI. All new duct penetrations through the decks will be provided with fire dampers. Under the proposed system each deck will be provided with individual air supply and exhaust facilities to replace the system which now supplies air at the lowest deck and draws it up through all decks to be exhausted above the top deck.

If the above recommendations are followed, the entire collection will be protected from the possibility of extensive fire damage and this, combined with the previously recommended heating and conditioning system, will greatly increase the anticipated longevity of the collection.

SECTION VIII. CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE

Schedule A: Completely heated and air-conditioned building

SECTION VIII. CONSTRUCTION ESTIMATE

Schedule A: Completely heated and air-conditioned building-Continued

600

the overall results would be insignificant and there would be no economic justification for the expenditure.

The fundamentals of depreciation theory recognize that the loss of service life of equipment cannot be questioned. No matter how well any machinery or other mechanical equipment is serviced and repaired, it inevitably must be scrapped and replaced. To deny this fact of depreciation is to deny such causes as wear and tear, physical deterioration, action of the elements, obsolescence, and inadequacy. In this instance, such denial can no longer be tolerated without risking an eventual catastrophe. If no steps are taken to plan properly for a new system before the breakdown occurs, the crash program necessitated by a system failure will cause the installation of a second-rate expedient system, dictated by the pressure of resuming essential services as rapidly as possible.

In the interest of book preservation, personnel comfort and efficiency, it is recommneded that the existing heating and ventilating system be replaced without delay by a modern combination heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning system as outlined in this report. This procedure will provide proper atmospheric conditions for the storage of the collections, will eliminate personnel complaints in summer and winter, will reduce absenteeism, and will decrease the general housekeeping tasks by efficient filtration of the air and removal of dust.

In addition to the unsatisfactory physical condition of the existing heating system, it has been determined that the bookstack construction presents a definite hazard from the spread of fire. This condition should be remedied in conjunction with the installation of a new heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system.

A summary of the estimated budget costs to accomplish the foregoing, with several variations as shown, are as follows:

1. Complete new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system and modification of bookstack construction to improve fire-retarding capabilities__.

2. Complete new heating and ventilation system only, with provisions for future air conditioning, and modification of bookstack construction as above____.

3. Complete new heating and ventilation system with bookstacks air conditioned and provision for future air conditioning of rest of building. Bookstack construction modified as above

$2, 469, 036

2, 250, 797

2, 393, 379

It should be noted in all estimates that no new refrigeration capacity is required. The capacity for air conditioning the Library of Congress has been included in the design of the Capitol Power Plant and will be available not later than the summer of 1963. The chilled water distribution system also includes capacity for this building and will require no expenditure of funds for expansion of the central system.

PURCHASE OF MATERIALS HANDLING AND CLEANING EQUIPMENT

Mr. STEWART. Materials handling and cleaning equipment, $6,000. Two items are requested to promote efficiency in the handling of materials and further improve cleaning procedures-one forklift truck and stacker ($3,000) and one floor scrubbing machine ($3,000) The forklift would be obtained from Government surplus stocks, should a suitable model become available.

BOOSTER PUMP, WATER SUPPLY, MAIN BUILDING

Additional booster pump for city water supply, Main Building, $10,000. The present booster pump is located on the east side of the building, and because of the distance and present water demands is not able to maintain adequate water pressures in some places on the west side of the building. An additional pump, located in the west part of the building, would better pressure conditions, relieve the