ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

WASHINGTON HOTLINE

by Carol G. Henderson Deputy Director ALA Washington Office

The first few weeks of the second session of the 98th Congress (which convened January 23) have been filled with library-related activity:

Reagan FY 1985 Budget. On February 1, the President submitted his fiscal year 1985 budget to congress. For the third year in a row the Adminstration recommended zero funding for all Higher Education Act title II library programs and for the Library Services and Construction Act. The grant programs of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission would also be zero funded. The Medical Library Assistance Act would stay the same at $7.5 million. The requested budget for the National Library of Medicine (without MLAA) would go up 2 percent; the National Agricultural Library, 12.3 percent; the Library of Congress, 4.8 percent; and the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, 2.5 percent. The National Endowment for the Humanities would be cut 10.5 percent.

LSCA Reauthorization. On January 31, the day before the zeroes in the budget for libraries were unveiled, the House resoundingly approved an extension through FY 1988 of the Library Services and Construction Act by a vote of 357-39. The Senate has not yet acted on LSCA reauthorization. HR 2878, the House-passed bill, would continue public library services, library construction, and interlibrary cooperation, and add new titles for library services for Indian tribes, foreign language materials, and library literacy programs.

HEA Reauthorization. In December, House Postsecondary Education Subcommittee Chairman Paul Simon (D-IL) outlined to the higher education community an extensive revision of the Higher Education Act. The revision included moving the II-C research library program into title VII with construction of academic facilities, and the combining of general assistance to developing institutions with title II college library and library training and research assistance.

Discussion at ALA Midwinter indicated substantial problems with the potential loss of title II as the focus of federal aid to college and research libraries and library education and research. Meanwhile, Rep. Simon withdrew his proposal for further revision. The latest draft, dated January 19, restores HEA title II to its current role of strengthening library resources. Title II in the revised proposal would include part A, college library grants, but targeted to needy institutions, part B training and research with more emphasis on technologies and strengthening minority education programs, and part C research library grants. No nonlibrary programs would be included in title II. The unfunded national periodical system (the current part D) would be eliminated, although $1 million for foreign language periodicals would be authorized under title VI, international education.

Library Telecommunications Amendment. Senate telephone legislation S. 1660, was tabled on a procedural vote of 44-40 on January 26. This action killed for the time being a library amendment developed by Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), which would have been offered as part of a commerce committee substitute to S. 1660. Under the amendment the FCC could not impose new charges on entities providing not-for-profit bibliographic services unless the Commission made a finding that such entities had adequate telecommunications facilities at reasonable charges. The amendment would have required the FCC to initiate a proceeding which in itself could have delayed new charges on libraries. Sen. Pressler defined "entities providing not-for-profit bibliographic services" as library services provided by public, academic, school, and medical libraries and cooperative library networks as defined by several federal statutes.

Although the Senate did not get a chance to consider the amendment, it services to focus congressional attention on library uses of telecommunications and the increased costs libraries face from access charges and pending tariffs. Sen. Pressler intends to pursue the issue on another vehicle, if possible.