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COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES

McDonough Condemns Proposed Federal Budget Cuts for Libraries

“Proposed cuts in the federal budget for aid to libraries would result in drastically reduced funds being available for public libraries, school libraries, and other types of libraries. Library services to the public would inevitably suffer,” David H. Clift, Executive Director of the American Library Association, said in Chicago April 21. He firmly endorsed the views expressed earlier by Roger H. McDonough, President of the American Library Association, at a press conference in New York City.

Mr. McDonough, who is Director of the New Jersey State Library, condemned the proposed budget slashes in the federal budget for aid to education and libraries as recommended in the President’s April 15th message to Congress. Mr. McDonough spoke at a press conference held at the Overseas Press Club in New York City.

Noting that the reductions in library programs amount to fully 25 per cent of the total cuts, Mr. McDonough termed it “ironic that the release of these recommendations appeared almost simultaneously with the President’s National Library Week message in which he said ‘… never have our libraries played a more prominent role in our campaign against ignorance and for fullness of educational opportunity … by extending their services throughout America, our libraries immeasureably advance our goals and perform the highest public good.’

“But according to the Undersecretary of Health, Education and Welfare,” Mr. McDonough continued, “programs for books and equipment are considered ‘low priority.’ This is clearly a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the manner in which these funds have been employed.

“Under Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, for example, spectacular advances have been made in the improvement of school libraries and instructional media centers. The threatened cuts will seriously curtail the amount and quality of materials made available to all schools, public and private, and will be particularly damaging to those schools serving disadvantaged youth in our inner-core cities.

“The cutbacks proposed in Title I of the Library Services and Construction Act will seriously cripple innovative outreach library programs to urban poor, migrant workers and other disadvantaged groups in all parts of the country.

“The 1970 Johnson Budget request for major library programs—ESEA Title II, Higher Education Act Title II, and LSCA—amounted to $134,500,000. The new recommendations, if accepted by Congress, would provide only $46,209,000, which is $88,291,000 less than the January budget and $433,891,000 less than the amounts authorized for these programs in fiscal year 1970 (beginning July 1, 1969).

“Looking at it another way, almost twentyfive per cent of the recommended reductions in funding for activities under the Office of Education would come out of the principal library programs. Keep in mind, too, that this does not take into consideration the money already lopped off by the January budget proposal, which cut out NDEA Title III (equipment and instructional materials) and HEA Title VI (equipment and materials for higher education), both of which benefited library users. The 1969 appropriations for Title III was $78,740,000, and for Title VI it was $14,500,000. As it now stands, these programs would be terminated.

“If no effort is made to override these recommended cuts, the prospects for even minimal aid for library resources for school, public and academic library users will be dismal indeed. There will be no funds at all for the school library program under Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Half of the Title I funds for public library services and all of the Title II construction money will be withdrawn from programs partially supported by the Library Services and Construction Act. And half of the college library resources fund will be cut out of the HEA Title II-A program, leaving only enough money to make basic grants of $5,000; training opportunities for librarians will be reduced by more than fifty per cent under Title II-B; and the Library of Congress acquisition and cataloging activities now assisted by the Title II, Part C program will be reduced by $2,856,000.”