ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Washington Hotline

Carol C. Henderson Carol C. Henderson is deputy executive director, ALA Washington Office, NU_ALA WASH@CUA

At this writing, the 102nd Congress is about to adjourn. Hectic end-of-session activity included House passage of a revision of the GPO WINDO/Gateway legislation (HR 5983), but the bill’s fate in the Senate is still unknown. No action was taken on the Li- brary of Congress fee-for-ser- vice legislation (S. 2748), but it will be an early agenda item next year. Congress did extend the life of the Library of Congress American Folklife Center for one year.

Funding.Several appropriations bills have just received final action. Funding levels for FY93 are shown below for selected programs.

Library programs.The House had reduced most LSCA and HEA library programs by one percent, but the Senate restored these cuts. House-Senate conferees agreed to the Senatepassed library levels. How- ever, to keep the total down, conferees then cut by 0.8% all items in the funding bill which includes education and health programs. The $2.5 million the Senate added in FY92 to the HEA college library technology program is now shifted to the HEA II-B library re- search and demonstration program. The intent in FY92 was that Iowa State Univer- sity, in subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin’s home state, would (and did) compete successfully for a large biotechnology demonstration project. For FY93, $2.5 million of the ITB total is for a demonstration of elec- tronic access to a statewide bibliographic data- base through a fiber optic network. Harkin’s subcommittee “believes that the State Library of Iowa is ideally suited for receipt of these funds.” (S. Rept. 102-397)

LC & GPO.The Library of Congress and the Government Printing Office would have been severely affected by a Senate-passed amendment to the Legislative Appropriations Bill. Offered by Senators Seymour (R-Calif.) and Brown (R-Colo.), the amendment would have cut funding in the bill by 15% over three years. With help from library constituent calls to key legislators, House-Senate conferees dropped the amendment. As it is, the final LC budget will not cover all mandatory cost increases.

Postal subsidies.The postal revenue forgone funding is $360 million short of the amount the U.S. Postal Service estimated was needed to keep preferred and nonprofit rates at current levels. However, Congress provided a one-year “fix” which means these rates will not increase during FY93. For the first time, a cross subsidy has commercial mailers subsidizing the difference—a very unsatisfactory and interim resolution of the annual shortfall dilemma. Appropriators called for permanent legislative reform. ■

FUNDING LEVELS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1993
PROGRAM	FY92 FUNDING	FY93 FUNDING
GPO SuDocs	$27,082,000	$29,082,000
HEA II-A college library tech.	6,404,000	3,873,000
II-B library ed/training	5,000,000	4,960,000
II-B library research	325,000	2,802,000
II-C research libraries	5,855,000	5,808,000
IV-C college work study	615,000,000	616,950,000
VI international educ.	33,980,000	35,533,000
VI, sec. 607, foreign materials	500,000	982,000
Library of Congress	322,228,000	334,316,000
LSCA I public library services	83,898,000	83,727,000
11 public lib. construction	16,718,000	16,584,000
III interlibrary cooperation	19,908,000	19,749,000
VI foreign language materials	976,000	968,000
VI library literacy program	8,163,000	8,098,000
National Agricultural Library	17,715,000	17,715,000
National Archives	146,143,000	160,045,000
Natl. Ctr. for Educ. Statistics	77,213,000	78,270,000
NCLIS	831,000	889,000
Natl. Endowment for Humanities	175,955,000	177,413,000
Natl. Historical Pubs. & Records Com.	5,400,000	5,000,000
National Library of Medicine & MLAA	100,323,000	104,184,000
Postal revenue forgone subsidy	470,000,000	121,912,000

Statement of ownership and management

College & Research Libraries Newsis published 11 times a year (monthly, combining July/August) by the American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, Illinois 60611. American Library Association, owner; Mary Ellen K. Davis, editor and publisher.

Second-class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois. Printed in the U.S.A. As a non-profit organization authorized to mail at special rates (DMM Section 423.12), the purposes, function, and non-profit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes, have not changed during the preceding twelve months.

Extent and nature of circulation

(“Average” figures denote the number of copies printed each issue during the preceding twelve months; “Actual” figures denote the number of copies of single issues published nearest to filing date.)

• Total number of copies printed: Average, 13,100; Actual, 12,703.

• Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, and counter sales: not applicable.

• Mail subscriptions: Average, 11,872; Actual, 11,948.

• Total paid circulation: Average, 11,872; Actual 11,948.

• Free distribution by mail, carrier or other means, samples, complimentary and other free copies: Average, 36; Actual, 44.

• Total distribution: 11,908; Actual, 11,992.

• Copies not distributed: Office use, left over, unaccounted, spoiled after printing: Average: 1,192; Actual, 711.

• Returns from news agents: not applicable.

• Total (sum of previous entries): Average, 13,100; Actual, 12,703.

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation(PS Form 3526, February 1989) for 1992 filed with the United States Postal Service, Postmaster in Chicago, Illinois, September 28, 1992.