ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

WASHINGTON HOTLINE

by Carol C. Henderson Deputy Director ALA Washington Office

Pressler letter to FCCTwenty-seven Senators signed a letter delivered to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Mark Fowler May 8. The letter, initiated by Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), asked the FCC to consider a library private line service under which carriers would furnish entities providing nonprofit bibliographic services with unswitched point-to-point and multipoint service under the terms and conditions in effect September 30, 1983, with modest annual adjustments.

"We believe that without such a class of service, universal access to information through libraries is seriously jeopardized," said the letter which, in addition to Pressler, was signed by Sens. Boren, Boschwitz, Burdick, Byrd, Danforth, Dixon, Domenici, Eagleton, Evans, Ford, Hecht, Kasten, Laxalt, Levin, Melcher, Mitchell, Moynihan, Nunn, Pell, Pryor, Randolph, Sarbanes, Stennis, Thurmond, Tower, and Trible.

A total of 27 signatures is considered very good. By way of comparison, the January letter from Sen. Robert Dole to the FCC which influenced the FCC to modify its access charge orders which in turn influenced the Senate to drop its telephone legislation was signed by a total of 32 Senators. Letters of thanks to Pressler and cosigners would be appropriate.

LC deacidification facility. Bills to authorize the Library of Congress to construct a mass book deacidification facility have been .approved—by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and the House Public Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee. S. 2418 (S. Rept. 98-429) and HR 5607 would authorize $11.5 million for a building to be constructed at Fort Detrick an army facility near Frederick, Maryland; the building would include testing facilities as well as two large vacuum chambers to accomodate pallets of books to be treated with diethyl zinc vapor.

The DEZ process was developed by LC, and will neutralize the acid in book paper and leave a zinc carbonate residue thereby extending the life of the materials 400-600 years. The life of most book paper produced since about 1850 is only 30-40 years, due to the chemicals used in the sizing process combining with moisture in the air to produce acids which cause the paper to disintegrate. Of the Library’s law and general book collections, 3 million are beyond help; 10 million would benefit from DEZ treatment. The new facility would treat 500,000 books per year at a cost of $3-5 each.

The House subcommittee held a brief hearing with LC witnesses before approving the bi11 on May 8. The Senate committee devoted the afternoon of April 11 to the problem of book preservation, complete with an LC slide/tape presentation. Witnesses included Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin and LC Preservation Office Director Peter Sparks; for the Association of Research Libraries, Carolyn Harris, Preservation Department, Columbia University Libraries, and Susan Martin, Library Director, Johns Hopkins University; and for ALA, Gary Strong, California State Library. Harris also noted that she is the incoming chair of RTSD’s Preservation of Library Materials Section.

NARS commemorative stamp. A twenty-cent, first-class commemorative stamp marking the 50th anniversary of the National Archives and Records Service was issued at the Archives on April 16. The handsome stamp features silhouettes of Presidents Washington and Lincoln and the motto of the Archives, "What is Past is Prologue". Check local post offices for the stamp, which will be available only for a matter of months. First day covers are available for $1.50 each from the Publications Division (NEP), National Archives, Washington, DC 20408. Add $2.00 for handling per order, include mailing address, and make checks payable to the National Archives Trust Fund.