ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

WASHINGTON HOTLINE

Carol C. Henderson Deputy Director, ALA Washington Office

(202) 547-4440; (ALA0025)

HEA II-D Grants.January 13, 1989, is the deadline for applications for the second round of grants under the Higher Education Act title II-D College Library Technology and Cooperation grants. Application packages are being mailed to all first round applicants, or can be obtained by request to Frank Stevens or Linda Loeb, Library Development Staff, Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Rm. 402M, Washington, DC 20208-5571; (202/357-6315). The initial awards under fiscal year 1988 funding for this new program were announced at the end of September; 46 grants were made to encourage exemplary uses of technology to support library services within higher education. The four categories of awards were for networking equipment (20 grants averaging $52,339), joint-use or consortium (14 grants averaging $104,387), services to institutions (3 grants averaging $23,914), and research and demonstration (9 grants averaging $112,229).

Federal funding.Congress provided funding for all programs by the beginning of fiscal year 1989 on October 1--the first time since FY 1977 that all appropriations bills were passed on time. Most library and related programs were up slightly from last year, with some exceptions such as the HEA II-B training and research and II-C research library programs. These two examples also show the effects of across-the-board cuts imposed on programs under their jurisdiction by the House and Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittees. To keep funding within the subcommittees’ allocated totals, House-Senate conferees both this year and last year imposed small cuts on the totals otherwise agreed to, thus shaving any intended increases and eroding programs intended to be level funded. For instance, two years ago, HEA II-B was at $1 million and II-C was $6 million.