Hearings

The association supports S. 1726 which extends and makes a number of significant amendments to the National Defense Education Act. The association is of the opinion that the original act passed in 1958 has accomplished much for the Nation and should be extended with modifications.

The association is fully in accord with the purpose of training more college men and women and encouraging research in certain areas in institutions of higher education. It notes, however, that despite the incentives to enlarge the enrollments and provide new programs, a fundamental factor has been overlooked both in the original act and in the pending amendments. No specific provision is made for improving college and university library resources and services.

May I say here, as I have listened to the testimony this morning, almost all the testimony infers use of library resources in some way or other.

The lack of provision is contrary to the accepted fact that modern methods of college instruction and ever-growing research require increasingly larger expenditures for the essential printed materials and library personnel to facilitate their use. Not only the additional students will need more books, more periodicals, more library staff, but the undergraduate and graduate students already in colleges and universities will make greater demands under the intensified programs. The association wishes, therefore, to propose an amendment to the National Defense Education Act, which would be included as title XI, and would authorize matching grants to institutions of higher education for certain library purposes.

Mr. Chairman, I should like at this point to make this proposal a part of the record.

Senator MORSE. It will be inserted at this point in the record.
Mr. Low. Thank you, sir.

(The proposed amendment follows:)

TO AMEND THE NATIONAL DEFENSE EDUCATION ACT OF 1958 IN ORDER TO AUTHORIZE GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR CERTAIN LIBRARY PURPOSES

That the National Defense Education Act of 1958 is amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:

"TITLE XI-LIBRARY GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

“APPROPRIATIONS AUTHORIZED

"SEC. 1101. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1962, and for each of the three succeeding fiscal years, to enable the Commissioner to make grants to institutions of higher education to assist and encourage such institutions in the acquisition for library purposes of books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (including necessary binding).

"GRANT CONDITIONS

"SEC. 1102. From the sums appropriated pursuant to section 1101 for any fiscal year, the Commissioner may, upon application therefor, make a grant for the purposes set forth in such section to any institution of higher education—

"(1) in an amount not exceeding 25 per centum of the amount expended by such institution during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1961, for books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (including necessary binding) for library purposes, except that notwithstanding such 25 per centum limitation, such institution may receive

“(A) a grant of-$1,000 if it is a junior college providing a two-year educational program toward a bachelor's degree;

"(B) a grant of $2,500 if it provides an educational program for which it awards a bachelor's degree but no more advanced degree; or “(C) a grant of $5,000 if it provides an educational program for which it awards both bachelors' and advanced degrees; and

"(2) if such institution furnishes proof satisfactory to the Commissioner

"(i) that it will expend, during the fiscal year for which the grant is requested, for all library purposes an amount not less than the amount it expended for such purposes during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1961,

"(ii) that it will expend, during the fiscal year for which the grant is requested, for books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (including necessary binding) for library purposes an amount not less than the amount it expended for such materials during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1961, and

“(iii) that it will expend for library purposes during the fiscal year for which the grant is requested, in addition to the amounts required under clauses (i) and (ii) above, an amount not less than the amount of such grant, and that at least 50 per centum of such expenditure will be for books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (including necessary binding) for library purposes."

Mr. Low. By way of justification for this amendment, we offer the following reasons:

1. In order to attain their objectives, institutions of higher education must have libraries adequately supplied with printed materials and serviced by competently trained staffs. Showing the significance of the library, Dr. Robert B. Downs, dean of library administration at the University of Illinois, recently wrote in the journal, College and Research Libraries, for January 1961:

In every way possible [libraries] will encourage independent work and study on the part of students, and for them the library will be the heart of the educational process. Certainly, at more advanced levels, scholars and graduate students in the humanities and social sciences recognize libraries as indispensable laboratories. Books and journals are equally essential to the pure and applied sciences * * *.

2. College and university libraries, many of which are already below standards in printed materials and personnel, will face a great surge in student population during the next decade. Conservative estimates place the probable increase in students from 3.4 million in 1959 to 6 million in 1970; and the probable increase in college and university staffs from 232,000 in 1959 to 322,000 in 1970. These great increases will put extra financial burdens upon libraries in their efforts to meet their obligations to the institutions and the Nation.

3. It is urgent that libraries in all institutions acquire greater numbers of books and journals to meet the needs of this scientific and technological age not to mention the information required to understand world-perplexing social and economic problems. College and university libraries must purchase these materials in spite of their rapidly rising cost.

This rise in cost is most strikingly exhibited in the field of periodicals. For example, "Chemical Abstracts," a widely used periodical and a "must" subscription in most college and university libraries, has advanced its subscription price from $60 to $200 per year; "Chemisches Zentralblatt," the corresponding scientific publication in Germany, from $90 to $240; "Biochimica et Biophysica Acta," from $36 to $144.

At Oklahoma State University we have a medium-sized library, and it is now subscribing to over 4,000 journals. So you see how important this rise in prices is to an average-sized library in the field of higher education.

These scientific journals are typical of others which are basic to any work beyond junior college. Similar advances in price are found in the materials needed for other college subjects, which means with a restricted budget that fewer essential books and journals can be bought.

I want to say I am particularly concerned about the libraries in the small colleges and the junior colleges.

In many cases, the percentage of the total institutional income devoted to the library has gradually but steadily declined during the past 15 years. Recently published standards for 4-year colleges and junior colleges set a minimum book stock of 50,000 volumes for the former and 20,000 volumes for the latter.

These are not high requirements at all.

At present, 5 out of every 10 college libraries, and 6 out of every 10 junior college libraries, fail to meet the minimum standards.

Libraries need help quickly and on a continuing basis. The Association of College & Research Libraries is of the opinion that Federal assistance to college and university libraries is essential in order to stimulate and help administrators and governing boards to do more for their libraries. We hope, therefore, that favorable consideration will be given to this proposed amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the privilege of appearing before this committee.

(The prepared statement of Mr. Low follows:)

STATEMENT BY EDMON Low, PRESIDENT, ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES, AND LIBRARIAN, OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

My name is Edmon Low. I am librarian of Oklahoma State University and President of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, which has a total membership of more than 25.000. The Association of College & Research Libraries represents the college, university, and research libraries of the United States.

The association supports S. 1726 which extends and makes a number of signifieant amendments to the National Defense Education Act. The association is of the opinion that the original act passed in 1958 has accomplished much for the Nation and should be extended with modifications.

The association is fully in accord with the purpose of training more college men and women and encouraging research in certain areas in institutions of mer education. It notes, however, that despite the incentives to enlarge the

ments and provide new programs, a fundamental factor has been overi wech in the original act and in the pending amendments. No specific pros made for improving college and university library resources and This is contrary to the accepted fact that modern methods of college and ever-growing research require increasingly larger expenditures inted materials and library personnel to facilitate their use. al students will need more books, more periodicals, more dergraduate and graduate students already in colleges ze greater demands under the intensified programs.

The association wishes, therefore, to propose an amendment to the National Defense Education Act, which would be included as title XI, and would authorize matching grants to institutions of higher education for certain library purposes. By way of justification for this amendment, we offer the following reasons: 1. In order to attain their objectives, institutions of higher education must have libraries adequately supplied with printed materials and serviced by competently trained staffs. Showing the significance of the library, Dr. Robert B. Downs, dean of library administration at the University of Illinois, recently wrote in the journal, College and Research Libraries for January 1961:

"In every way possible [libraries] will encourage independent work and study on the part of students, and for them the library will be the heart of the educational process. Certainly, at more advanced levels, scholars and graduate students in the humanities and social sciences recognize libraries as indispensable laboratories. Books and journals are equally essential to the pure and applied sciences.

This rise in cost is most strikingly exhibited in the field of periodicals. For example, Chemical Abstracts, a widely used periodical and a "must" subscription in most college and university libraries, has advanced its subscription price from $60 to $200 per year; Chemisches Zentralblatt, the corresponding scientific publication in Germany, from $90 to $240; Biochimica et Biophysica Acta from $36 to $144. These scientific journals are typical of others which are basic to any work beyond junior college. Similar advances in price are found in the materials needed for other college subjects, which means with a restricted budget that fewer essential books and journals can be bought.

4. Despite the dependence of higher education upon adequate libraries, administrators of colleges and universities are finding it increasingly difficult to provide sufficient funds for their libraries. This situation holds true not only in the large institutions but also in junior colleges. In many cases, the percentage of the total institutional income devoted to the library has gradually but steadily declined during the past 15 years. Recently published standards for 4-year colleges and junior colleges set a minimum book stock of 50,000 volumes for the former and 20,000 volumes for the latter. At present, 5 of every 10 college libraries and 6 of every 10 junior college libraries fail to meet the minimum standards.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the privilege of appearing before this committee.

Senator MORSE. I am very favorably impressed with the testimony. As you know, the suggestion has been made that support for junior colleges be withdrawn from this bill. We have already asked for a memorandum with regard to this matter.

Senator YARBOROUGH. Mr. Low, I have just been scanning through this publication of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare on the library statistics of colleges and universities.

I note that in State after State there are junior colleges with fewer than 10,000 volumes. I note you state that a library of a junior college should have a library of at least 20,000 volumes for proper instruction

and proper reference. It is not infrequently that we see that junior colleges have 9,000, 8,000, 7,000, 6,000, 5,000, 4,000, or even as few as 3,000 volumes.

Some are less, but they might be just newly created. But for the junior colleges that have been in existence for 10 or 15 years, it is not infrequently that we see one listed with less than 10,000 volumes. I think that table alone proves the need for library materials.

I want to ask you a question about your proposal. Do these library materials include textbooks?

Mr. Low. No, but I think that is a good suggestion, sir.

Senator YARBOROUGH. Your proposal here is to build college libraries?

Mr. Low. Yes, sir.

Senator YARBOROUGH. And some colleges, of course, issue textbooks. Mr. Low. That is not our design at all to aid in that. I wonder if I might comment just a moment on your comment about the junior college statistics there.

This, of course, is a voluntary reporting and has only about twothirds of the libraries of the United States in it. The ones who did not report are almost always the weaker ones. So these statistics really present a more favorable position than is actually the case.

Senator YARBOROUGH. You think these are kind of the bragging colleges?

Mr. Low. That is correct. It is understandable, is it not? If you feel you have a good program, you report it. I know many junior colleges that spend less than $1,000 a year for materials for their libraries. It is a very difficult situation.

Senator YARBOROUGH. Dr. Low, I think that is very valuable information for us to have when we are considering this proposal.

Senator MORSE. It might be interesting, Dr. Low, to give a little specific evidence in support of this proposition. Each Senator-at least I am allowed 103 Congressional Records. Most of mine go to libraries in my State who cannot afford to subscribe to the Congressional Record-which is some evidence of the fiscal plight that high school libraries and small college libraries find themselves in.

Mr. Low. Yes, sir.

Senator YARBOROUGH. If I may add a fact here, I give my 100 away, Senator Morse, to those who ask for them. We do not have quite enough to go around.

But colleges seldom ask for these. They are generally asked for by individuals.

Now, under title III, dealing with science, mathematics, modern foreign languages, the things to which the 1958 National Defense Education Act was limited, is your proposal limited to the purchase of library material dealing with subjects covered by the National Defense Education Act, or all library materials?

Mr. Low. We intended to deal with all library materials in the separate title XI we are proposing. It is increasingly difficult to define subject areas specifically at all, when we get into the field of books and periodicals. And we feel, because the scientists and others who are training in these fields also are often being trained and taking courses at the same time in the field of the humanities and the social sciences, fields which we think are just as significant as the sciences; basically, we would like to see it applied to the acquisition of all materials.

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