ALAWON v4n49 (May 30, 1995) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v4n49 ****Begin File******************Begin File*******************Begin File**** *************************************************************************** ISSN 1069-7799 ALAWON ALA Washington Office Newsline An electronic publication of the American Library Association Washington Office Volume 4, Number 49 May 30, 1995 In this issue: (214 lines) * LSTA INTRODUCED IN SENATE; WOULD BE ADMINISTERED BY NEW INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES * SENATE BILL WOULD REAUTHORIZE ARTS AND HUMANITIES ENDOWMENTS *************************************************************************** LSTA INTRODUCED IN SENATE; WOULD BE ADMINISTERED BY NEW INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES Bipartisan leaders of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over library programs have introduced a bill that includes the full (non-block grant version) of the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) as recommended by ALA and other library organizations. S. 856 would also create a new Institute of Museum and Library Services which would administer LSTA, thus taking library programs (except for the ESEA School Library Media Resources Program) out of the Department of Education. The 185-page S. 856 was introduced on May 25 by Senators Jim Jeffords (R- VT), Chairman of the Education, Arts and Humanities Subcommittee, Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), Chair of the parent Labor and Human Resources Committee, ranking minority member Edward Kennedy (D-MA), ranking subcommittee minority member Claiborne Pell (D-RI), Alan Simpson (R-WY), and Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The bill is a package that would amend the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 to reauthorize the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and to reauthorize museum grants and library programs. Libraries and museums would be addressed by reconstituting the Institute of Museum Services and federal library programs in a new combined Institute of Museum and Library Services as an independent agency within the overall Foundation. Senator Jeffords, in his introductory statement, said: "We have consolidated the Institute for Museum Services with the Library Services Act and changed the focus of the latter to technology and access and literacy programs for underserved communities." Speaking to the potential for joint library/museum projects, Jeffords continued: "More than simply a connection is the potential for invaluable collaboration and partnership especially in the areas of technology and access." Title II of S. 856, the Museum and Library Services Act, would establish an Institute of Museum and Library Services, headed by a Director appointed by the President for a 4-year term. The Director of IMS as of the date of enactment would become the first Director. The second director must have special competencies in library and information services, and directors would then rotate every four years between museum and library backgrounds. The Institute would establish an Office of Library Services headed by a deputy director appointed by the director, and a similar Office of Museum Services. A National Museum Services Board, similar to the current IMS advisory board, would advice the director on general policies relating to museum services. Advice to the director relating to library services would be provided by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, which otherwise remains a separate and distinct entity with independent advisory powers. The Institute director would replace the Librarian of Congress as an NCLIS member, and the number of librarians required on NCLIS would be increased from 5 to 6. The Library Services and Technology Act would be incorporated fully with its emphasis on information access through technology, and information empowerment through special services, with a special provision earmarking funds for service to children in poverty. Increased flexibility would be provided to the state library administrative agencies to provide statewide services and subgrants to public libraries, other types of libraries and library consortia, or library linkages with other entities. Certain provisions are new, more specific, or relate to the LSTA placement in the new Institute rather than in the Department of Education. A total of $150 million (compared with current library program funding of $142 million) would be authorized in FY96--$75 million for technology, $75 million for special services. Such sums as necessary would be authorized for the following 4 years. From 5-7 percent of appropriations for LSTA and for museum grants ($50 million authorization) would be used for joint library/museum projects. Of appropriations for LSTA, 10 percent would be used for federal administration of the program; and 2 percent for services to Indian tribes (as proposed in LSTA). Another 8 percent of LSTA appropriations would be used for a national leadership program in library science. Activities undertaken through competitive grants or contracts may include: 1. education and training of persons in library and information science, particularly in areas of new technology and other critical needs, including graduate fellowships, traineeships, institutes, or other programs; 2. research and demonstration projects related to the improvement of libraries, education in library and information science, enhancement of library services through effective and efficient use of new technologies, and dissemination of information derived from such projects; and 3. preservation or digitization of library materials and resources, giving priority to projects emphasizing coordination, avoidance of duplication, and access by researchers beyond the institution or library entity undertaking the project. The national leadership program is an abbreviated version of some uses of funds under the current Higher Education Act title II library programs. Both HEA II and the current Library Services and Construction Act would be repealed and replaced by the new act. The Institute director is to give strong consideration to individuals with experience in administering state- based library programs, and is to make every effort to ensure that national leadership activities are administered by appropriate library experts. According to majority and minority staff of the Senate committee and subcommittee, the thinking is that it is time that someone administering library programs was able to speak directly to Congress about libraries. Currently, libraries are nearly invisible in a larger bureaucracy, the Department of Education, and Senate champions worry that Administrations of both political parties have neglected or failed to support libraries. Further, there is a recognition that libraries play many roles in support of governmental functions and in support of their communities or constituencies. It may be time for libraries to be viewed as institutions on their own merits, rather than having to fit into the purposes of a mission agency (even one with a mission as central to libraries as education). More pragmatically, the introduction of S. 856 completes a strong message from both House and Senate authorizing committees to the appropriations committees that library programs are to continue, although with considerable change. This is critically important, since many library programs have been on various hit lists, whether the Administration's "reinventing government" elimination list, programs for potential rescission (since fought back), or as nonbinding "assumptions" for elimination (as in the House budget resolution background documents). Since this proposal for a major administrative restructuring of library programs occurred between ALA conferences, the ALA Committee on Legislation and the Administrative Subcommittee of the ALA Executive Board, in conference calls shortly before the introduction of S. 856, empowered the ALA Washington Office to encourage the Senate sponsors in this approach as a productive way to move reauthorization of library programs forward and to ensure continuation of the critical federal role in support of key national library priorities. An upcoming issue of ALAWON will include a more detailed summary and analysis of S. 856. *************************************************************************** SENATE BILL WOULD REAUTHORIZE ARTS AND HUMANITIES ENDOWMENTS S. 856, introduced May 25 by Senators Jim Jeffords (R-VT), Chairman of the Education, Arts and Humanities Subcommittee, Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), Chair of the parent Labor and Human Resources Committee, Edward Kennedy (D-MA), ranking minority member, Claiborne Pell (D-RI), ranking subcommittee minority member, Alan Simpson (R-WY), and Christopher Dodd (D-CT), would reauthorize the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEA and NEH statute would be amended and continued for five years at slightly declining authorization levels. NEA would be authorized for grant programs at $139,700,000 for FY96, declining gradually to $128,870,000 in FY 2000. With donations included, the amount available to NEA could reach a ceiling of $158,760,000, declining over 5 years to $146,440,000. NEH would be authorized for grant programs at $148,330,000 for FY 96, declining gradually to $136,820,000 in FY 2000. With donations included, the amount available to NEH could reach a ceiling of $168,560,000, declining over 5 years to $155,490,000. Both endowments would be limited to 12 percent of appropriations for administrative purposes. Percentages of funds are specified for both endowments among partnership grants, national significance grants, and direct grants. NEA funds would be divided in a 40, 40, and 20 percent fashion among the three; NEH funds would be divided 25, 37.5 and 37.5 percent among the three. For NEH, partnership grants mean programs of humanities councils at the state and local levels. NEH national grants include support for activities relating to education and the public humanities that have a national audience and are of national significance (such as projects in libraries and archives). NEH direct grants encourage research and scholarship in the humanities through activities such as fellowships for faculty and independent scholars, dissertation grants, summer stipends, and funds for scholarly publications, reference materials, basic research, institutional programs, and preservation. *************************************************************************** *************************************************************************** ALAWON (ISSN 1069-7799) is an irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office, 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E., Washington, DC 20002-5675. Internet: alawash@alawash.org; Phone: 202-547-4440; Fax: 202-547-7363. Contributing to this issue: Carol C. Henderson; Editor: Lynne E. Bradley (leb@alawash.org). 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