ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries March 1984 / 139 W A S H I N G T O N H O T L I N E by Carol G. Henderson Deputy Director ALA Washington Office The first few weeks of the second session of the 98th Congress (which convened January 23) have been filled with library-related activity: Reagan FY 1985 Budget. On February 1, the President submitted his fiscal year 1985 budget to congress. For the third year in a row the Admin- stration recommended zero funding for all Higher Education Act title II library programs and for the Library Services and Construction Act. The grant programs of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission would also be zero funded. The Medical Library Assistance Act would stay the same at $7.5 million. The requested budget for the National Library of Med­ icine (without MLAA) would go up 2 percent; the National Agricultural Library, 12.3 percent; the Library of Congress, 4.8 percent; and the National Commis­ sion on Libraries and Information Science, 2.5 percent. The National Endow­ ment for the Humanities would be cut 10.5 percent. LSCA Reauthorization. On January 31, the day before the zeroes in the budget for libraries were unveiled, the House resoundingly approved an exten­ sion through FY 1988 of the Library Services and Construction Act by a vote of 357-39. The Senate has not yet acted on LSCA reauthorization. HR 2878, the House-passed bill, would continue public library services, library con­ struction, and interlibrary cooperation, and add new titles for library services for Indian tribes, foreign language materials, and library literacy programs. HEA Reauthorization. In December, House Postsecondary Education Sub­ committee Chairman Paul Simon (D-IL) outlined to the higher education commun­ ity an extensive revision of the Higher Education Act. The revision included moving the II-C research library program into title VII with construction of academic facilities, and the combining of general assistance to developing institutions with title II college library and library training and research assistance. Discussion at ALA Midwinter indicated substantial problems with the potential loss of title II as the focus of federal aid to college and research libraries and library education and research. Meanwhile, Rep. Simon withdrew his proposal for further revision. The latest draft, dated January 19, restores HEA title II to its current role of strengthening library resources. Title II in the revised proposal would include part A, college library grants, but targeted to needy institutions, part B training and research with more emphasis on technologies and strengthening minority education programs, and part C research library grants. No nonlibrary programs would be included in title II. The unfunded national periodical system (the current part D) would be eliminated, although $1 million for foreign language periodicals would be authorized under title VI, international education. Library Telecommunications Amendment. Senate telephone legislation S. 1660, was tabled on a procedural vote of 44-40 on January 26. This action killed for the time being a library amendment developed by Sen. Larry Pressler (R-SD), which would have been offered as part of a commerce committee sub­ stitute to S. 1660. Under the amendment the FCC could not impose new charges on entities providing not-for-profit bibliographic services unless the Com­ mission made a finding that such entities had adequate telecommunications facilities at reasonable charges. The amendment would have required the FCC to initiate a proceeding which in itself could have delayed new charges on 140 / C & RL New s (Washington Hotline, cont’d ) libraries. Sen. Pressler defined "entities providing not-for-profit biblio­ graphic services" as library services provided by public, academic, school, and medical libraries and cooperative library networks as defined by several federal statutes. Although the Senate did not get a chance to consider the amendment, it services to focus congressional attention on library uses of telecommunica­ tions and the increased costs libraries face from access charges and pending tariffs. Sen. Pressler intends to pursue the issue on another vehicle, if possible. • PEOPLE • PROFILES Joyce N. Davis has been nam ed assistant direc­ tor for autom ated systems and technical services at O klahom a State U niversity’s Edm on Low L ibrary, S ti llw a te r . She also holds the rank of assis­ t a n t p ro fe s so r in th e OSU L ibrary. D a v is re c e iv e d a b a c h e lo r’s degree from W illiam Jewel College, an MLS from th e U ni­ versity of N o rth C a ro ­ lin a, an d a m a ste r’s in divinity from D uke U ni­ versity. She served from 1981 to 1983 as assistant city lib rarian in Bridgeport, Joyce N. Davis C o n n ecticu t, an d from 1977 to 1981 as m anager for library systems sup­ p o rt services w ith C incinnati Electronics C o rp o ra­ tion. O ther experience includes four years as associ­ a te d ir e c to r fo r te c h n ic a l serv ices w ith th e Stam ford (Conn.) Public L ibrary, tw o years as as­ sistant head of the C atalog D ep artm en t at the U ni­ versity of N otre D am e, and three years as head cat- aloger w ith the C onnecticut State Library. Davis recently served as consultant to O C L C on the developm ent of autom ated circulation systems and to C incinnati Electronics w here she com pleted a study of corporations w hich convert library card catalogs to online systems. Melvin R. George has been appointed director of libraries at Oregon State University, Corvallis, effective April 1. C urrently he is university lib ra r­ ia n a n d d ir e c to r of le a r n in g serv ices a t N o r th e a s te r n Illin o is U n iv e rs ity , C h ic a g o . P r io r to c o m in g to N ortheastern in 1974, he was college lib rarian at E lm h u rst College, Illi­ nois. G e o rg e re c e iv e d a P h.D . in education from th e U n iv ersity of C h i­ cag o in 1979 a n d his MLS from th e U niver­ sity of M in n e s o ta in M elvin R. George 1956. H e also holds a bachelor’s degree from St Cloud State University. His P h.D . dissertation is a com prehensive history of N ortheastern Illinois University. A ctive in A C R L , G eo rg e has serv ed on th e B udget and F in an ce C o m m ittee and cu rre n tly serves on the Task Force on L ibrary Statistics and the Steering C om m ittee of the University Libraries Section. He chaired the Choice E ditorial Board in 1975-78. George was president of the Illinois L ib rary As­ sociation in 1976-77 and chair of the Illinois Asso­ ciation of College and Research L ibraries in 1973. He has also been a m em ber of the Board of D irec­ tors of the Illinois Regional L ibrary Council, chair of the L ib rary Advisory C om m ittee to the Illinois Board of H igher E ducation, and since 1979 has served as a m em ber of the IL L IN E T O C L C Steer­ ing C om m ittee. He is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences, has been consultant on num erous library building