[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 153 (Wednesday, November 5, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11783-S11785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

           100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE THOMAS JEFFERSON BUILDING

 Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, today marks the 100th anniversary 
of the Thomas Jefferson Building, the crown jewel of the buildings 
occupied by the Library of Congress. As vice chairman of the Joint 
Committee on the Library, it is my privilege to mark this important 
day.
  The Library of Congress occupies a unique place in American history, 
and in the vast flow of information that crosses the globe and drives 
America's economic well-being. The Library is Congress' legislative 
library, our major research arm, and a national library as well as 
cultural institution. Congress has nurtured this Library from its 
creation in Philadelphia, through the legislature's move to the new 
capital city of Washington, through the 1814 British invasion of 
Washington that burned the Capitol and the Library of Congress, and 
through our purchase of Thomas Jefferson's own extensive library to 
recommence the Library of Congress as a universal collection of 
knowledge.
  By the 1870's, the Library of Congress collections had grown to more 
than 300,000 volumes and had already outgrown the space in the Capitol 
that it had occupied since its move to Washington. It was the foresight 
of Ainsworth Rand Spofford, the sixth Librarian of Congress, that 
helped transform the Library of Congress into an institution of 
national stature, and eventually lead to the building of the Thomas 
Jefferson building we celebrate today.
  Spofford recognized the importance of copyright deposit as a means to 
ensure the continued development of the Library's collections. After 
the 1870 revision of the copyright law, two copies of every book, 
pamphlet, map, print, photograph, and piece of music registered for 
copyright was to be deposited with the Library of Congress. The 
copyright law today continues to fuel the Library's special 
collections, including film, television, digital materials, and 
computer software.
  The growth of the collections through copyright deposit created the 
need for a new building for the Library of Congress. The building, 
later named for Thomas Jefferson, was authorized in 1886 and completed 
in 1897, on time and under budget and was immediately hailed as a 
national monument--an imposing structure of the Italian Renaissance 
style. Every Member of Congress has had the opportunity to visit the 
magnificently restored Jefferson Building and admire the extraordinary 
beauty and grandeur of the Great Hall, the Main Reading Room, and the 
Members' Room.
  It is not a simple matter to authorize a new Federal building, let 
alone a building to be constructed immediately adjacent to the Capitol. 
Librarian of congress Spofford had two staunch allies: Senator Daniel 
W. Voorhees of Indiana and Senator Justin S. Morrill of Vermont. Today, 
Senator Morrill's efforts will be recognized. A plaque honoring his 
commitment to the Library and construction of the Jefferson Building 
will be unveiled by our current Librarian of Congress, James 
Billington, and the Vermont congressional delegation. The Morrill 
plaque will flank that recognizing Senator Voorhees so that each 
Senator might be honored by all who enter the Great Hall for their 
dedication to and vision for Congress' Library.
  This evening, on behalf of the Joint Committee on the Library, I will 
join the joint committee chairman, Representative Bill Thomas, 
Librarian James Billington, and Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman 
to light for the very first time the restored Torch of Learning that 
crowns the Thomas Jefferson Building. The Main Reading Room is the 
heart of the Thomas Jefferson Building. It is covered by a beautiful 
dome, the exterior of which is covered by a great blazing torch and 
flame, marking the center and apex of the Jefferson Building. This 
torch and flame are symbolic of the learning and knowledge in the 
Library of Congress. From now on, the glowing Torch of Learning will 
light the skyline over the Capitol, a worthy companion to the lighted 
dome of the Capitol.
  I thank, on behalf of my colleagues on the joint committee, the 
Office of the Architect of the Capitol which has overseen the 
restoration of the Jefferson Building we celebrate today. As the 
Library of Congress moves toward its Bicentennial in the year 2000, 
Congress will continue to reap the benefits of the Library's 
incomparable collections. In particular, our constituents will benefit 
from Librarian James Billington's efforts to extend the Library's 
unique special collections and service nationwide through the Internet.
  One hundred years ago, the Congress supported the vision of Ainsworth 
Rand Spofford and provided the means for the collections to grow and to 
be housed in a building described as the most beautiful in America. As 
the Library of Congress approaches the 21st century, it needs and 
deserves the continued support of Congress as our nation's strategic 
information reserve.
  I ask that a summary of the Library's operations, to date this year, 
be printed in the Record.
  The material follows:


                                        Librarian of Congress,

                                 Washington, DC, October 24, 1997.
     Hon. Ted Stevens,
     Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,
     U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: It will be some months before the 
     Library's Annual Report for FY97 is completed and delivered 
     to you. I wanted to take the beginning of a new fiscal year 
     as an occasion to provide you with a summary of the Library's 
     operations. I believe that it is important for you, as a 
     Member of Congress charged with oversight of the Library, to 
     understand the Library's management goals and our progress 
     toward them.


                               management

       General Donald Scott has just marked his first anniversary 
     as Deputy Librarian, the Library's Chief Operating Officer. 
     Don's capable handling of the Library's day-to-day operations 
     has enabled me to focus on policy concerns, planning for the 
     Library's Bicentennial (see below), and completing the 
     necessary private-sector fundraising to meet our goal of $45 
     million for the National Digital Library (NDL).
       To date, we have $30 million in gifts and pledges. The NDL 
     site continues to be one of the most recognized content sites 
     on the Internet. THOMAS, the American Memory collections, and 
     the Learning Page are used by millions of citizens, 
     legislators, teachers, parents, and students each month.
       The National Science Foundation will shortly announce a 
     second round of Digital Library research grants. The Library 
     of

[[Page S11784]]

     Congress's NDL and the National Library of Medicine have been 
     invited to participate as user test-bed sites for possible 
     cutting-edge research applications. A recent example may help 
     suggest to you the importance of this invitation from NSF. 
     Compression software, originally developed at the Los Alamos 
     Lab and only recently made available for non-defense 
     applications, was given as a gift to the Library. for the 
     first time, the Library was able to digitize items from our 
     enormous map collections for the NDL. This compression 
     software made it possible to display and search maps for the 
     first time. We hope that other research breakthroughs will 
     help the Library offer even more diverse collections through 
     the NDL.
       Under the leadership of Chief of Staff, Jo Ann Jenkins, the 
     Library has updated its strategic plan through 2004. We have 
     also established a Directorate for planning, Management and 
     Evaluation (PMED), headed by Thomas Bryant.
       Finally, the Library's second external audit of its 
     financial operations received a clean option from KPMG. This 
     is an outstanding achievement, in only the second audit 
     cycle, for any government agency.


                                security

       In February 1997, the Library hired Kenneth Lopez as its 
     Director of Security. Working under Ken with a team of 
     security professionals, curators, and senior librarians, we 
     have completed the Library's Security Plan, and I have 
     forwarded it to the Library's oversight committees for their 
     review. The Library's external audit process calls for an 
     annual review of the Library's care and control of its 
     ``heritage assets''--the 112 million items in the Library's 
     collections. The audit will, therefore, provide an annual 
     update on the Library's overall security of its collections.


                              bicentennial

       As you well know, the Library will celebrate its 
     bicentenary--along with the bicentenary of the Congress' move 
     to Washington--in the year 2000. On October 6th, the Library 
     announced its theme, goals, and overall plans and launched a 
     website for its Bicentennial (http:/www.loc.gov/
 bicentennial). A copy of our announcement is enclosed with 
     this letter.
       Prior to our public announcement, I wrote to Members of 
     Congress to invite their participation and that of their 
     constituents--particularly libraries--in our plans. I am 
     pleased that we have received over 100 responses to date.
       On October 7, the Madison Council, the Library's private-
     sector advisory fundraising group, hosted a gala to launch 
     the Bicentennial and to raise funds for its implementation. 
     The evening, a celebration of Creative America, highlighted 
     the Library's enormously rich music and manuscript 
     collections and raised $800,000 to support Bicentennial 
     programs, bringing the total commitment to date from the 
     Madison Council to $1.5 million. Thanks are due to John 
     Kluge, chair of the Madison Council, and to the gala co-
     chairs, Buffy Cafritz of Washington, D.C., and Alyne Massey 
     of Nashville, Tennessee.


                           legislative update

       We are deeply grateful that the Library's FY98 budget was 
     very generously supported by the Congress. In particular, 
     funding for our top priority, an Integrated Library System 
     (ILS), and for the cost of our mandatory pay raises will make 
     an enormous difference in the Library's ability to continue 
     to secure its collection and provide the highest quality 
     service to the Congress and to the nation.
       The American Folklife Center requires reauthorization. 
     Consistent with the Board's wishes, and with my wholehearted 
     support, we have transmitted the formal request for permanent 
     authorization for the Center to the Library's oversight 
     committees.
       Particularly as the Library approaches its own Bicentenary, 
     it is essential that this important collection and its 
     curators have assurance of their place in the Library. The 
     collection itself dates from the 1890's The Center was 
     created during the Bicentenary of the American Revolution in 
     1976 as a powerful tool to ensure the place of folklore and 
     local history and customs in our national consciousness. The 
     rich ethnic and regional materials in the Center's Archive 
     comprise the nation's largest and most varied folklore 
     collection--filled with the type of material that is 
     providing of special value for local schools and libraries 
     throughout America on the National Digital Library.
       The Library is beginning the new fiscal year with strategic 
     goals, sound financial management, significant new staffing, 
     and enormous external and internal enthusiasm and interest in 
     our Bicentenary. I trust that I can count on your continued 
     interest and support. Please feel free to follow up on any 
     topic I have raised. We would be pleased to come brief you 
     further at any time.
           Sincerely,
                                              James H. Billington,
                                        The Librarian of Congress.
       Enclosure.

              Library of Congress--Bicentennial 1800-2000

                     Libraries, Creativity, Liberty

       In a press conference on October 6, 1997, the Librarian of 
     Congress James H. Billington presented preliminary plans for 
     the commemoration of the Library's Bicentennial in the year 
     2000. ``From its earliest days, the Library of Congress has 
     supported the work of libraries everywhere in the spirit of 
     James Madison, who eloquently said that he could not imagine 
     anything more essential for our new republic than `liberty 
     and learning, each leaning on each other for their mutual and 
     surest support' . . . `knowledge will forever govern 
     ignorance and a people who mean to be their own governors 
     must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.' We 
     believe that the link between learning and liberty is one of 
     our most basic civic truths. It is our responsibility as the 
     largest library to ensure that the tools of learning are 
     universally accessible.''


                 goal of the bicentennial commemoration

       The goal of the Bicentennial commemoration is ``To inspire 
     creativity in the century ahead by stimulating greater use of 
     libraries and other avenues of learning everywhere.''
       The Bicentennial goal will be achieved through a variety of 
     national, state, and local projects, developed in 
     collaboration with the offices of the Members of Congress, 
     the Library's staff, and special advisory committees.


                      bicentennial logo and theme

       The logo for the Bicentennial commemoration features the 
     interior dome of the Library's famous Main Reading Room and 
     the theme ``Libraries, Creativity, Liberty.'' The unseen 
     painting within the circle in the dome's ``eye'' is the image 
     of a woman representing ``Human Understanding.'' In the 
     painting, ``Human Understanding'' is lifting her veil and 
     looking upward toward the future. This logo and theme 
     symbolize what the Bicentennial Commemoration is about: 
     stimulating creativity and ensuring a free society through 
     greater use of libraries everywhere. The Library of Congress 
     looks forward in the months ahead to developing ways for 
     other libraries to share in the use of this logo.


                           bicentennial plans

       Libraries of all kinds and sizes are invited to participate 
     in the Bicentennial Commemoration of the Library of Congress, 
     which will celebrate the creative use of knowledge as a 
     function of democracy. At the October 6 press conference, 
     John Y. Cole, the Library's Bicentennial project director and 
     director of the Center for the Book, said ``Libraries are 
     important educational institutions and a natural link between 
     learning and liberty; this is their celebration too.'' Core 
     Bicentennial endeavors include ``Gifts to the Nation,'' 
     ``Frontiers of Knowledge,'' ``Local Legacies'' and ``Favorite 
     Poems.''

                          Gifts to the Nation

       The ``Gifts to the Nation'' program is a reciprocal 
     endeavor. It will include activities such as significant 
     acquisitions for the Library's collections; the Library's 
     commissioning of creative works of music, drama, art and 
     literature; and the Library's effort, through its National 
     Digital Library Program, of making available electronically 
     millions of items from its American historical collections by 
     the end of the year 2000. The idea of Bicentennial ``Gifts to 
     the Nation'' continues the Library's proud tradition of 
     helping local libraries through donating surplus books and by 
     providing cataloging information, services which save 
     libraries millions of dollars each year.

                         Frontiers of Knowledge

       Drawing on the remarkable comprehensiveness and diversity 
     of the Library's collections, the ``Frontiers of Knowledge'' 
     program will present a series of lectures and symposia 
     exploring ideas that shape our lives, especially as we look 
     to the next century. At the June 1999 conference, ``The 
     Frontiers for the Mind in the 21st Century,'' distinguished 
     scholars will summarize significant developments in 
     approximately 20 fields in the past century and look ahead to 
     challenges in the year 2000 and beyond. Interaction between 
     the scholars and young people, the latter representing every 
     Congressional District in the nation, will be an important 
     focus of the conference. Fields of inquiry will include: 
     demography, immunology/epidemiology, economics, political 
     philosophy/law, semiotics, neuroscience, molecular evolution 
     and historical genetics, cosmology, earth and ocean science, 
     ecology, biochemistry, physics/computer science, religion/
     theology, history as narrative, humanities, literature, 
     ethnomusicology, philosophy, and cultural psychology.

                             Local Legacies

       ``Local Legacies'' will build upon local projects now 
     underway nationally in partnership with Library of Congress 
     offices such as the American Folklife Center and the Center 
     for the Book to highlight the richness of America's heritage 
     at the end of the century and the millennium. These include 
     Montana Heritage, Rivers of America, Literary Maps of 
     America, and Building a Nation of Readers. The Montana 
     Heritage project, funded by the Liz Claiborne and Art 
     Ortenberg Foundation, fosters projects in local schools 
     teaching students how to research and document local cultural 
     heritage. The Rivers of America project examines and 
     celebrates the historical, literary, and environmental 
     heritage of America's rivers. It encourages high school 
     students, such as those taking part in the Montana Heritage 
     project, to focus their field research on a local river, 
     particularly the history of the community in relation to that 
     river. Documentary reports and histories for the collections 
     of local institutions are one product. The Literary Map 
     project encourages learning about local geography and 
     literature--simultaneously. Literary maps depict a state or 
     region's literary heritage, usually through colorful, well-
     illustrated maps that show where authors live or were born or 
     where novels or well-known books

[[Page S11785]]

     were written. Since 1992, more than 20 such maps have been 
     created and added to the collections of the Library of 
     Congress. To remind Americans of the importance of reading to 
     individuals and to the nation, the Center for the Book of the 
     Library of Congress has chosen Building a Nation of Readers 
     for the Library of Congress's national reading promotion 
     campaign for the years 1997-2000. The Library also wants to 
     identify local historical collections that should be linked 
     with the National Digital Library.

                             Favorite Poems

       Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky will take the lead in the 
     ``favorite poem'' project, which will feature approximately 
     100 Americans from all walks of life choosing and reading 
     aloud a favorite poem. The resulting audio and video 
     archives, in Mr. Pinsky's words, will be ``a record, at the 
     end of the century, of what we choose, and what we do with 
     our voices and faces, when asked to say aloud a poem that we 
     love.''

                      Commemorative Coin and Stamp

       Legislation has been introduced for a Bicentennial 
     commemorative coin. The Library of Congress is also exploring 
     a Bicentennial commemorative stamp series, based on its 
     unparalleled collections, to be issued in the year 2000.

                       Bicentennial Publications

       Between the fall of 1997 and the year 2000, the Library of 
     Congress will produce several major publications as part of 
     fulfilling its Bicentennial goal of stimulating creativity 
     and wisdom through greater understanding of the Library and 
     its remarkable collections. Highlights of the Bicentennial 
     publishing program include:


                                  1997

       Eyes of the Nation: A Visual History of the United States

       A pictorial and narrative history published by Alfred A. 
     Knopf, Eyes of the Nation contains more than 500 full-color 
     and duotone illustrations from the Library's collections. The 
     book marks the centennial of four of the Library's major 
     collection divisions: Prints and Photographs, Manuscript, 
     Music and Geography and Map. An Eyes of the Nation CD-ROM is 
     also available.

    The Library of Congress: The Art and Architecture of the Thomas 
                           Jefferson Building

       Published by W. W. Norton, The Art and Architecture of the 
     Thomas Jefferson Building features essays and 280 
     illustrations, 185 of them in color, depicting the 
     architecture and decorative elements in this magnificent 
     building. The book commemorates the centennial of the 
     building's opening.


                                  1998

              The Jefferson Building: A Guide for Visitors

       This publication will provide visitors a compact, but fully 
     illustrated book.


                                  1999

            The Library of Congress: A Bicentennial History

       Published by Yale University Press, the volume will be a 
     well-illustrated popular history and interpretation of the 
     Library's 200 years of service to Congress and the nation.

                Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress

       The illustrated, one-volume reference work will contain 12 
     topical essays and approximately 150 brief entries about the 
     Library and its activities.


                                  2000

          The Library of Congress in American Life, 1800-2000

       The Library of Congress in American Life will be a four-
     volume documentary set, featuring the Library's chronology, 
     biographies of the Librarians of Congress, documents and 
     resources for the study of the Library, and current scholarly 
     research about the Library and its role in American life.


             virtual tour of the thomas jefferson building

       A Virtual Tour of the Thomas Jefferson Building, with 
     photographs and moving panoramas of the splendid public 
     spaces and other rooms of this historic building, is 
     currently being prepared for the Library's World Wide Web 
     site.


             other bicentennial projects under development

       Among other Bicentennial projects in the early planning 
     stages are major exhibitions, Jefferson Knowledge, and 
     Democratic and America at Play, and national television 
     programming.

             Jefferson, Knowledge, and Democracy Exhibition

       This major exhibition is being planned for April-October 
     2000 and will use Jefferson's personal books that he sold to 
     the Congress in 1815, his personal papers, his architectural 
     drawings, his personal artifacts (such as his original 
     ``reading machine,'' a revolving reading stand which he 
     designed) to examine his ideas. A secondary theme will be how 
     these ideas--in architecture, the arts, law, science, 
     politics, music, geography, agriculture, and other subjects-
     have influenced America and the world.
       Jefferson's idea on the relationship between knowledge and 
     democracy are as vital today as when he first enunciated 
     them. This is clearly evident in the intense debate on those 
     ideas among contemporary Jeffersonian scholars, which will be 
     explored in the exhibition. Jefferson's coupling of knowledge 
     and freedom also are at the root of the current impassioned 
     demand for an information ``superhighway'' whereby knowledge 
     can be speedily and universally disseminated.
       The exhibition will be the centerpiece for a series of 
     events and multi-media projects that will help make 
     Jefferson's ideas (and the Jefferson-Library of Congress 
     connection) understandable to a wide audience. Interpretive 
     brochures, a catalog, educational materials, a summer 
     institute for teachers, a concert of music in Jefferson's 
     time, films, and various videos will enhance the exhibition.

                       America at Play Exhibition

       America at Play is the second exhibition to celebrate the 
     Library's 200th anniversary; through it visitors can see and 
     enjoy how Americans have amused themselves over the past two 
     centuries. Drawing on the Library of Congress's extensive and 
     unique collections, the exhibitions will take its cue from 
     prints, photographs, maps, travel literature, recorded audio 
     and visual materials, manuscripts, and books to cover topics 
     such as the exploration of the west and the rise of tourism; 
     the development of recreational areas in the country; the 
     growth of spectator and recreational sports; the importance 
     of recorded music and film classics; and the golden age of 
     television.
       To link these separate elements, the exhibition will select 
     from its unparalleled collection of political cartoons and 
     drawings and the writings of American humorists. These visual 
     commentaries will further illustrate and put into context the 
     ``amusements'' covered. The exhibition, on display from the 
     Fall of 2000, will be accompanied by a catalog, and 
     educational and outreach programs, including a series of 
     musical comedy and film presentation and live performances.


                     proposed bicentennial projects

       A variety of Bicentennial projects have been proposed, 
     including local newspaper surveys to identify the most 
     influential book and film of the century, an international 
     conference on comparative constitutional law, a Library-
     related photography contest with an exhibition of winning 
     photographs traveling around the country, a conference about 
     national libraries at the Library of Congress, and the joint 
     celebration of National Library Week and the Library's 
     Bicentennial in April of 2000.


                      support for the bicentennial

       The Bicentennial projects will be privately funded, with 
     substantial support from the James Madison Council. The 
     Madison Council will established in 1990 to help the Library 
     share its unique resources with the nation and the world.


              look for updates to the bicentenial program

       The Library of Congress Bicentennial home page will be 
     changed as the program develops. Check in at this address--
     http://www.loc.gov/bicentennial/_for the latest information 
     on Bicentennial activities and events.

                          ____________________