ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


185

W A S H I N G T O N  H O T L I N E by Carol C. Henderson 
Deputy Director 

ALA Washington Office

Interlibrary Cooperation. Despite a lawsuit involving ten states and two 
dverse General Accounting Office opinions, the Reagan Administration is con­
inuing to impound $20 million in Library Services and Construction Act funds 
rovided by Congress for FY 1982. The lawsuit seeks a court order compelling 
he Administration to distribute the full amount to the states. Prepared by 
he New York Attorney General's office and filed in Federal District Court in 
ashington, D.C., on March 5, the suit has been joined by Alabama, California, 
onnecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

Congress provided $71.5 million for LSCA (including $11.5 million for 
SCA III interlibrary cooperation)‚ but funds are being released at a lower 
ate of $51.8 million. The Administration has asked Congress to rescind or 
unappropriate” the difference. Congress had 45 working days, or until April 
2, to agree to the rescission, but showed no indication of doing so. Mean­
hile, the General Accounting Office twice ruled the withholding of LSCA funds 
llegal impoundment, and said the Administration had no authority to request 
escissions on mandatory spending programs such as LSCA. If the funds are not 
eleased after April 22, the states will undoubtedly press their suit.

The impetus of the 1979 White House Conference on Library and Information 
ervices caused the Carter Administration to request an increase in LSCA III 
nterlibrary cooperation from $5 to $12 million, to which Congress agreed.
he funds have provided for resource sharing among different types of libraries 
nd have upgraded telecommunications linkages among libraries. Academic li­
raries have benefitted substantially. The Reagan Administration has proposed 
limination of LSCA in FY 1983. Informal surveys of the states by the ALA 
ashington Office indicate that much cooperation across local and state boun­
aries would disappear without the support for administration and equipment 
rovided by LSCA III.

Tax Deduction for Art and Manuscript Donations. Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) 
ntroduced on March 17 a revised bill (S.2225) to restore a full fair market 
alue tax deduction for donations of literary, musical, or artistic composi­
ions by their creators to charitable institutions such as libraries. Since 
he 1969 Tax Reform Act which removed the deduction, donations of contemporary 
iterary and musical manuscripts to academic and research libraries have de­
lined markedly.

If there appears to be support among Senate Finance Committee members‚
en. Baucus may offer his bill as an amendment in committee to an as yet 
nnamed and unnumbered tax measure. Librarians and researchers who are con­
tituents of Senate Finance Committee members are urged to contact them to ask 
heir support of Sen. Baucus’ bill. The text of S.2225 along with an intro­
uctory statement was published in the March 17 Congressional Record, pp. 
2307-8 (daily edition). Cosponsors of S.2225, Sens. Daniel Moynihan (D- 
.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Robert Kasten (R-Wisc.), Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), 
nd Steven Symms (R-Id.), along with Sen. Baucus, should be thanked by their 
onstituents.

**** ERRATUM ****
The correct phone number for the Foundation for Books to China is: (415) 

65-0664. C&RL News‚ April 1982, p.118, listed the area code incorrectly.

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