A new Library budget of $452 million in fiscal 2002 includes $850,000 extra to tackle Law Library arrearages, $249,776 for the Veterans History Project and funds for other special projects. The FY 2002 budget also provides for a total of 4,189 full-time equivalent positions, a net increase of 90 staff members from the FY 2001 budget.
On Nov. 12, President Bush signed the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act (PL 107-68), which included a net Library appropriation of $452 million, plus authority to spend an additional $34.7 million in offsetting receipts (these two items together equal the total budget amount of $486.8 million).
The $452 million net appropriation, which a congressional conference committee recommended in a report filed on Oct. 30, exceeded the Library's initial request of $444.3 million by 1.7 percent. The House had recommended a net appropriation of $450 million, and the Senate had recommended $443.2 million. Both houses ratified the conferees' recommendation on Nov. 1.
The Library had operated under four continuing resolutions since the new fiscal year began Oct. 1.
Including the net appropriation and offsetting receipts totaling $486.8 million, the Library has $650.7 million total available in FY 2002. Other revenue sources are revolving funds of $108.1 million; gift and trust funds of $27.8 million; reimbursable programs (such as administrative overhead and Adams Building space for the Office of Compliance) of $6.3 million; and $21.8 million for Library buildings and grounds, which is included in the budget of the Architect of the Capitol.
The Library's net appropriation is 11.7 percent less than the FY 2001 net appropriation of $511.7 million, which included several projects for which expenditures were authorized for limited periods.
Mandatory Increases
Congress approved a total of $19.2 million for mandatory increases, including $9.9 million for a 4.6 percent across-the-board pay raise (cost-of-living adjustment), effective in January 2002, and a $428,000 pay adjustment for the Library Police, to keep their pay at parity with the U.S. Capitol Police.
National Library Programs
For a Library budget category called "National Library," Congress appropriated increases of:
- $1.4 million to improve inventory management and physical controls of the collections;
- $948,596 for a four-year program to shift collections from the Jefferson and Adams buildings to offsite storage at Fort Meade, Md., and $204,731 to annualize operating costs at Fort Meade Module 1;
- $250,000 in new funds for the advisory National Recording Preservation Board, which the 106th Congress authorized as part of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 to support the preservation of historic sound recordings, many of which are at risk from deterioration.
- $249,776 in new funds for the American Folklife Center to hire two additional full-time staffers in support of the Veterans History Project, a nationwide effort authorized by Congress last fall to capture and preserve the stories of some 19 million American war veterans.
- $633,863 additional for the American Folklife Center to hire seven additional full-time staffers for folklife heritage preservation and access;
- $1.7 million for the second of five increments required in the Library's mass deacidification program and $1.6 million to enhance preventive conservation of Library materials;
- $5 million additional for the discretionary purchase of rare and valuable materials for the Library's collections, bringing the Library's total acquisitions budget to $15.8 million; and• $500,000 in new funds that the Library will transfer to an Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to advise the government on ways to honor the 16th U.S. president in 2009 on the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Separate from the Library's appropriation, $8 million was allocated to the Russian Leadership Trust Fund to continue that program, started by the Library, of bringing young Russian leaders to the United States to witness government in action from the local to the federal level.
National Digital Projects
The Library requested an increase of $14.6 million and 58 full-time equivalent positions (FTEs) for its National Digital Library Program, but received $9.6 million and 46 FTEs. The decrease of $5 million reflects the deferment of some proposed projects until fiscal 2003. The fiscal 2002 funding will support the development of a digital repository ($2.7 million), information technology ($5.7 million) and outreach activities ($1.2 million).
Congress provided $7.1 million for a Hands Across America program for the purpose of teaching educators how to incorporate the Library's digital collections into school curricula. Of this amount, $1.5 million will be used for a pilot project to incorporate digital materials into Illinois schools.
Service Unit Support
Law Library: Congress approved a total budget of $9.9 million and 94 FTEs for the Law Library, including a $1.7 million increase (and three additional FTEs) to support arrearage reduction and collections. Half of this increase ($850,000) was added by Congress to the increase requested by the Library for Law Library arrearage reduction.
The House Committee on Legislative Branch Appropriations, in its report (107-169), directed the Library "to make the Law Library arrearage reduction program of unprocessed materials a top priority and to keep the committee informed of the progress to eliminate the arrearage." Noting that the American Bar Association and legal community had been "very vocal in their support for greater funding for the Law Library," the committee also directed the Law Library to explore the possibility of working with the legal community to assist with this project.
The Senate Committee on Legislative Branch Appropriations said in its report (107-37) that it expects Law Library arrearages to be eliminated no later than the end of 2003. Law Librarian Rubens Medina said he expects to clear the arrearage by mid-2003.
The conference committee report includes authorization for the Law Library to spend up to $350,000 in offsetting collections to support the Global Legal Information Network (GLIN) database and related activities.
Congressional Research Service (CRS): Congress appropriated $81.5 million and 739 FTEs for CRS in 2002, which reflects an $8 million increase over the 2001 budget. The increase supports pay raises and other mandatory costs, plus $3.5 million to begin equipping CRS with the leadership and technical staff, skills and tools to assist Congress in understanding the issues affected by technology, as well as to use technology to support Congress.
Copyright Office: Congress authorized the Copyright Office to spend a total $40.9 million, including $27.9 million in receipts, and 530 FTEs. The office's appropriation for FY 2002 is $13 million, representing an increase of $3.9 million from the FY 2001 level. The increase includes $380,000 for business process reengineering plans.
Books for Blind and Physically Handicapped: This budget increased by $1.3 million, to $49.8 million in FY 2002, which supports a total of 128 FTEs.
Furniture and Furnishings
A budget for furniture and furnishings increased by $3 million, to $7.9 million. One big-ticket item was $2.6 million for preservation equipment. The increase also included $264,000 for new workstations needed for the Copyright business-process reengineering initiative.
