91st Congress, 2d Ses~ion House Document No. 91-316

SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF

THE U.S. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND

CULTURAL AFFAIRS

COMMUNICATION

FROM

THE CHAIRMAN, THE U.S. ADVISORY

COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL

EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

TRANSMITTING

THE SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSION,PURSUANT TO THE PROVISIONS OF PUBLIC LAW 87-256

APRIL 21, 1970.-Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairsand ordered to be printed

37-011 0

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 1970

91st Congress, 2d Session House Document No. 91-316

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

THE U.S. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS,

Washington, D.C., April 17,1970.Hon. JOHN W. MCCORMACK,

Speaker of the House of Representatives,Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. SPEAKER: In accordance with section 107 of PublicLaw 87-256, I submit herewith the Seventh Annual Report of theAdvisory Commission.

Sincerely yours,HOMER D. BABBIDGE, JR., Chairan.

A MULTITUDE OF COUNSELORS

"Where no counsel is, the people fall;but in the multitude of counselorsthere is safety."

- Proverbs, 11:14

SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORTOF THE

UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSIONON INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

Washington, D.C.March 1970

THE UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS

HOMER D. BABBIDGE, Chairman

President, University of Connecticut

ABRAM LEON SACHAR, Vice Chairman

Chancellor, Brandeis University

DAVID R. DERGEExecutive Vice Presidentand Dean for AdministrationIndiana University

MRS. JEWEL LAFONTANTSenior PartnerStradford, Lafontant, Gibson, Fisher

and Cousins

WAYLAND P. MOODYPresident, San Antonio College

ARNOLD M. PICKERChairman, Executive CommitteeUnited Artists Corporation

THOMAS E. ROBINSONChairman Department of Secondary EducationRider College

WILLIAM C. TURNERPresidentWestern Management Consultants, Inc.

James A. Donovan, jr.Director, Advisory Commission Staff

Washington, D.C. 20520

A MULTITUDE OF COUNSELORS

Seventh Annual Reportof the U.S. Advisory Commission

on International Educational and Cultural Affairs

One who surveys international educational and cultural

exchange programs cannot but be struck by their enormous

variety; and as he comes upon the widely differing

activities with their diverse goals, he feels as if he

were peering into a kaleidoscope -- so ever-changing are

the patterns he sees. During the past year the Advisory

Commission has itself looked at many of these programs

from many points of view and with many counselors bothinside and outside the Government. In this our Seventh

Annual Report we wish to state some of our findings and

conclusions.

In May of 1969 the Commission met with representatives of

various outside organizations and other Government ad-

visory groups to discuss the whole range of the Government's

educational and cultural exchange programs, how these are

related to programs of information and propaganda, and a

number of other pertinent questions with which we have

concerned ourselves. There were present at this meeting

representatives from the National Association for Foreign

Student Affairs (NAFSA), the National Council for

Community Services to International Visitors (COSERV),

the Commission on International Education of the American

Council on Education, the National Review Board of the

East-West Center in Honolulu, the Government Advisory

Committee on International Book and Library Programs,

the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information, the Board of

Foreign Scholarships, the Committee on Youth in the office

of the Under Secretary of State, and this Advisory Com-

mission itself. Also present at this meeting was John

Richardson, Jr., the newly designated Assistant Secretari

of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, whose

appointment at that time had not yet been confirmed by

the Senate.

2

Then on September 12, 1969, the Advisory Commission heldanother meeting, this one witli the full Board of ForeignScholarships and the Commission on Intqrnational Educationof the American Council on Education.-1 Again, ourobjective in holding these joint meetings was perfectlysimple: to get the best possible advice and guidance fromthe three groups concerning the whole range of inter-national educational and cultural affairs, both publicand private. We had written a strong and critical SixthAnnual Report, making a number of significant recommenda-tions, one of which was that all possible effort be madeto remove international educational and cultural programsfrom the Department of State and to combine these withcertain educational and cultural portions of the U.S.Information Agency programs and with the programs of theInstitute of International Studies in the Department ofHealth, Education, and Welfare. Obviously, we hadoffered such recommendations for the most serious con-sideration of the new Administration, which was one dayold when we submitted the report to the Congress and tothe President and the Secretary of State.

We are pleased to note that in our joint meetings therewas thoughtful deliberation of the variety of ways inwhich these programs might be arranged. There werediscussions, for example, of moving all of the USIA backto the Department of State; of creating a quasi-publiccorporation, perhaps along the lines of the SmithsonianInstitution or the National Academy of Sciences; and ofsimply removing the cultural affairs officers from thedirect control of the U.S. Information Service overseasand creating a career service for these persons withinthe Department of State and/or the Foreign Service.

During the course of the summer and early fall, afterMr. Richardson's confirmation and at subsequent meetingswith him, we were pleased to note that both the AssistantSecretary and Secretary of State Rogers obviously in-tended to give more personal attention to theDepartment's international education and cultural

/ A list of participants is included in appendix A.

programs and to.sdek'fr. them as-muc-h- financial sx3p'pbir

as they thought Congress would permit. Further, it was-the view of the Secretary that these programs could best

be administered within the Department of State.

One manifestation of the increased support within the

Department, the lack of which we had deplored in previous

reports, is seen in the fiscal year 1971 budget requestwhich is now before the Congress, asking that funds for

educational and cultural exchanges be lifted from the$31.425 million, where they now have stood for 2 years, to

$40 million. This may not be as much as we would wish,but it amounts to about a one-third increase in the re-quest and, if granted by the Congress, will certainly put

the international educational and cultural programs of

this Government on the upswing.

In the light of the deliberations in the joint meetings

mentioned above and the subsequent discussions with

Assistant Secretary Richardson and with the Secretaryhimself, the Commission has decided that it will not now

press for its earlier recommendation that the programsbe removed from the State Department. In all fairness tothe new Administration, and with much evidence of in-

creasing support, we have informed the Department of State

through the Assistant Secretary that we will watch to

see what happens during the next year. If the programs

do not receive the support we think they merit, we may

then suggest again that they be reordered somehow in the

complex of Government organizations concerned with them,

or that they be removed from Government and placed in a

quasi-public agency.

Secretary Rogers, in testimony before the Senate Appro-

priations Subcommittee on September 25, 1969, requesting

a restoration in funds cut by the House from the Depart-

ment's fiscal year 1970 request for $35.4 million for

educational and cultural programs, said:

"We not only think that this restoration is fully

justified, but we would expect in any subsequent

years to increase our budget request. I am convinced

from observations I have made that in the educational

field the money is very well spent. This story repeats

itself many times when you talk to young people particu-larly around the world; how many of them were educatedhere; how much it has meant to them; and how helpful theywill be to the United States in their own countries."

Moreover, we were impressed by the justification used in theDepartment's budget presentation for fiscal 1971 requesting$40 million for mutual educational and cultural exchangeactivities. It seems to us that this is one of the best andmost succinct statements we have read concerning the purposesof the Department's educational and cultural exchangeprograms.

"Any sound strategy for effective response to therealities we face in world politics requires an improvedU.S. capacity to communicate with other societies in theU.S. interest through mutually rewarding interactionsamong key leadership groups and individuals here andabroad. People-to-people programs of all kinds are there-fore a realistic and effective means of enhancingconstructive U.S. influence in the world. They can, ifwell managed, develop a sufficiently common perspectiveamong key elements of other societies and our own toprovide a solid base for strengthened economic, militaryand political, as well as cultural, relations.

"The management of such programs, along with the per-formance of the other policy and coordinating functionsof the Secretary of State described above, are thebusiness of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

"In discharging these responsibilities, the Bureauoperates on the premise that increasing mass media controlover the attention and short-term reactions of publicopinion does not reduce the influence of individualopinion and decision-makers in the international arenaany more than is the case in domestic affairs. And theface-to-face personal experiences those leaders havehad with Americans and in America can be crucial for ourrelations with their countries.

"Similarly, mass tourism and the increasing volume ofgeneral academic, professional, performing arts andbusiness travel does not at all reduce the significanceof the specific positive or negative experiences of theindividuals whose attitudes are or will become decisivein each country. Their personal experiences can resultin trends and patterns of educational, creative, scientificand political thought leading directly either towardcooperation or conflict. Close and persisting personal,group and institutional relationships can be especiallypotent factors affecting these trends and patterns whenthey develop in fields of central social and (ultimately)political importance. Among these fields in most coun-tries are education, science, journalism, public service,the professions and the arts."

Agenda for the Coming Year

As the Advisory Commission watches the development of inter-national programs in the coming year, it will also becooperating with the Bureau and the Department on a numberof tasks.

The final report of the joint meeting of September 12, whichwas transmitted to Assistant Secretary Richardson in a letterof October 23 from the Chairman of this Commission and theChairman of the Board of Foreign Scholarships, lists 13"topics requiring further study and recommendations." 2/Wishing to work more closely with the Bureau of Educationaland Cultural Affairs than has been the case in the past, weasked Mr. Richardson for his suggestions as to which ofthese topics he thought should have priority. He listed anumber of these in his answer of November 21 3 / and it isthese matters towhich we intend to address ourselves in the

next year.

2/ See appendix A.3/ See appendix B.

37-011 (H.D. 316) 0 - 70 - 2

It was the Commission's feeling that the new program initia-

tives suggested at the joint meeting in September should be

formulated by the Assistant Secretary's office, and he has

agreed to undertake this task.

The expansion of the use of binational commissions abroad for

a number of purposes is a matter for the Board of Foreign

Scholarships to undertake, and they have indeed agreed to give

this subject thorough consideration.

As for the application to other cultures of the learningtechnology developed in the United States, further investi-gation of this topic will include study and discussion ofa report, To Improve Learning, prepared by the Commissionon Instructional Technology for the Secretary of Health,Education, and Welfare. This report was just publishedthis month (March) by the House Committee on Education andLabor.

The Policy and Research Staff of the Bureau of Educationaland Cultural Affairs is looking into the question of maintain-ing current central inventories of information on public andprivate activities relating to international educational andcultural programs.

The question of wider distribution of scholarly books andpublications overseas and greater availability to the Ameri-can scholar of similar publications from abroad we have re-ferred to the Government Advisory Committee on InternationalBook and Library Programs, 4_/ which has already given a gooddeal of thought to this subject.

One topic for further study which we chose to inquire into,even though it was not on the Assistant Secretary's list,was the proposed use of binational selection procedures forshort-term visitors. We have been promised a study of thisquestion by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

L/ See appendix D for a paper prepared for this committee on"The American Library Presence Abroad."

Finally, both the Advisory Commission and the Board of ForeignScholarships hope to meet with the President or a representa-tive in the White House within the next year.

These, then, are some of the questions that we intend to givefurther attention and thought to in the coming year, and welook forward to ever-increasing cooperation with the Bureauof Educational and Cultural Affairs in the Department of

State in these matters.

Reaction to the Commission's Sixth Annual Report

Readers of our Sixth Annual Report, entitled "Is AnyoneListening?", will remember that we covered a broad number ofsubjects, directing attention to the need for a clear commit-ment on the part of the entire executive branch to inter-national educational and cultural programs. We were pleasedto note that this report was distributed more widely and was

listened to by more people than any other report since A

Beacon of Hope. That was the Commission's first annualreport, in which we fulfilled a mandate from the Congress tomake a survey of the effectiveness of the programs in inter-

national educational and cultural affairs of the Departmentof State from 1949 to 1962.

In addition to the congressional print, the usual form ofpublication of our annual reports, we reprinted it in full in

the Spring 1969 issue of our quarterly Exchange. Itreceived distribution in that way to over 8,000 persons. It

went also, of course, in several copies each to 106 cultural

affairs officers around the world. Moreover, during the

course of the past year we have received more than a hundred

letters requesting extra copies, sometimes as many as 40

copies. We reprint, as appendix C, a sample of reactions to

that report received by the Commission over the past year.

We regret to say, however, that another report, issued at

about the same time, on the use of U.S.-owned excess foreign

currencies,.2/ although well received in certain quarters, did

5/ The Use of U.S.-Owned Excess Foreign Currencies, by

Professor Byron W. Brown. 91st Cong., 1st session, House

Document No. 91-67. Washington: U.S. Government

Printing Office, 1969.

not get the attention we had hoped it would. We remain of the

opinion that this is a useful report for anyone dealing in

excess foreign currencies who wishes to utilize them for inter-

national educational and cultural programs. Copies are

available from the staff of the Commission.

Research and Evaluation

In last year's report we made some fairly strong recommendationswith respect to the research and evaluation function in theBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. We were thereforepleased to learn that one of the very first official acts of thenew Assistant Secretary was to insert in the then virtuallycomplete fiscal 1971 budget a request to the Congress for thesum of $100,000 for program research and evaluation. It is theCommission's and the Bureau's good fortune that he understands

the methods and criteria of this function, and that he isbeing supported in his request for funds by the Department and

the Bureau of the Budget.

We regret to note, however, that restrictive personnel policiesin the Department have delayed the establishment of a permanentevaluation staff which, incidentally, we recommended last year.Along with the Assistant Secretary, we believe that thedevelopment of a social science research capability in theBureau is a fundamental and urgent management requirement; andwe hope the Assistant Secretary will be able to find wayswithin the personnel ceilings to establish such a staff.

Institutionalizing the evaluation and research function, need-less to say, would give it the staying power which "contractingout" lacks. It would also provide the technical competencerequired for monitoring research contracts with independentresearch firms and centers. Finally, this institutionalizingwould provide the daily evaluation and research continuitywhich operators of the program cannot themselves provide, andit would constantly remind all of us of those inevitable gapsbetween the goals that we envisage and the results we attain.

9

Conclusions

To sum up:

(1) After much discussion with "a multitude of counselors,"we have decided that it is reasonable to await the outcome ofthe 1971 budget presentations and final appropriations forinternational educational and cultural exchange programs beforemaking any recommendations; and to observe the operation of theprogram by the Department of State. We are pleased to strikean optimistic note about both of these subjects.

(2) We have set an agenda for ourselves for the comingyear, as noted, and will of course give our attention to otherrelated matters as they come up.

(3) We urge the Department as soon as possible, pendingavailability of funds, to develop social science competencewithin the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for thepurpose of research, evaluation, and appraisal of effectivenessof the Bureau's programs. We offer all possible cooperationin this endeavor since one of the statutory functions of thisCommission is to "appraise the effectiveness of programscarried out pursuant to Lthe Fulbright-Hays Act/."

10

APPENDIXES

A. Letter of October 23, 1969, to Assistant Secretary John

Richardson, Jr., from Chairman Babbidge of U.S. Advisory

Commission and Chairman Roach of Board of Foreign

Scholarships.

B. Reply of November 21, 1969.

C. Reactions to Sixth Annual Report of U.S. AdvisoryCommission.

D. "The American Library Presence Abroad," paper prepared

for the Government Advisory Committee on InternationalBook and Library Programs.

11

APPENDIX A

October 23, 1969

Honorable John Richardson, Jr.Assistant Secretary of StateBureau of Educational and Cultural AffairsDepartment of StateWashington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Richardson:

On behalf of the U.S. Advisory Commission and the Board of ForeignScholarships we enclose the summary report on the joint meeting ofour two groups and the American Council's Commission on International

Education held on September 12, 1969. The report was reviewed indraft by the three groups following the meeting, and represents theirconsidered judgment of the principal conclusions resulting from thediscussions.

In addition to the conclusions, the report identifies . number oftopics requiring further study and recommendations by representativesof the three groups. Before asking our respective staff directors to

prepare working papers on the topics indicated, we would find ithelpful if you or your principal deputies could indicate any preferred

priority in which you might suggest we proceed in considering these

topics. We assume that the resources of CU would be available to

assist in the preparation of specific working papers.

We are hopeful that some of the conclusions in the report as well assome of the recommendations yet to come to you as a result of our

meeting may at an appropriate time be taken up informally by you with

key officers in the White House and elsewhere in the executive branch

concerned with these matters. We are, of course, available to assistyou if this seems desirable.

Lastly, we call to your attention the following statement included in

Richard Humphrey's letter commenting on the draft of the summary report

of the joint meeting on behalf of the American Council on Education:

"I think it fair to say that our people expect a great deal

to hinge on the Department's backing of Assistant Secretary

Richardson. They would like to support him in every appropriate

12

way but, in the light of past history, recognize that theycannot be of material help unless the Department fights hardfor its own. Consequently, they look to me to leave nothingundone which would persuade CU's own Department and theAdministration of the importance of strong interculturalprograms."

Sincerely,

Homer D. Babbidge, Jr., Chairman

James R. Roach, ChairmanBoard of Foreign Scholarships

Enclosure:Summary Report,September 12 meeting

13

Summary Report - Joint Meeting of Sept. 12, 1969

U.S. Advisory Commissionon International Educational and Cultural Affairs

Board of Foreign ScholarshipsCommission on International Education

of the American Council on Education

An unprecedented meeting of the Presidentially appointed U.S. AdvisoryCommission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs and the Boardof Foreign Scholarships, with the American Council on Education's Commissionon International Education, took place on September 12, 1969,in Washington,D.C.

Twenty-four members of the three bodies, principally educators fromthroughout the country, participated in the meeting. The names of partici-pants are attached. The meeting was called at the initiative of Dr. HomerBabbidge, Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission, to discuss and re-assess in detail various problems connected with the Government's inter-national educational and cultural programs. Dr. James Roach, Chairman ofthe Board of Foreign Scholarships, served as Chairman for the discussionswhich were based on a series of papers prepared over the summer at the re-quest of the three participating groups.

The three bodies pledged their full cooperation in assisting in theimplementation of the recommendations proposed at the meeting. The partici-pants agreed that a number of the topics not fully considered at the meetingwill be the subject of further review and specific recommendations byworking groups representing the three bodies. The three, acting in concert,will also seek to focus the initiatives of the academic community in thiscritical field of public policy and to act as major focal points withinthat community for cooperation with the Government in the development ofinternational educational and cultural programs for the 1970's.

The following is a highly condensed summary of matters discussed andconclusions reached. For lack of time or direct experience the group leftsome matters with a question rather than a conclusion and, given the interestsof the participants, more time was given to educational than to cultural

activities.

I. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

1. The international educational and cultural programs currently inthe Department of State should remain intact in the Department for the pres-ent rather than being moved elsewhere. This conditional recommendation by

the three groups was made in anticipation of improved administration of theprogram, an increasing level of financial support, and a visible commitmentto the programs by senior officers of the Department and elsewhere in theExecutive Branch. The three bodies are prepared to do all in their powerto strengthen the hand of the Assistant Secretary and the Secretary in ade-quately supporting and improving these programs.

37-011 (H.D. 316) 0 - 70 - 3

2. The international educational and cultural commitment must have anew articulation that is based not on security and defense considerationsbut rather on the belief that this activity is in the national interest, isworthwhile in itself and essential in the conduct of our foreign relations,and that it must have an organizational focus that will protect that legiti-macy and that rationale.

3. Program policy and rationale must be updated, reshaped, and clearlyarticulated. A key focus, though not an exclusive one, should be on cooper-ative problem-oriented activities dealing with human concerns on a bi-national and international scale including such common problems of mankindas pollution, conservation of national resources, poverty, minorities, ur-banization, etc. Such a shift in program emphasis should not, however,eliminate the opportunities which the program uniquely affords promisingstudents for study abroad in their chosen academic disciplines.

4. The shift in emphasis to greater cooperation with other countriesshould include cooperation with countries with which we have no diplomaticrelations, or where political relations are minimal and where educationaland cultural relations may serve as a bridge to longer-term political rela-tions.

5. The organization of the educational and cultural programs in ourdiplomatic missions abroad should be strengthened and upgraded. The statusand role of the Cultural Affairs Officer, or the successor to such position,should be reexamined.

6. The overseas book and publication programs, libraries, and relatedactivities should be more strongly supported by the U. S. Government in rec-ognition of their significant contribution to our educational and culturalrelations abroad. They should be one of the Cultural Affairs Officers' keyprogram responsibilities.

II. TOPICS REQUIRING FURTHER STUDY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

1. New program initiatives suggested at the meeting and those identi-fied in the working papers should be specifically considered in the reshap-ing of program policy and rationale.

2. Expand the use of the binational commissions abroad in counsellingand orientation of non-sponsored students; in providing a central source ofinformation for American colleges, universities, and organizations seekingto give their programs an international dimension; in providing educationalservices to American scholars abroad under private auspices; and in assist-ing joint or regional planning of educational and cultural programs publiclyor privately sponsored.

15

3. Explore the desirability of having some short-term InternationalVisitor grantees selected on a binational basis. The meeting participantsrecognized the importance of continuing to have the majority of such grantsat the disposal of the Ambassador. Binational consultation abroad in con-sidering Cultural Presentations was also recommended.

4. Reintroduce long-range planning teams but with American universi-ties taking the initiative in collaboration with scholars abroad.

5. Consider the suitability and desirability of applying in our edu-cational and cultural programs the learning technology developed in theUnited States to other cultures.

6. Review the activities of other agencies that might more appropri-ately be part of the Department's educational and cultural programs, in-cluding educational activities abandoned because of the withdrawal of AIDwhich are of continuing mutual concern to the host country and Americanscholars; English language teaching now carried out by other agencies; book,library, and related activities of USIA, etc.

7. Determine the desirability of maintaining a current central in-ventory of information on public and private activities relating to inter-national educational and cultural programs.

8. Determine whether the current American-sponsored Overseas SchoolsProgram supported by CU funds is properly a CU activity.

9. Include in the study of the role of the Cultural Affairs Officerthe question of whether the principal emphasis should be non-career orientedCAO's recruited from the academic field as Foreign Service Reserve Officers.

10. Broaden the distribution abroad of scholarly books and publica-tions beyond merely to USIS libraries, e.g., to universities, institutes,etc. Reciprocally, improve the accessibility and availability to theAmerican scholar of scholarly writings and publications from abroad.

11. Determine how the Department can best assist or endorse requestsfor funds made by local community organizations in the U.S. to privatefirms and foundations in support of International Visitor activities.

12. Explore potential resources available to U.S. campus studentgovernment organizations which could provide private support funds for

cultural presentations from abroad.

13. Consider whether the U.S. Advisory Commission and the Board of

Foreign Scholarships should seek a meeting with the President or an

assistant to the President.

PARTICIPANTS-JOINT MEETING

September 12, 1969

U.S. Advisory Commission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs

Homer D. Babbidge, Jr., Chairman, President, University

of ConnecticutWalter Adams, Acting.President, Michigan State

University, East LansingWayland P. Moody, President, San Antonio CollegeArnold M. Picker, Chairman, Executive Committee,

United Artists Corp.

Thomas E. Robinson, Chairman, Department of SecondaryEducation, Rider College

Abram Leon Sachar, Chancellor, Brandeis University

James A. Donovan, Jr., Staff Director

Board of Foreign Scholarships

James R. Roach, Chairman - Professor of Government,University of Texas

Paul Seabury, Vice Chairman - Professor of PoliticalScience, University of California at Berkeley

John P. Augelli, Professor of Geography and Director,Center of Latin American Studies, University of Kansas

Edward E. Booher, Chairman, McGraw-Hill Book Company,New York City

John E. Dolibois, Vice President for Development andAlumni Affairs, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Teruo Ihara, Professor of Education, University of Hawaii

Ralph H. Vogel, Staff Director

Commission on International Education, American Council on Education

George W. Angell, President, State University College ofNew York at Plattsburgh

Howard Cutler, Vice President, Institute of InternationalEducation

Oscar H. Edinger, Jr., Mount San Antonio College, Walnut,California

Edmund Gullion, Dean, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,Tufts University

Rufus C. Harris, President, Mercer University, Macon, GeorgiaRichard H. Heindel, Dean of Faculty, Capitol Campus,

Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, Pennsylvania

Darrell Holmes, President, Colorado State College, Greeley

Josef Korbel, Dean, Graduate School of International Studies,University of Denver

Steven Muller, Vice President for Public Affairs, CornellUniversity

J. Ralph Murray, President, Elmira College, Elmira, New YorkEdward W. Weidner, Chancellor, The University of Wisconsin at

Green BayJacqueline Grennan Wexler, Academy for Educational Development,

Inc., New York

Richard A. Humphrey, Director

Department of State

John Richardson, Jr., Assistant Secretary, Bureau ofEducational and Cultural Affairs

William B. Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureauof Educational and Cultural Affairs

Francis J. Colligan, Director, Policy Review andCoordination Staff

Elinor P. Reams, Senior Policy Officer

U. S. Information Agency

Miss Barbara M. White, Associate Director for Policy andPlans (Opening session only)

Arthur A. Bardos, Deputy Assistant Director, Plans and Programs

APPENDIX B

* ( DEPARTMENT Or STATE

(Ai Wa.%hlngton. D.C. 20520

November 21, 1969

Dr. Homer D. BabbidgePresidentUniversity of ConnecticutStorrs, Connecticut 06268

Dr. James RoachProfessor of GovernmentUniversity of TexasAustin, Texas 78712

Dear Homer and Jim:

On my return from a trip to India last week, I read the Summary Reporton the tri-partite meetings of September 12 which you sent me with your

letter of October 23 and reviewed with great interest your principal

conclusions and your list of topics which in the view of the two com-missions and the Board merit further study and recommendations. Like

the meeting which it summarized, the report seems to me to be a most

useful effort.

You have asked us to indicate our views on the priorities to be accordedthe topics proposed for further study. I would suggest that priorityconsideration be given to topics 1,2,5,7,10,11 and 13.

As we talk with other elements of the Executive Branch, including mem-bers of the White House Staff, we shall indeed keep in mind theconclusions which your groups and the ACE Commission on InternationalEducation reached in the September meeting.

I know you will extend my thanks to the members of the three groups fortheir very thoughtful consideration of how we might strengthen theactivities for which I am responsible.

Sincerely,

John Richardson, Jr.

Assistant Secretary forEducational and CulturalAffairs

19

APPENDIX C

Reactions to Sixth Annual Report

"I admire the report's candor and believe it will help the commoncause. You and your colleagues have every right to be proud of it.

"The longer I work on international education matters within theGovernment and the more I reflect on the problem of placement ofresponsibility (pages 13-14 in your report), the more I become in-clined to the belief that a single agency is probably not onlypolitically unfeasible, but also would not be as effective as the'twin-pillar' (inward-outward) approach. Coordination is, of course,essential either way, and is usually a challenge within an agencyas well as between agencies. I think we can do better than wehave, and am optimistic that more effective arrangements can beworked out however the major organizational framework may end up."

Robert Leestma, DirectorInstitute of International Studies

andAssociate Commissioner for Inter-

national EducationDepartment of Health, Education

and Welfare

"I have just had the opportunity to read the Advisory Commission'sSixth Annual Report. Our Executive Director, Mr. Hugh Jenkins,has responded in behalf of the Association but I want you and JimDonovan to know that it, the report, so succinctly hit many nailson respective heads; many upon which the Commission and our Associa-

tion so closely agree.

"NAFSA, as always, stands ready to cooperate in any way with the

Advisory Commission. We appreciate your efforts in its behalf."

Clark Coan, PresidentNational Association for

Foreign Student Affairs

"I thought your recent report from the Advisory Commission for CU

was a masterpiece. I hope a lot of people are listening."

Russell I. ThackreyExecutive DirectorNational Association of

Land-Grant Colleges

"It is my earnest hope that there will, indeed, be a number of persons

in high places who will be 'listening' to the urgent message given in

the report.

"For the past several years our Association has had a continuing con-

cern about a number of developments in the field of international edu-

cation in general and educational exchange programs in particular.

First and foremost we are convinced that educational exchange is es-

sential to the international role which the United States must play

in the world today and to the relationships which it must develop withpeople in every country. We believe that in this field of commoneducational endeavor we shall find the solution to a number of problemswhich may well prove almost insoluble in other areas of our interna-tional relations. For this reason we have watched with growing con-cern the almost complete abandonment of our international educational

exchange programs in these days when national attention is directed tothe urgent domestic crises which we face at home. We were, therefore,particularly pleased to read your strong support for internationaleducation as a vital part of U.S. foreign relations and your urgentrequest for adequate funding for this activity.

"We have also been convinced that the international dimension is anessential element in contemporary education. We believe that thiselement comprises both the education we provide for American studentsand the exchange of students between the United States and countriesacross the world. We feel that each of these activities complementsthe other, and that the presence of foreign students in the UnitedStates colleges and universities and American students in the institu-tions of higher education in other countries, with the consequentcreation of an international student community tn every campus, pro-vides a significantly appropriate setting for the development of thisinternational dimension. We believe that much more needs to be donein this field. For this reason, although we realize that the Interna-tional Education Act of 1966 does not directly involve our own fieldof special interest, foreign student affairs, we enthusiastically en-dorse your plea that this Act receive adequate funding.

"Finally, we are especially anxious that continuing attention be givento the changing needs and opportunities in educational exchange pro-grams. We have read with interest of a number of new programs whichare being developed, such as that instituted in Brandeis Universitywhich will provide for an educationally viable exchange of undergradu-ate students between this American institution and cooperating univer-sities in foreign countries. We have watched with both admirationand alarm the growing involvement of Junior Colleges in foreign stu-dent programs. We believe that Junior Colleges have an important roleto play in providing needed technicians in the developing countries,but are concerned about any haphazard admission of foreign students tothese institutions. Through our Association of Teachers of English asa Second Language (a professional section of our Association) we havebeen conducting a continuing program in this field, recognizing it to

be a critical factor in the success of exchange programs. We are also

anxious about theproblem of assisting those foreign students who,

through no fault of their own, but through changes in government, civil

strife, or changes in currency regulations, may suddenly find them-

selves bereft of the support needed to continue their studies. We

believe that this problem needs the most careful examination and sym-

pathetic treatment on the part of governmental authorities as its solu-

tion is quite beyond the individual capacities of private organiza-

tiors. These are only some random examples of our concern for the

need for some unified approach to the whole field of international

education. In fact, in response to a request for suggestions from

Assistant Secretary Frankel in 1965, we then recommended the establish-

ment of a National Foundation devoted to the development of all aspects

of international educational activity. Thus we were gratified to read

of the Commission's recommendation regarding a new Agency for Interna-

tional Education.

"All together we feel that the Commission's report has put cogently

and effectively many of the ideas which we have shared as the pro-

fessional association exclusively devoted to foreign student affairs.

We are grateful to you and the Commission for this excellent report."

Hugh M. JenkinsExecutive Director

National Association for

Foreign Student Affairs

"In reading the Sixth Annual Report I concur with the need to have

an appraisal and research division which determines values from

overseas programs.

"Without sharp focus on achievements and priority values from inter-

national educational exchange it is difficult for even well-intentioned

congressmen to press for appropriations in our field, given the evi-

dent priority of local and national programs as claimants to U. S. tax

money.

"I wonder if we aren't missing a bet by separating education from the

mainstream of economic development and international commerce where

constituencies exist. Might there not be room for a new partnership

of American corporate leadership and American education -- in much

the same way corporate leadership has gone to work on job opportuni-

ties? It seems to me government cuts indicate the need for fresh

approaches, stronger focus, broader constituencies, clearer ends.

Either we have a persuasive argument for what we have done, or we

don't. If we lack such arguments, we need to do such new things as

will give us budget power."Philip H. Evans, DirectorInstitute of International Education

37-011 (H.D. 316) 0 - 70 -4

"I couldn't agree more on the necessity of separating information andpropaganda activities from those related to international educationand cultural exchange. But then I would go a step further and sepa-rate international education from cultural exchange, assigning theformer to HEW and the latter to some truly international commission oragency, possibly a branch of UNESCO.

"My point with reference to the assignment of cultural exchange ac-tivities to some body that is not purely made up of U. S. citizens isthat every thoughtful observer I know has stressed for years thatcultural exchange and national politics have got to be separated, ifthe first is to be effective. It seems to me that we have been learningthe same lesson with reference to providing financial assistance to -

developing countries, a process in which increasingly the desirabilityof using international agencies as the vehicle for the transfer offunds. Knowing the extreme difficulty of working through UNESCO, I,recognize that my suggestion is highly idealistic, but is it unthink-able that a board should be established consisting half of U. S. citi-zens and half of representatives of countries participating in culturalexchanges with the U.S.A.? Certainly this is the kind of thinking thatis guiding us in the development of the AFS as we constantly seek to-avoid any implication of being an instrument of the U. S. governmentand positively seek to become increasingly sensitive to the needs ofthe over sixty countries in which we conduct our programs. Of courseit is easier for a private organization to do this than for one whoseresources come from the federal treasury, but somehow this objectivemust be pursued."

Arthur Howe, Jr.PresidentAmerican Field Service

International Scholarships'

"I have the Sixth Annual Report which you sent to me, and I will bepleased to send a copy to each of the presidents of the RegionalCouncil colleges and universities. I will, however, need an additional15 copies to cover all of the institutions and our own staff.

"I am particularly pleased with this development because your intro-ductory statement concerning the need for recognizing the interrela-tionship of foreign and domestic policies is precisely the theme whichis to be discussed at the annual Presidents' Dinner in the spring.This will make it possible for me to add a covering note to the dis-tribution of the document drawing attention to this fact."

Shepherd L. WitmanPresidentRegional Council for

International Education

"I have just completed reading the Sixth Annual Report of the UnitedStates Advisory Commission on International Education and Cultural Af-fairs, dated January 21, 1969.

'"ay I heartily endorse what you And your committee have had to say.1 find so much that is parallel to a report which we have just com-pleted on the Peace Corps. I have been chairing a National Committeelooking into the possibility of reorganizing the work of the PeaceCorps and I find that our recommendations are completely supportive ineach others documents.

"We're going to Washington within a few days to make our report onthe Peace Corps and its future. While there, I shall do everythingI can to further the idea contained in your report, as well as inours, that the Peace Corps and other such agencies be brought underone umbrella. It seems to me, personally, that John Hannah as thenew Director of AID is the logical person to try to achieve such aunion of now separate entities.

Paul R. HannaDirector EmeritusSchool of EducationStanford University

"Yes, I'm listening.

"I appreciated the report of the commission and share many of thesame frustrations. This is, of course, because we are one of theagencies cooperating with cultural exchanges. We feel particularlyirritated by the large amounts of PL-480 funds which the United

States owns in various countries but which are so hard to get into

channels for creative use."

Lyle TatumExecutive SecretaryFarmers and World Affairs, IncCamden, New Jersey

"We have read with interest and complete approval the report of the

Advisory Comission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs.

We congratulate you as a member of the Commission on this strong and

lucid presentation."

Alice R. Pratt

Regional Director

Institute of International

Education, Inc.

"This is a belated acknowledgement of the Advisory Commission's Sixth

Annual Report, a copy of which you sent me. It is an excellent re-

port. It is time for the Commission to speak out and it has done so

with the right amount of passion and persuasion. My congratulations

to you and to all who were concerned with its production. I hope

that someone is listening and that there will be some affirmative

response.

Albert G. Sims

Vice PresidentCollege Entrance Examination

Board

"The Report that you gave me is one of the best statements of its

kind I have ever seen. I am going to send it to a number of inter-

ested people. Do you mind if I use the Report in a comparative

education class I am teaching? If this is all right, would you mind

sending me twelve more copies?

"The appointment of Allen to HEW and Hanna to AID leads me to be

optimistic about the appointment of an equally talented person to

be Assistant Secretary of CU. I don't think that the Allen and

Hanna appointments could be improved on and if our new President

keeps up this batting average, he is going to make a real contribu-

tion to the welfare of this country."

Oliver J. Caldwell

Assistant to the Vice-Presidentfor Area and Intl. Services

University Dean for

Intl. Program DevelopmentSouthern Illinois University

25

"Thank you very much for the recent copy of Is Anyone Listening? Itis one of the best documents of its kind I have ever seen. I thinkI detect your capable mind, and hand, at work, and I am very hopefulthat someone will indeed be listening to such a frank and straightfor-ward statement of the problems, goals, and possible solutions ininternational education.

"There are excellent things on every page. I particularly like yourtaking State, and USIA, to task on the CAO's. The suggested newAgency for International Education is an exciting idea, and the disap-pointment with Rusk Committee's inaction is just and well expressed."

James L. ColwellOffice of International EducationUniversity of Colorado

"In recent years I have had occasion to read a number of reports fromvarious advisory boards and commissions. None was so clear, forth-right, and courageous as the one from your committee on internationaleducational and cultural affairs.

..."As a former Fulbrighter and then a Smith-Mundt visiting professorabroad, and also as a founder and first president of Teachers ofEnglish to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), I have a strong con-cern with the problems dealt with in your report. This concern hasbeen sharpened by certain relationships with USIA, which severalyears ago contracted with the National Council of Teachers of Englishto prepare a series of English-as-a-Foreign-Language textbooks at thetime when I was the NCTE president. Since that time I have chairedthe advisory board for this series. Developments in connection withthat project are in part due to the schizophrenia of purpose withinUSIA and also, as your report indicates, the lack of funds.

"Your report does not -- and properly does not -- indicate what peoplelike me can do to help change the situation in Congress. Does yourCommission have unpublished information about just who are the leadersopposing the cultural and educational program overseas? Is their oppo-sition powerful particularly in committee consideration? Since theCommission advocates a specific unified program, must advocacy comefrom the White House or can we expect that State and USIA and AID andUSOE will by themselves ever agree? (NACTEFL itself arose from thelack of communication among them.) Can any action by a national or-ganization, such as TESOL or NCTE, be significant in modifying alegislator's views? In short, does your Commission concern itself,

off the record, with the problem of getting results? I'd like to

help -- and so would others."

Harold B. AllenProfessor of English and

LinguisticsUniversity of Minnesota

"I would like to congratulate you and your associates on a very

excellent report on the problems of international exchange. As a

country, we seem to be going backwards if anything. This is particu-larly true in regard to public policy. On the other hand, I think

the private sector (if we define the private sector as includinguniversities) has more than done its share. Still, some of thefoundations have been flagging in their interest.

"In some way or other, we'need to get a new glamour and a new interestattached to international education. Perhaps our shortcoming is inthe word international education. It implies something foreign, some-thing exotic. If we appeal to our own self-interest somewhat more,we might be more successful with our colleagues. In particular I amthinking that the essence of international education is not justlearning about someone foreign to the United States. It is, rather,to learn about a world which is a single world. It is fundamentallya comparative approach, an approach that would relate problems ofphysics, chemistry, economics, art, or what not in the United Statesto similar problems in other countries. In this sense, no one canbe truly educated without a comparative (or international) education."

Edward W. WeidnerChancellorThe University of Wisconsin-

Green Bay

"It is comforting and encouraging for those of us who feel deeplyabout American cultural and educational programs abroad to see theCommission speak in such forthright terms. Many of us, I believe,and certainly I am one, remain at this work only in the hope thattomorrow will be better. The barometer of our hopes, over the lastyears, has fluttered steadily downwards. Your Report, and the at-tendant circumstances of 1969, make a difference."

Richard T. Arndt

Cultural AttacheUSIS - Tehran

27

"I am greatly obliged to you for the copy of the Sixth Annual Report

of the United States Advisory Commission on International Educationaland Cultural Affairs. I should appreciate receiving 30 additional

copies at your earliest convenience, for distribution to our Commis-sion and to our ad hoc Committee now wrestling with the problems of

the Report.

"My initial reading of your Report encourages me, although I should

like to defer any detailed reactions despite your invitation to com-ment. One interim observation, however, may not be amiss.

"I was particularly pleased to see that your Commission focussed some

of its attention on the Executive Branch, as well as on the Congress,

in citing major reactors adverse to the programs for which it is re-sponsible. We have been persuaded for some time that lack of supportfor international educational and cultural exchange should, in fair-

ness, be charged as much to the one as to the other. As you know,higher education has found it increasingly difficult to endorse before

Congress quite inadequate budget requests emanating from the Depart-ment; and I suspect that 'shock' is not too strong a term for the

reactions of the educational community to the Department's own severe

cuts this year in the Fulbright Program.

"The Advisory Commission need have no fear of a lapse in our deep

interest in the programs in question. Our ability conscientiously

to support them will rest in no small measure, however, on the De-

partment's willingness in the first instance to conceive of them on

a plane truly commensurate with the national interest, and vigorously

to defend before Congress sufficient funds to support them. It fol-

lows, I am sure, that the Department should also husband the resources

actually appropriated for these purposes with equal dedication to their

very great importance.

"We tend toward the view, in short, that the Congress will not be

impressed with the 'case' for international education and cultural

exchange before the Department as a whole is. If opportunity served,

we should be happy to wait upon the new Secretary of State to stress

this conviction."

Richard A. HumphreyDirectorCommission on International

EducationAmerican Council on Education

28

"I have just read the Sixth Annual Report of the U. S. Advisory Com-mission on International Educational and Cultural Affairs (91stCongress, 1st Session.. .House Document No. 91-66) dated January 27,1969. While I could not hope to summarize the Report which soclearly and concisely focuses upon the importance of internationaleducational and cultural exchange to this Nation in its relations withthe rest of the world, I would like to give my complete and totalaffirmation to the Commission's statement and would beg you to giveit your attention and support.

"If this Nation cannot support educational programs -- at home orabroad -- we are then committing ourselves to an ignorant and bewilderedearly demise from the limelight of human history."

Theodore E. DotyActing Director

Office of International ProgramsWashington State University

29

APPENDIX D

The American Library Presence Abroad*

A Report to the Government Advisory Committee

on International Book and Library Programs

January 1970

* Once again, at the request of the Government Advisory Com-

mittee on International Book and Library Programs, we are

pleased to include as an appendix to our report a paper

which the Committee feels should be brought to the atten-

tion of Congress. It was prepared by an ad hoc committeeconsisting of:

William S. Dix (Chairman)LibrarianPrinceton University Library

Emerson GreenawayFormer DirectorFree Library of Philadelphia

Dan LacySenior Vice PresidentMcGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.

Theodore WallerPresidentGrolier Educational Corporation

30

The American Library Presence Abroad *

This sub-committee of the Government Advisory Committee on Inter-

national Book and Library Programs has been asked by the Chairman to

express its views on the nation's overseas library policy, directing

its attention particularly to the following questions:

(1) What kind of a library presence should the U.S. have abroad?Should it be wholly public, wholly private, or a combinationof both?

(2) What is the Government's proper role?

(3) If the Government operates libraries overseas, what charac-teristics should these libraries have? What should be theirobjectives? Whom should they serve? What relationshipshould they have to local economic and social conditions?

(4) What agencies of Government should be concerned with Ameri-can libraries overseas? What should be the role of theSmithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress?

This brief report addresses itself to the following questions,which cover somewhat more systematically and in somewhat more detailthe same ground as the original questions:

1. Why should the United States, through either governmentalor private channels, interest itself in libraries outsidethis country?

2. What does the United States have to offer to librarydevelopment abroad?

3. What are the steps which can be taken by the governmentto implement an overseas library program?

1. Why should the United States. through either governmentalor private channels, interest itself in libraries outside this country?

There are at least three reasons why it seems to be in the na-tional interest of the United States to maintain a library presenceabroad?

A. To improve international understanding through facilitatingthe free flow of information and cultural values.

* See Attachment 2 at the end of this report for letters from AIDAdministrator John A. Hannah and USIA Director Frank Shakespeareoffering their comments on this report.

31

Libraries both store information and serve as terminals for itsretrieval from their own reservoirs and those of other libraries. Thusthe great research libraries, both Federal and non-governmental, areparts of a vast and loosely-organized network through which seriousscientific and cultural communication is maintained throughout theworld. For example, the Library of Congress in FY 1967 received throughinternational exchanges alone 480,073 "pieces" in addition to an evenlarger number acquired by purchase and other means, and by the prepara-tion of bibliographies and cataloguing information assisted in theassimilation and distribution of this mass of information to those whoneed it. This informal library network, together with internationalpublishing and the international book trade, constitutes the principalmeans of sustained intellectual discourse among the peoples of theworld.

B. To assist in presenting abroad information concerningthe culture and achievements of the United States.

"The mission of the United States Information Agency is to helpachieve United States foreign policy objectives by influencing publicattitudes in other nations . . . by overt use of the various techniquesof communication . . . " including libraries. (Presidential Memoran-dum, January 25, 1963). The USIS currently operates 191 libraries andreading rooms in eighty-five countries. Libraries are "slow" ratherthan "fast" techniques of communication, and some doubt has been ex-pressed both inside and outside the USIA that their contribution toits mission justifies their cost or is appropriate for other reasons.We shall return to this problem later.

C. To assist the economic, political, and social growth ofthe developing nations.

The relationship between this process and a U.S. library presence.abroad can be outlined quite simply. The gap between the standards ofliving of the people in the less developed countries and our own mustbe narrowed; the reasons why we should assist them toward economic,political, and social development and stability are persuasive.

A key factor in this process is education, broadly conceived asall forms of effort to improve the understanding, the intellect, andthe skill of people. In this effort books and other methods of storingand transferring knowledge are indispensable. Libraries are institu-tional instruments for assembling and transmitting recorded knowledgeand information as it is needed, particularly efficient in countrieswhere widespread individual ownership of books and the techniques of.using them are limited. Many types of libraries are essential: school,college, and university libraries to support the formal educationalprogram; public libraries to reinforce formal education and to support

32

the cultural and scientific development of the general public of all

ages; special libraries to offer resources for the operations and the

research of government agencies and private enterprise in law and ad-

ministration, agriculture and medicine, science and technology; and

national libraries as capstones of these networks.

The libraries of this country over the past hundred years have

evolved into effective instruments of the broad educational process.

They are far from perfect, but their philosophy and techniques have

already had a great influence in other parts of the world. We have

something to offer and we have a responsibility to make it available

insofar as possible to those who need it and want it.

This is why there should be an American library presence abroad

as one part of the commitment made in the National Policy Statementon International Book and Library Activities: "The United States

Government declares that it is prepared, as a major policy, to give

full and vigorous support to a coordinated effort of public and pri-

vate organizations which will make more available to the developingcountries those book and library resources of the United States which

these countries need and desire."

Both public and private agencies could carry on, and indeed have

carried on, specific activities which constitute an American librarypresence abroad. We believe that both governmental and non-governmental

organizations should continue these programs. We believe that it is

particularly appropriate for the government to take some initiatives

which could result in more effective overall planning and informal

coordination of the public and private sectors.

2. What does the United States have to offer to librarydevelopment abroad?

All libraries need money -- for buildings, for books and othermaterials, and for staff. The United States has money, and it hasbeen generous with it in supporting library development abroad. This

assistance must continue, or we shall lose what has already beenstarted so effectively.

But the easy answer to the question of what the United States hasto offer to library development abroad -- more money -- is obviouslyinadequate. Even if it were economically and politically expedient toincrease dramatically direct gifts to foreign libraries, one woulddoubt the wisdom of this policy unless it were accompanied by a seriesof corollary policies refining the purposes and the methods of thissort of assistance.

Libraries are continuing institutions. They must not only bestarted but also operated year after year. As with other forms of

foreign aid, what must be generated and nourished is the capability of

the recipients of aid to continue and develop programs and institutions.

Libraries are also surprisingly complex organisms. It is a com-

plicated task to develop the capability in governments and institutions,

beset by the many problems which afflict the people of the less de-

veloped nations, to initiate and operate successful library programs.

To be successful libraries must not be slavish imitations of foreign

models, but must be responsive to local needs and cultural patterns.

It is in this context that the question of what the United States has

to offer must be answered.

In 1962 Dean Raynard C. Swank of the School of Librarianship of

the University of California, Berkeley, summarized some conclusions

reached in three years of service and intensive observation of li-

braries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America as Director of the American

Library Association's International Relations Office. International

Values in American Librarianship", The Cornell Library Conference

(Ithaca, N.Y., 1964), pp. 115-129._T He perceived as valuable for

export six characteristics of American librarianship, none exclusively,

yet all characteristically, American:

1. The conception of the library as an organization of books.

"In these times it is no exaggeration, I believe, to suggest

that the modern library is a late, high refinement of a civili-

zation that is built on the accumulation of printed words. The

intellectual organization of this accumulation promises to be-

come one of the most critical, consequential, and incredibly com-

plex problems that mankind faces today. American librarianship

has begun to understand its new mission in the large, and there

is foresight in this understanding for other peoples of the world.

Even the simplest, smallest, most unpretentious popular library

in the African bush should still be conceived as an organized way

of increasing the utility of books."

"The organization of books into useful libraries depends heavily

upon the knowledge and skill of the people who make librarianship

their career. In Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet

Union, and elsewhere, the profession has clearly paced the growth

of the modern library. In Burma, by contrast, there is no such

profession. There is no public library legislation and no classi-

fication for librarians in the government service. Librarians are

clerks, whether educated or not. In the universities, only the

chief librarian enjoys a modicum of prestige, which is usually

borrowed from other scholarly pursuits. The low status of li-

brarianship, and therefore of the library organization, is a

major deterrent to both formal and informal education."

2. The evolution of a library profession.

"In the effort to stimulate indigenous professional movements

overseas, the American library profession, working primarily

through its professional associations, has concentrated on educa-tion for librarianship -- that is, on the education of foreignlibrarians who can in turn stimulate their native professionalmovements."

"As leadership emerges in foreign professional Aovements, moreattention will be drawn to other aspects of librarianship, espe-cially professional literature and associations."

3. The attitude of service.

"Nothing impresses the American librarian abroad more immediatelyand forcefully, and often more unexpectedly, than the unhelpfulattitude of some foreign librarians. Whether this is attributa-ble to lack of professional development or to the treatment oflibrary jobs as sinecures, the librarians of some countries areoften not devoted to helping readers."

"But by and large we have come to believe that public institu-tions are utilitarian devices to further the general welfare..The librarian serves people who need books -- the people for whosewelfare the library exists. . . This personal, outgoing rela-tionship of librarian to reader is still unknown in much of thelibrary world."

4. The function of the library as an educational institution.

"The exportable value of American librarianship is really, then,the commitment of libraries to take the initiative in the educa-tion of the people. We can demonstrate how a collection of books,

selected for specific educational purposes, and so organized thatpeople are encouraged to read them, can strengthen a whole commu-nity. We can show how a regional network of libraries can reachlarge underprivileged populations."

5. The role of the library in the advancement of intellectual freedom.

"Like other basic values of American librarianship, freedom ofinquiry and expression derives not only from library services;:the library is only one among many institutions that embrace thisprinciple. But the library is elemental in that books, as con-trasted with the mass media, are the private forum of the mind.

Whatever else may happen, there can be no final abridgment ofintellectual freedom as long as individuals can choose their ownreading from libraries that honor the Library Bill of Rights."

6. The conception of organized information as a public resource and

responsibility.

"One of the most important things that librarians can do abroadis to teach that information is not just the private concern ofan educated elite but also a significant public concern, andfurther that the organization of information through libraries,bibliographies, and documentation centers has become so great a.problem as to require public attention. The orderly, continuingcontrol of recorded knowledge is both a present utility and the

foundation of future knowledge. In all modern technologicalsocieties, organized libraries have become a critical nationalresource."

These brief excerpts may suggest what we mean when we say thatthe contribution the United States can make to the development of theindigenous capability to operate effective libraries is not merelymaterial. Books or money, although essential, are not enough.

Finally, in considering what we have to offer, it must be remem-bered that it is not enough to export American practices, which maylose their meaning completely in a different educational system workingtoward different objectives in a different culture. Our practicesmust be adapted to new conditions. They may be held up for examina-tion, to be judged on how well they achieve desirable results, but wemust not attempt to persuade others to adopt them just because theyare ours.

3. What are the steps which can be taken by the Government toimplement an overseas library program?

What we want to achieve is clear enough in general terms: li-brary services and institutions in each country or region adequate

to support the political, economic, and social development of its

people.

A great many specific needs have been identified. The "Directive

to Government Agencies for Implementation of the National Policy

Statement on International Book and Library Activities" (1-4-67) laid

down broad lines of action. The responses of U.S. posts to the in-

quiry made by the Secretary of State on implementation of the Policy

Statement contain many suggestions. The various regional task forces

36

of the Interaguncy iook Committee have developed further de(tai l

ld pro-

posal8. Detailed surveys and plans for a number o[ country's have

been made. Many private agencies with ongoing overseas library pro-

grams have knowledge of further needs which could be met by expansion

of existing activities. A useful summary of the relation of planning

to the achievement of adequate library service in a country, trans-

lating a large amount of accumulated experience into practical sug-

gestions, emerged from the meeting of experts on overseas library

development held by the American Library Association's International

Relations Office in October, 1967, as a part of its continuing programof library development services under a contract with AID. These"Recommendations for Library Development in the Emerging Nations" weresent to the various AID missions for their guidance and should con-

tinue to serve as a guidepost for future activity. (A copy of these"Recommendations" is attached to this report as Attachment 1.)

What seems to be required now is an overall strategy for librarydevelopment abroad which would include a mechanism for sorting outpriorities for action by agencies of the government, for making avail-able to individual agencies planning information which will enable themto propose programs and budgets appropriate both to their own missionsand to the overall objective of library development, and for developingnew legislative proposals when necessary.

With its vast resources, its physical presence throughout mostof the world, its channels for information gathering and reporting,

the government can continually map and remap the state of librarydevelopment in those parts of the world which the United States isparticularly interested in assisting. Then, with this mosaic beforethem, individual agencies, both public and private, can perceive thoseareas of the library map which need filling in, can assist in theareas relevant and vital to their own programs, and can plan new li-brary programs when it becomes clear that something essential to thewhole is being done by no one.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Governmental Organization and Procedures

The five recommendations which follow deal primarily with the wayin which the government of the United States might organize itself todeal with the special problem of assisting library development overseas.

Recommendation #1

That there be established within the Bureau of Educationaland Cultural Affairs of the Department of State the positionof Library Development Planning Officer, staffed by some-oe with a broad knowledge of modern library practice andpractical experience in developing countries.

The Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Af-fairs has the responsibility, under the President's National PolicyStatement, to coordinate United States Government efforts in the in-ternational library field. As the ALA/IRO-AID conference of expertspointed out, while library programs and book programs are intimatelyrelated, they are quite different, operating in the field in differentmanners and through different local institutions and backstopped inthe U.S. by different professions. The Assistant Secretary can hardlybe expected to coordinate effectively without the services of aspecialist in the library field.

The office should not be an operating office in the field, norcould it of course seek to control the activities of governmental andnon-governmental agencies. It should on the other hand collect infor-mation, recommend priorities, and stimulate action as a sort of guidingintelligence in the whole international library field. It should bethe focal point for promoting the cooperation required by the Directivewhich accompanied the National Policy Statement.

This office should have only a minimum staff, but it should befunded to contract for studies and field observation as required withindividual experts and non-governmental agencies, such as the Inter-national Relations Office of the American Library Association.

Among its early activities might be the following:

a. To contract for an inventory of library development ineach less developed country and area in which the U.S.maintains an interest. This inventory would indicatewhat is being done and what needs to be done on apriority basis to promote adequate and continuing li-brary development in accordance with local and U.S.plans. Much of this information exists in the pub-lished and unpublished reports of individual librariansand survey teams who have observed and worked in manycountries and in the reports of the various missions,but it needs to be coordinated and evaluated beforemuch action can result.

b. On the basis of this inventory the Library DevelopmentPlanning Officer might discuss the needs of individualcountries with U.S. government agencies and privatefoundations and organizations, demonstrating how spe-

cific new projects within the framework of their ownprograms and missions could promote a continuing li-brary capability in the country.

C. He might arrange for continuing reviews and appraisals

of ongoing and completed projects, thus developing

gradually in his office and in the government a better

rationale of library development, a sensitive process

which can be refined by better feedback.

We believe that the establishment of a well-functioning office

along those lines is an essential key to a successful American li-

brary presence abroad.

Recommendation #2

That each agency of the U.S. government which is engagedin the development of education, research, or culturalactivities overseas designate, if it has not alreadydone so, a qualified member of its Washington staff atan appropriate level as Library Development Officer.

The programs of the various agencies vary so greatly that it isimpossible to be more specific, but the intent is that each agencyhave a clearly identified locus of library interest, capable ofworking with the State Department's coordinating Library DevelopmentPlanning Officer, of identifying specific areas where library programscan support and advance the primary program of the various agenciesand of effectively developing the necessary program and budget infor-mation. A reasonably close parallel here is an effective Americanuniversity librarian who works alertly with the faculty and adminis-tration in conceiving and developing library services in support ofthe teaching and research activities of his university.

It is possible that these Library Development Officers of all theappropriate agencies might constitute, formally or informally, underthe chairmanship of the State Department's Library Development Plan-ning Officer, an Inter-Agency Overseas Library Development Committee,with appropriate liaison to the existing Interagency Book Committee.

We repeat: The library, while it is essential to many kinds ofactivities is a separate and different kind of organism which mustbe identified and recognized as such in order to work effectively.

Recommendation #3

That the service of competent library developmentofficers be made available to the various missionsin developing countries in which the United Statesis interested.

39

The initiation of a library development project under present

procedures usually depends upon the recognition by an officer of a

U.S. mission of a need which matches one of the authorized programs

of which he has been informed by the State Department. No program

can succeed without a need being felt by local officials and U.S.

mission officers, but it is quite possible that neither, without

special library background, will recognize without assistance the best

opportunities for useful activities.

We believe that the high priority assigned to book and library

activities by the National Policy Statement and the Directive re-

quires a more direct approach to the solution of library problems.

An expert familiar with the techniques of library development and

with the existing patterns of available U.S. assistance, spending

sufficient time in a country working with local and U.S. officials,

can identify fruitful avenues of innovative and appropriate library

development for consideration and approval by the mission and by non-

governmental agencies working in the country. He can help bring to

the educational hierarchy of the country a better understanding of

the importance of books and libraries in development. A permanent

library development officer could probably be justified in a large

mission; in smaller countries an officer could be assigned on a re-

gional basis. There is ample precedent in the present pattern of

specialist attaches in military, economic, labor, and other fields.

These posts could be filled by properly trained persons in the

continuing government service, but experienced librarians outside the

government might be obtained by contract. They should in any event

be made available in a country for sufficient time to understand the

library situation and needs and to make sure that local officials

understand what specific projects can accomplish and are prepared to

support them. This function of identifying and catalyzing projects

is distinct from the continuing administration of projects which have

been approved, but the two could be shared with excellent results by a

permanent library officer.

Recommendation #4

That in developing and executing library programs

government agencies make greater use of appropriate

non-governmental, non-profit agencies such as Franklin

Book Programs, the International Relations Office of

the American Library Association, and the United

States Book Exchange.

Agencies of this sort can often provide specialized expertise,

access to the manpower and technical skills of the private sector,

and operating capability more economically than they can be provided

40

by the government itself, especially for projects of limited duration.

Contracts with these agencies, many of which already receive some

support from and carry on programs for other non-governmental agencies

and organizations, offer an obvious opportunity for the cooperation

with the private sector which the National Policy Statement requires.

As they receive greater support from the government their capabilities

for even greater service will grow. The present contract between AID

and the ALA/IRO is a good example.

Recommendation #5

That U.S. government support of the library and

information programs of international organizationssuch as UNESCO and the OAS be increased.

These organizations have for years been conducting library programs

of substantial importance. The U.S. as a member state must recognize

the value of these programs and assume more leadership in increasing

their budgets. Assistance through a multilateral organization in which

the recipient shares is often more acceptable than bilateral aid. The

belief that one wins good will through visibility as a donor should by

now have been recognized as a myth. The interest of this country lies

in getting the job done, not in imaginary good will earned in the

process.

In addition, the government should have an interest in insuring,

by financial assistance when necessary, that the United States is

adequately represented at the meetings of such organizations as the

International Federation of Library Associations.

Activities

The five recommendations which follow deal primarily with activi-

ties which should be carried on by the government through an organiza-

tional structure of the sort proposed. None of these activities is

peculiarly the province of government action. Most have been carried

on at some time or at some place by both private agencies and govern-

ment agencies. Their listing here should be considered as essentially

illustrative, for as we have repeatedly emphasized, the particular

response to library needs must be determined in the light of particu-

lar local problems, desires, and resources; in relation to other edu-

cational and developmental programs; and in the knowledge of some

general plan of library development for the country or region, however

rudimentary.

Recommendation #6

That training in librarianship have a high priorityin governmental assistance.

Libraries like all complex mechanisms require trained manpowerto run them. In most developing countries the creation of an indige-nous library movement which can survive requires the creation of anentire new profession where it did not exist before.

Most of the mechanisms for this sort of assistance already exist:the creation of new library schools and the provision of some outsidedirection and faculty at first; the bringing of students and librariansto this country or other countries for education and observation; theprovision of technical experts and advisors in the field; assistancein stimulating the growth of professional organizations; the provisionof professional literature, where necessary, in the local language.

Recommendation #7

That well-conceived and executed programs of buildinglibrary collections abroad be encouraged and expanded,particularly those in which the recipients participateactively in the selection process.

Librarians are essential, but librarians without books are use-less. Books from abroad are expensive and difficult to procure inmost developing countries, and all legitimate programs which assistforeign libraries to obtain the books and other library materialsthey need and want should be stimulated and funded; those which pro-

duce useless and unwanted materials should be discouraged. The es-sential factor is skilled professional library guidance.

Many illustrative examples can be cited: IMG or something like

it; book selection aids and procurement machinery through somethinglike the proposed IBI; presentation programs like those of USIS or

NAS, managed by professional librarians; expansion and modernization

of the Smithsonian exchange service; new contracts with USBE; support

and expansion of something like the Books for Asian Students program

of the Asia Foundation; etc., etc.

The development of indigenous publishing industries, of book shops,

and of other book-related enterprises is an important associated

activity. The organization of book development councils is an effec-

tive device for bringing together these various elements.

42

Recommendation #8

That the important programs of the Library of Congress for

procuring materials for American libraries and for developing

bibliographic information be adequately funded and expanded.

The programs under Public Law 480 and Title IIC of the Higher

Education Act of 1965, while intended primarily to serve American

libraries, have resulted in the ad hoc development of a worldwide

bibliographic apparatus of great potential significance to all coun-

tries.

Recommendation #9

That judicious experiments be made with pilot or demonstra-

tion libraries of various types established and operated by

agencies of the U.S. government and designed to illustratethe best in American library service in a real situation.

A child who has never seen any book except a textbook is notlikely to develop the reading habit. A government official who hasnever had the kind of access to useful information that a modern li-brary can provide is not likely to understand why libraries are essen-tial to his country's development. Limited experience with demonstra-tion libraries suggests that they are not so often spontaneouslyimitated as one might wish, but models of this sort seem essential. -

Further experiments are needed, involving more imaginative innova-tion and response to local conditions.

To transplant to a country with ninety per cent illiteracy atypical library from an affluent American suburb is obvious folly.What is needed in this sort of country is an imaginative multi-mediaprogram to move primitive societies toward effective use of recordedinformation, what has been described as a kind of humanisticallyoriented county agent program. This is precisely the kind of approachtoward which progressive American librarianship is oriented, nottoward the stereotype of the library as a warehouse full of books.

The distinction between demonstration and service is arbitrary.A library begun as a demonstration can hopefully be taken over as acontinuing institution by local agencies. AID, for example, mightexperiment with model technical libraries which might gradually becomeself-sufficient in providing the necessary information

base for tech-

nical development as AID phases out its activities in those countries.

The USIS libraries have served a demonstration function in part,but their role is ambiguous. Our next recommendation concerns them.

Recommendation #10

That the Secretary of State arrange for and receive animpartial and independent study of all aspects of the

purpose, role, operation, staffing, collections, services,

and administration of the Government's libraries overseas

which are now the responsibility of the U.S. Information

Agency.

The ISIS libraries have been remarkably successful in ways per-

haps beyond their assigned mission. Whether they have been able to

influence public attitudes on immediate issues must be determined by

experts in another field. But the best of them, operated by skilled

American librarians, have helped meet real needs and in the process

have demonstrated elements of modern library service to large numbers

of people. The progressive downgrading of the importance of USIS

library programs in recent years is illustrated by the closing of

libraries in Europe and the reduced number of American librarians

managing USIS Libraries overseas. To many people, this seems poor

policy.

But their very success has led to frustrations, to expectations

which cannot be fulfilled. For one reason or another the scope of

their collections is limited in what must seem to the user an arti-

ficial and arbitrary manner. The ministry in New Delhi which has come

to depend on the USIS library is disappointed when its needs move into

the scientific and technical field. The student in Tehran who has not

mastered English but who has discovered the magic of reading soon runs

through the books in Farsee. The civil servant in Tokyo studying

American political institutions finds the American view of America but

not often the critical views of others.

In other words, the USIS libraries in spite of all their virtues

are considerably less than demonstrations of the way in which an

American-style library can nourish the spirit of free inquiry. The

reader's possible suspicion that he is being used, being given a

single point of view only, may grow into a distrust of the library as

an institution. If this happens, we have lost an opportunity to demon-

strate the American-style library as an instrument of progress.

No American community would support a public library which limited

itself to promoting a single political point of view. We believe that

the actual demonstration abroad of this reality of American democracy,

the tolerance and encouragement of diversity, is a more appropriate

and effective role for US libraries overseas than the distribution of

propaganda. We question the compatability of this role with the mis-

sion of the USIS as it has been conceived in the last fifteen years

or so.

44

It has been proposed that the operation of American librariesabroad be transferred from the U.S.I.A. to a new independent agency ofthe sort discussed by the Rusk Committee, in order to make it clearthat they are not intended to be instruments of propaganda. This sug-gestion has obvious merit, but to adopt it, there would first have tobe a new agency, and then a whole new rationale for operating overseaslibraries at all would have to be developed. They might be operatedto help fill the information needs of the country, to provide demon-strations of modern libraries as we have suggested, or to serve otherfunctions.

This sub-committee feels that the problem is so important thatit proposes a full-scale study. In the meantime it urges that inspite of any doubts that exist, the USIS libraries be supportedvigorously until a better program can be devised.

William S. Dix, Panel ChairmanLibrarian, Princeton University

Library

Panel Members:

Emerson GreenawayDirector, Free Library of Philadelphia

Dan LacySenior Vice President, McGraw-Hill

Book Company, Inc.

Theodore WallerPresidentGrolier Educational Corporation

45

Attachment I

Recommendations for Library Development in the Emerging Nations

(Based on a meeting of experts on overseas library development,

Washington, Oct. 10-11t) The President's National Policy Statement

on International Book and Library Activities has given high priority

to book and library programs. The free flow of information found in

books and ready access to such information through libraries is essen-

tial for emerging nations which need to use the knowledge and tech-

nology of more advanced nations. For the above reasons the American

Library Association recommends action in a number of areas with regard

to book and library development.

In the recommendations that follow, the phrases "library program","library service", and "library development" refer to library-centered

operations -- not to book programs. The distinction is an important

one. A textbook distribution program usually relates to the provision

of multiple copies of textbooks to students for concentrated use as

a learning tool in the classroom. A textbook program can be built

around a single book -- with thousands of copies of that book dis-

tributed to students or to schools.

In contrast, a library program has to do with building collections

of many different books, arranged for use in some manner that is

convenient for the intended users. A textbook is that single book

from which a student learns his course lessons. A library is the

facility where he goes for exposure to many books.

Library development has to do with the establishment or improvement

of library collections that are multi-title as a basic principle. A

library is an adjunct to the classroom. It provides the broader,"collateral" reading that enriches the modern curriculum at any level

and facilitates self-learning by users. Outside the context of the

school and the college, public libraries provide for adult information

and reading needs, again on a multi-title basis; special libraries

meet the expanding literature needs of professionals in medicine,

public health, science, industry, management, communications, etc.

Library programs relate to: organizing books, periodicals and allied

materials for rapid, maximum use by a multi-purpose clientele. Library

materials and services can often be better teaching and learning

devices than textbooks.

I. Planning:

Library service and its development must be part of a national educa-

tional plan -- taking into account the total educational system, the

adult population and government-sponsored research institutions.

* 1967

46

Total library planning should include services of the following:

1) A national library, or national library agency

2) University libraries

3) Special libraries in government and industry,

including documentation centers

4) School libraries5) Public libraries6) Library schools

There should be . substantial effort to strengthen the library staff

and collections of institutions and organizations most directly con-

cerned with the national growth process. Such libraries would include

those of universities, technical institutions, productivity centers,export promotion centers, development banks, central statistical

offices, colleges and secondary schools, and national training insti-tutions.

Library development has always been an integral part of educational

and other technical cooperation efforts of USAID, private foundations

and international organizations. For example, AID has established

at least 17 university libraries under such developmental projects.

Libraries of many more institutions have been assisted through shelf

enrichment, staff training, and library management consulting services.

The libraries of many institutions which are not part of a develop-

mental project of the donor agencies are not assisted, even though

they are of the greatest importance to national growth. There is a

necessity to relate the needs of these institutions to an overall

nationwide plan of library service.

If a host government does not have such a nationwide plan, we urge

that the A.I.D. mission assist the government in creating such a

plan and in providing for its implementation as a first and most

essential step.

In any project to strengthen an educational institution, a survey of

library services and resources should be made as early as possible

in the planning process, and immediate measures should be taken tocorrect deficiencies found. Educators are more familiar with build-

ings, laboratory equipment, training aids and textbooks. Library

services are less understood and the absence of such services often

frustrates those who do not have the expertise to resolve these dif-

ficulties. This frustration is compounded when one realizes that

efforts to reform an education system are often ineffective without

good library service. A normal reaction of the educator or govern-

ment official is to order a large number of books in the hope that

quantity will bring results. Purchase of books without adequateprovisions for their effective use is wasteful and rarely achieves

the desired results.

The planning process should include discussions with officials ofother U. S. agencies, foreign governments, international agencies,foundations, and voluntary organizations. AID/W, through the ALAbackstopping contract, should assist posts to obtain external fundingfor well-written proposals which the field might prepare. Emphasisshould be on regional or multi-donor projects wherever possible.

Library consultants who make surveys during the planning stages ofany project should have an advisory role during the implementationof their recommendations. Consultant contracts should be so writtenas to include this needed and added service.

Planning is a continuum, and the original plan must be revised aschange occurs or experience indicates conditions other than those whichwere anticipated. Planning is not limited to the nations level, butshould be understood as the work responsibility of all librarians atevery level of librarianship. Such concepts must become part of thelibrarian's early education.

Library leaders must relate their library services to economic andsocial needs and the nation's development plan in order to obtaincontinued administrative support and funding from government ministries.They must prove the effectiveness of library service, making the mostof the limited resources of personnel and funds available to them.

II. Training:

In an emerging nation there is a need to educate host government of-ficials to the function and value of library service in nationaleconomic growth, social betterment, and political stability of acountry. As part of that education, officials should be urged toprovide adequate and continuing funds for library developmentalprojects. The best lesson for these officials is effective libraryservice, be it in a pilot program or in an established institution.

There is also a need to improve the professional knowledge and skillsof librarians so that they may better assume the responsibilities ofenlarged programs of library services and understand their role inthe nation's educational plan. Such training should include:

a) Workshops, seminars, summer training programs for the

rapid preparation of school librarians, librarytechnicians and library staff members.

b) Professional library education within the country, ifpossible, or in a neighboring country. The kind of

education given will necessarily vary according to

local conditions. It should, however, be professional

education and not vocational or technician-type training.

48

c) Advanced professional development at the graduate level

at a U. S. university or by study tours in the U. S. Orthird countries. This method of training would be given

to selected leaders.

III. National Library Development Agency:

In each country there should be an institution or agency to exert

professional leadership. The nature of such an agency will vary from

country to country. It may be a national library, a library bureau,

. library association, or some other such institution. It will

usually perform library activities which can best be done centrally,such as: provide a deposit for copyright collections, compile a na-

tional bibliography, be a center for the international exchange of

official publications, establish standards of library service and edu-cation, and provide leadership for library development and the imple-

mentations of the national plan. Such an agency usually works with

and advises executive and legislative bodies in the preparation ofbudgets and in the writing of enabling legislation for matters re-

lating to library services.

IV. Development of Collections and Services:

The acquisition of books in the libraries of emerging nations should

be orderly and appropriate to needs. The goals of collections and

services must relate to the identified needs of the community. Donated

books, gifts, and exchanges are not effective means of building a

library collection unless local selection of titles is part of the

acquisition process. The programs of the U. S. Book Exchange and the

National Academy of Sciences are particularly valuable because they

have this element of local selection. Concurrent with the development

of collections of books, periodicals, documents, and the other media

for the exchange of information, the librarian must know the informa-

tion needs of his "customers", and be aggressive in informing these

individuals of the information in his library which these individualsneed and the existence of which they are likely to be unaware.

V. Demonstration:

A pilot library, easily accessible to the book-using segment of the

population, has proven to be effective in stimulating library andbook development. Such pilot libraries may be a central or faculty

library in a university; a school library system serving several

schools, a public library system serving a given city or region.

It has been effective, on occasion, to locate a public library in a

school building where neither the school nor public library alone

could support a trained librarian. Bookmobiles have also proven to

be effective demonstration units in both urban and rural areas.

49

Travel funds should be available in any demonstration project toenable opinion-molders to see the demonstration activity, and thereshould be provisions in the original funding to update the projectfrom time to time.

The availability and use of excess foreign currencies are an advantagein planning demonstration units in certain countries.

It is wiser to concentrate limited funds and human resources on ef-forts to improve a single or a few institutions which are good andcapable of becoming areas of excellence with additional support.

VI. Mechanism for Coordination:

In developing nations where funds and trained personnel are so scarce,

libraries must cooperate to make the greatest use of limited resourcesand to help eliminate deficiencies. Material anywhere in the countryshould be available to all through interlibrary loan. Small librariesshould be consolidated into larger systems or regional networks.Administrative functions, reference service, cataloging and acquisitionshould be done centrally whenever feasible.

VII. Evaluation:

The results of any program should be reported and measured continually.Original plans and programs should be modified in the light of experi-ence.

Statistics are useful when used wisely. The long-range social andeconomic benefits of libraries and books use in development must also

be evaluated. Such results are not easily and readily quantified with

statistics, particularly in countries with inadequate census data;however, logical projections of achievements in relation to cost must

be made if one wishes to receive the acceptance and support by a

national planning body for any library development project.

50

Attachment 2

September 8, 1969

MEMORANDUM

TO: The Honorable Elliot L. Richardson

Under SecretaryDepartment of State

SUBJECT: The American Library Presence Abroad

The report prepared by the Panel of the Government AdvisoryCommittee on International Book and Library Programs is stimulating.It is consistent with A.I.D.'R plans for continuing and expandingits work in the field of libraries. A.I.D.'s extensive programs inthe book and library area are carried on under priorities determinedwithin the framework of individual country programs and have suf-fered in recent years as all of our other activities from a shortageof funds.

As proposed in Recommendation #2, we have designated the officerwho monitors our contract with the American Library Association -sthe Agency's Library Development Officer. This function will betransferred shortly to the new Technical Assistance Bureau where itwill receive greater attention and organizational support than inthe past. This contract with the American Library Association pro-vides access to consultants on library development which respondsto the third recommendation.

A.I.D. is already working through many of the organizationscited in Recommendation #4 and is continuously exploring ways tocooperate further with the private sector in carrying out ourprogram.

Librarianship training and expansion of library collections arecustomarily given high priority within A.I.D. educational and librarydevelopment programs and this will continue.

/signed/ John A. HannahAdministrator

Agency for InternationalDevelopment

UNITED STATES INFORMATION AGENCY

4WASHINGTON 20547

OFHE CO September 26, 1969THE| DIRECTOR

Dear Elliot:

The report of the Government Advisory Committee onInternational Book and Library Programs which you transmittedwith your letter of August 12, 1969, has some interesting 'implications that deserve very serious consideration. I waspresent at the July meeting when this report was discussed andoffered a few comments which are a matter of record. Most

of the recommendations of the Committee, however, do not fall

within the present charter of the U. S. Information Agency.

We regard the USIA library as a very important element inour total operation. It is, in fact, the visible institutional base

for our principal cultural activities including the all-important

personal contacts between our representatives and leaders in

the educational, cultural, and governmental institutions of the

countries in which we operate. While it is quite true that in many

countries, particularly in Western Europe and Japan, we do not

operate or support as many libraries as we did at some time in

the past, it is not correct to conclude that we have downgraded

the role of our libraries. We have very recently created a task

force, chaired by one of our most experienced senior officers, to

re-examine the place of the library and to chart a course for the

next five years, including an estimate of the funds required for

an optimum library undertaking within our present statutory

authority and the intent of the Congress as it has evolved and

been clearly articulated during the past two decades. This 'is, of

course, a somewhat less sweeping study than that contemplated

The Honorable

Elliot L. Richardson

Under Secretary of State

52

by the Committee's Recommendation No. 10, which I assume would

be the concern of Roy Ash's group. If an independent study of the

kind contemplated by Recommendation No. 10 is made, we will, of

course, be happy to cooperate fully with those who make the study.

I hope you will convey to the Committee our thanks fordirecting its attention to the role of and need for libraries abroadand our assurance that the report will receive the careful attentionof our task force.

Sincerely, / /

/ ran S/ /",

Frank Shakespeare