The Library Services and Construction Act, enacted in 1964 by the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

, provides federal assistance to

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

in the United States for the purpose of improving or implementing library services or undertaking construction projects. The 88th U.S. Congress passed the S. 2265 bill which the 36th President of the United States

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

enacted into law on February 11, 1964.

History

Since public libraries depended on local taxes, sometimes there would be a struggle for funding, especially in rural areas. After the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

in 1929 and the creation of the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

in 1935, part of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, the

American Library Association (ALA) The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

realized federal funding was the best solution. Carleton Joeckel headed the committee on Post-War Standards for Public Libraries in 1943. In 1948 Joeckel and Amy Winslow wrote ''A National Plan for Public Library Service'' published by the American Library Association. In 1956, the ALA was finally able to persuade Congress to pass the Library Services Act, which provided funds for public library initiatives but did not extend to buildings or land.

Aim

Influenced by the civil rights movement of the 1960s, a primary aim of the Library Services and Construction Act was to provide funding for underserved and/or disadvantaged communities in need of library service. Some of these groups include but are not limited to the institutionalized, the physically handicapped, low-income families, senior citizens, and ethnic minorities.Bruce E. Daniels. "In Defense of LSCA. (Library Services and Construction Act)". ''American Libraries'' v20.n8 (Sept 1989): pp741(3).

Reauthorizations

In its thirty-year history, the Library Services and Construction Act has undergone numerous reauthorizations. Each amendment has been dictated by changing needs in the library community, and these needs have been identified and voiced by state librarians and public library directors alike. Some of these amendments include appropriations for

literacy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

programs and the acquisition of foreign-language materials. While changes to the Library Services and Construction Act have sought to keep this piece of legislation current, through the years many have voiced opposition to certain aspects of this act.

Modifications

Federally funded, many programs for the purpose of educational and social development have more traditionally been a fiscal responsibility of each individual

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

. Though with shrinking state budgets, a shift to a state-funded program for library services and construction seemed somewhat unfeasible. Additionally, a re-examination of which library services should be preserved and which should be abandoned has been suggested. Perhaps as a result of this opposition, in 1995 the LSCA was replaced by the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), dropping construction from the federal funding available.

Funded programs

Its change of title in 1995 notwithstanding, numerous library programs and services have been initiated by funds through the Library Services and Construction Act, and continue to depend on those funds for their existence. An example of one program funded through the LSCA is Project PLUS (Promoting Larger Units of Service). This program uses federal funding so that library systems can demonstrate the services of a library to a group of unserved residents, so that they may experience what services and resources would be available to them if a referendum was passed in their community and a library was established.Sarah Rohrer. "LSCA: A History of Innovation and Cooperation in Illinois Library Services". ''Illinois Libraries'' v80.n3 (Summer 1998): pp.177-179. While programs such as Project PLUS have provided success stories from the funds provided by the LSCA, discussion will undoubtedly continue as to the legitimacy and necessity of federal funds for libraries throughout the country.

References

{{reflist 1964 in American law 88th United States Congress Library law United States federal legislation American librarianship and human rights