================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 81 ISSN 1069-7799 July 7, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (121 lines) - NEW LIBRARY RATES WILL TAKE EFFECT IN JANUARY 1999 - ALA COMMENDS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; SUPPORTS LC BICENTENNIAL COIN BILL; ACTION NEEDED TO SECURE COSPONSORS OF COIN BILL _________________________________________________________________ NEW LIBRARY RATES WILL TAKE EFFECT IN JANUARY 1999 The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors announced on June 30 that new postal rates will be implemented on January 10, 1999. Despite a projected billion-dollar surplus for this year, the Governors accepted the Postal Rate Commission's recommendation for new rates, with a few exceptions. The Governors also concluded that "some uncertainty about the recommended treatment of Library Mail calls for clarification or further action." However, while returning this matter to the Commission, the Governors embraced the practical rate consequences apparently intended by the Postal Rate Commission --that Library Mail, for now, pay the same rates as unpresorted Special Standard Mail (the commercial rate). The Governors said: "For now, we accept the Commission's recommended joint rate schedule under protest, ...and we return the matter for reconsideration." Thus, the library rate to be implemented in January will be a modest increase compared to the steep increase proposed by the U.S. Postal Service when it requested new postal rates in July 1997. ALA entered the ensuing rate case as an intervenor to challenge the requested steep increases in the library postal rate that would have made the nonprofit library rate higher than the commercial book rate. The Postal Service last increased rates on January 1, 1995. The following table illustrates the new library rates that will go into effect on January 10, 1999: PACKAGE CURRENT POSTAGE PRC RECOMMENDATIONS % INCREASE First Pound $ 1.12 $1.13 .89% Each additional lb. through 7 lbs. .42 .45 9.76% Each additional lb. over 7 lbs. .22 .28 27.27% ----------------------------------------------------------------- Typical 3-lb. library rate package $ 1.96 $2.03 3.57% _______________________________________________________________ ALA COMMENDS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS; SUPPORTS LC BICENTENNIAL COIN BILL; ACTION NEEDED TO SECURE COSPONSORS OF COIN BILL ALA Annual Conference attendees in Washington, D.C. last week were impressed by and grateful for the extraordinary support provided by the Library of Congress. The Library hosted the all-conference reception as well as the ALA presidential inaugural dinner, and arranged a broad array of tours, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, presentations, specialist briefings, and other programs specifically for conference goers. On July 1 ALA Council passed a resolution commending the Library of Congress for its support for the conference, expressing gratitude to Librarian of Congress James Billington and all the LC staff, and commending LC "for its generosity in hospitality, for the quality and variety of the opportunities it made available to Annual Conference attendees, for the inclusive nature of the Library's bicentennial plans, and for the outstanding service the Library provides to Congress, to libraries, and to the nation." The Library's focus for its bicentennial celebration in the year 2000 is to emphasize its gifts to the nation and to celebrate the role of all the nation's libraries and the important role they play in society. LC's bicentennial plans include issuance of two commemorative coins, a step that requires Congress to provide authority to the Librarian and the director of the U.S. Mint for such coins. While congressional committee leaders are supportive, the rules require 290 House cosponsors, and the timetable requires action this year. Very few legislative days remain in the session. From the ALA Council floor on July 1, the Council voted to put ALA on record in support of H.R. 3790, The Library of Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act. H.R. 3790 was introduced by Rep. William Thomas (R-CA), chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library. ACTION NEEDED: Please urge your Representative to cosponsor H.R. 3790, The Library of Congress Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act. Many legislators will not cosponsor a bill unless requested by a constituent. Your Representative, or his or her staff on behalf of the legislator, must contact the office of Rep. William Thomas (R-CA) at 202/225-2915 and ask to be listed as a cosponsor of H.R. 3790. All House offices can be reached through the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202/225-3121. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Carol C. Henderson Anne Heanue All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================