Volume 91 · 1151
Public Law 95–129
To provide for the establishment of a Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and for other purposes.
Approved October 13, 1977
Statutory text
An Act
To provide for the establishment of a Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. declaration of findings and purpose
The Congress hereby finds and declares—
that the Congress of the United States on April 24, 1800, established for itself a library of the Congress;
that in 1815, the Congress purchased the personal library of the third President of the United States which contained materials on every science known to man and described such a collection as a “substratum of a great national library”;
that the Congress of the United States in recognition of the importance of printing and its impact on America purchased the Gutenberg Bible in 1930 for the Nation for placement in the Library of Congress;
that the Congress of the United States has through statute and appropriations made this library accessible to any member of the public;
that this collection of books and other library materials has now become one of the greatest libraries in civilization;
that the book and the printed word have had the most profound influence on American civilization and learning and have been the very foundation on which our democratic principles have survived through our two hundred-year history;
that in the year 1977, the Congress of the United States assembled hereby declares its reaffirmation of the importance of the printed word and the book and recognizes the importance of a Center for the Book to the continued study and development of written record as central to our understanding of ourselves and our world.
It is therefore the purpose of this Act to establish a Center for the Book in the Library of Congress to provide a program for the investigation of the transmission of human knowledge and to heighten public interest in the role of books and printing in the diffusion of this knowledge.
Sec. 2. definitions
As used in this Act—
the term Center means the Center for the Book;
the term Librarian means the Librarian of Congress.
Sec. 3. establishment of the center
There is hereby established in the Library of Congress a
Center for the Book.
The Center shall be under the direction of the Librarian of Congress.
Sec. 4. function of the center
The Librarian through the Center shall stimulate public interest and research in the role of the book in the diffusion of knowledge through such activities as a visiting scholar program accompanied by lectures, exhibits, publications, and any other related activities.
Sec. 5. administrative provisions
The Librarian of Congress, in carrying out the Center’s functions, is authorized to—
prescribe such regulations as he deems necessary;
receive money and other property donated, bequeathed, or devised for the purposes of the Center, and to use, sell, or otherwise dispose of such property for the purposes of carrying out the Center’s functions, without reference to Federal disposal statutes; and
accept and utilize the services of voluntary and noncompensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses, including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
Approved October 13, 1977.