Executive Order 11301—Establishing the President's Committee on Libraries and the National Advisory Commission on Libraries

By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows:

SECTION 1. Establishment of Committee. (a) There is hereby established the President's Committee on Libraries (hereinafter referred to as the "Committee").

(b) The membership of the Committee shall consist of the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, who shall be the Chairman of the Committee, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology, and the Director of the National Science Foundation, and may include, in addition, the Librarian of Congress who is hereby invited to be a member of the Committee. Each member of the Committee may designate an alternate, who shall serve as a member of the Committee whenever the regular member is unable to attend any meeting of the Committee.

SEC. 2. Duties of the Committee. (a) The Committee shall:

(1) Appraise the role of libraries as resources for scholarly pursuits, as centers for the dissemination of knowledge, and as components of the Nation's rapidly evolving communications and information-exchange network;

(2) Evaluate policies, programs, and practices of public agencies and private institutions and organizations with reference to maximum effective and efficient use of the Nation's library resources; and

(3) Develop recommendations for action by Government or by private institutions and organizations designed to ensure an effective and efficient library system for the Nation.

(b) Such recommendations shall take into account the final report of the National Advisory Commission on Libraries established by Section 3 of this order, which report shall be transmitted to the President with the recommendations of the Committee.

SEC. 3. Establishment of Commission. (a) To assist the Committee in carrying out its functions under Section 2 of this order, there is hereby established the National Advisory Commission on Libraries (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission").

(b) The Commission shall be composed of not more than twenty members appointed by the President, none of whom shall be officers or full-time employees of the Federal Government. The President shall designate the Chairman of the Commission from among its members.

(c) The Commission shall meet on call of the Chairman.

(d) Each member of the Commission may be compensated for each day such member is engaged upon work of the Commission, and shall be reimbursed for travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 55a; 5 U.S.C. 73b-2) for persons in the Government service employed intermittently.

SEC. 4. Duties of the Commission. (a) The Commission shall transmit to the Committee its independent analysis, evaluation, and recommendations with respect to all matters assigned to the Committee for study and recommendations.

(b) In carrying out its duties under subsection (a), above, the Commission shall:

(1) Make a comprehensive study and appraisal of the role of libraries as resources for scholarly pursuits, as centers for the dissemination of knowledge, and as components of the evolving national information systems;

(2) Appraise the policies, programs, and practices of public agencies and private institutions and organizations, together with other factors, which have a bearing on the role and effective utilization of libraries;

(3) Appraise library funding, including Federal support of libraries, to determine how funds available for the construction and support of libraries and library services can be more effectively and efficiently utilized; and

(4) Develop recommendations for action by Government or private institutions and organizations designed to ensure an effective and efficient library system for the Nation.

(c) The Commission shall submit its final report and recommendations to the Committee no later than one year after the date of its first meeting, and shall make such interim reports as it deems appropriate for improving the utilization of library resources.

SEC. 5. Federal departments and agencies. (a) The Committee or the Commission is authorized to request from any Federal department or agency any information deemed necessary to carry out its functions under this order; and each department or agency is authorized, consistent with law and within the limits of available funds, to furnish such information to the Committee or the Commission.

(b) Each department or other executive agency the head of which is named in Section 1 (b) of this order shall, as may be necessary, furnish assistance to the Committee or the Commission in accordance with the provisions of Section 214 of the Act of May 3, 1945 (59 Stat. 134; 31 U.S.C. 691), or as otherwise permitted by law.

(c) The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare is hereby designated as the agency which shall provide administrative services for the Commission.

SEC. 6. Termination of the Committee and the Commission. The Committee and the Commission shall terminate ninety days after the final report of the Commission is submitted to the Committee.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

The White House

September 2, 1966