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Reports that a shipment of books from the Cleveland Public Library to Book Preservation Associates (BPA) in Linden, N.J. which will be a test for the hundreds of libraries seeking a safe, affordable, and effective means of deacidifying massive numbers of deteriorating volumes. Details of what kind of books were sent, such as where they were printed; Reasons why the library chose BPA over other companies; Problems with the DEZ (Diethyl zinc) process from the Library of Congress; Desirable pH range for paper.

Reports library-related news briefs from the U.S. Announcement by the Washington, D.C. Public Library that it has rescinded a plan to reduce its hours after Mayor Anthony A. Williams restored more than half of a proposed budget cut; Trust fund erosion at the Lodi Public Library in California due to performance of the volatile stock market; Statement from Virginia Attorney General Jerry W. Kilgore that he no longer wants to serve as counsel to the Library of Virginia for a dispute over the papers of former Governor Jim Gilmore; Others.

This paper highlights results of the survey conducted by American Libraries journal on the economic climate of public libraries throughout the U.S. in 1991. The assessments of economic health ranged from good to grim, dire and critical. Some states cited difficult times, but indicated that the condition, rather than being caused by the current recession, was chronic: South Dakota State Librarian Jane Kolbe, for example, characterized her state's current status as about the same as usual, poor. The hardest-hit region is the Northeast, where the economy has been in a slump for over a year, with no upturn in sight. New York State Librarian Joseph Shubert reported that in the face of the state's $6 million deficit, Governor Mario Cuomo has proposed 10 percent reductions in state agencies' spending and state aid to localities. Pennsylvania also faces a revenue shortfall--$731 million for the current fiscal year--forcing Governor Robert P. Casey to implement budget reduction measures, including a $2 million reduction in state aid to libraries. In New Mexico, the continuing slump in oil and gas severance taxes has reduced state government revenues, so funding for new library programs is unlikely. In South Carolina, state aid to libraries has been reduced twice during the current fiscal year. INSET: Poll tax creates crisis in British library funding.

The article discusses the American Library Association's (ALA's) report titled "National Impact of Library Public Programs Assessment (NILPPA), Phase 1: A White Paper on the Dimensions of Library Programs and the Skills and Training for Library Program Professional."

Reports news related to libraries in the U.S. Dispute between former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore and the state library about papers that Gilmore allegedly is withholding; How public libraries in Hawaii will handle a $424,504 budget reduction; Conviction of Vaughn Ross in Lubbock, Texas, for the double homicide death of Texas Tech University associate dean of libraries Douglas Birdsall and Viola Ross McVade, a local woman; Others.

Several statistics about presidential libraries in the U.S. are presented, including the number of hours of recorded telephone conversations collected by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, the number of pages of historical records and papers at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, and the year the Presidential Library system started.

This paper presents an update on the field of library science in the U.S. as of May 1991. Glendale (Arizona) Public Library recently won the 1990 Arizona Humanities Council Award for Excellence in the Distinguished Organization category. Zanker Elementary School library, Milpitas, California, was able to raise $10,000 for books and furniture in a recent drive thanks to a unique contest: a personal appearance by Ronnie Lott, San Francisco 49er defensive back, at the company making the largest donation, along with an autographed football and 1991 season opener tickets. Columbus (Ohio) Metropolitan Library issued 9,713 new library cards in the first two months of 1991, more than double the number issued in January and February 1990. A study of cooperative development of research library collections and services--$100,000 to the Triangle Research Libraries Network from the Council on Library Resources. By May 15, 1991: Grants ranging from $2,5000 to $125,000 to acquire foreign-language materials from the U.S. Department of Education. Eligible are state and public library systems. By June 1, 1991: Two National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships of up to $30,000 each for six to 12 months of independent humanities research that results in published findings or scholarly lectures or presentations.