Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-15
Early Hearings
Due on National
Medical Library
Senators Propose
$6.3 Million Building;
Bethesda Site Urged

prompt Senate hearings were
in sight today on a bill to create
a National Library of Medicine
and give the new agency ade-
Iquate modern quarters.
The measure was introduced
last Tuesday by Democratic Sem
|ators Hill of Alabama and Ken
nedy. of Massachusetts. Speak
ling from the Senate floor. botf
Legislators spoke of the urgent
need for it's passage.
The nearest approach to such
an institution at present is the
Armed Forces Medical Library
This is housed in a 67-year-olo
structure at Seventh street ano
independence avenue S.W. that
lis dilapidated and nowhere neal
big enough to house the $4,000
bound volumeS-one of the
worlds finest collections.
Money Authorized Four Times
Planning money for a new
building for the Armed Forces
Library, which would form the
nucleus of the proposed agency
has been authorized four times
Authorization was voted as Ions
Iago as 1920 and as recently as
last year when the planning sum
was placed at $350.000.
Since the library operation i
part of the Department of De
Tense. however. its authorized
funds invariably have been ap
1plied to other department need'
deemed more important mill.
tarily.
The Hill-Kennedy bill woulc
separate the medical library
from this budgetary shuttle anc
establish the new agency on {
basis more nearly independent
+ While the measure specifies it,
creation as an independent" eS-
Establishment. Senator Hill sale
that he is not welded" to that
Idea. This leaves open the pos.
sibility of the library becoming
a part of the United States Pub.
lie Health Service. 1t has beer
suggested that the proposed
agency function under TIT
Smithsonian Institution, bu'
some quarters find the propose
Objectionable.
The bill. supported universally
by the medical and allied profes.
sions, would establish a l7-mem.
Der board of regents consisting
of Federal officials. serving ex.
offlcio. and private professions
men and laymen appointed b.
the President.
S6.s Million Building Cost
| The board would appoint thu
library director and would bt
clearly authorized and directed
to prepare plans and construc
a library building. In order tt
be of maximum benefit, thu
building would be located in {
spot convenient for those persons
most concerned with the Ma.
tons health affairs.
The library board would alst
be allowed to accept gifts, be-
quests and other contributions.
Estimated cost of an adequate
building is $6.3 million. Author
tiles are inclined to favor a To-
cation near the National Insti.
tutes of Health and the Nava
Hospital at Bethesda. two of the
Nations largest centers of re
search and treatment.
1t. Col. Frank B. Rogers, di-
rector of the Armed Forces Med
ical Library, estimates that the
operations cost of big new
library would probably total nc
more than 100000 higher thar
the present $1.2 million annual
expenditure for that purpose.
The existing quarters for the
armed forces collection have
been branded by Public Build
Iings Services as one of the three
worst fire hazards among Wash
Iington's public buildings. The
Hoover Commission last year
vigorously urged a National
medical library.