The Technology Assessment Act specifies that OTA shall consist of a Technology Assessment Board, a Director and Deputy Director, a Technology Assessment Advisory Council, and such other employees and consultants as may be necessary in the conduct of OTA's work. The Congressional Board sets the policies of the Office and is the sole and exclusive oversight body governing OTA. The Director, who is appointed by the Board for a 6-year term, is the chief executive officer and is responsible solely to the Board, of which he is a member. The function of the Advisory Council is to advise on such technology assessment matters as may be requested by the Technology Assessment Board. The bipartisan 13-member Board includes six Senators appointed by the President pro tempore, six Members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker, and the Director of OTA, who is a nonvoting member. The Board selects a Chairman and a Vice Chairman from among its members at the beginning of each Congress. The Chairmanship and Vice. Chairmanship alternate between the Senate and the House of Representatives with each Congress. The basic function of OTA is to provide congressional committees with assessments or studies that identify the broad range of consequences, social as well as physical, which can be expected to accompany various policy choices affecting the uses of technologies. More specifically, the functions of OTA are to: identify existing or probable impacts of technology or technological programs, and, where possible, ascertain cause-and-effect relationships; identify alternative technological methods of implementing specific programs; identify alternative programs for achieving requisite goals; make estimates and comparisons of the impacts of alternative methods and programs; present findings of completed analyses to the appropriate legislative authorities; identify areas where additional research or data collection is required to provide support for assessments; and undertake such additional associated activities as may be directed. Requests for OTA assessments may be initiated by (1) the chairman of any standing, special, select, or joint committee of the Congress, acting for himself or at the request of the ranking minority member or a majority of the committee members; (2) the Technology Assessment Board; or (3) the OTA Director, in consultation with the Board. In carrying out the provisions of the Technology Assessment Act, the Office cannot operate laboratories, pilot plants, or test facilities. It is authorized to secure directly from any executive department or agency information, suggestions, estimates, statistics, and technical assistance for the purpose of carrying out its functions. According to statute, if certain expertise is required, OTA may request, and the head of any executive department or agency may detail, with or without reimbursement, any of its personnel to assist the Office. The Librarian of Congress is authorized to make available to OTA such services and assistance of the Congressional Research Service as may be appropriate and feasible, and which are similar to the services provided to the Congress. Much in the same manner, the General Accounting Office may be utilized by the Office, and it is authorized to provide to OTA the same kind of assistance that it gives to the Congress. The Office maintains a continuing liaison with the National Science Foundation (NSF) with respect to NSF grants and contracts for technology assessments, and for the purpose of coordinating technology assessment activities. The Congressional Budget Act (88 Stat. 297) requires OTA to assist the Congressional Budget Office on matters concerning Federal science and technology programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) was established by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 302; 2 U.S.C. 601), approved July 12, 1974, which also created a new procedure by which the United States Congress considers and acts upon the annual Federal budget. This new process enables the Congress to have an overview of the Federal budget and to make overall decisions regarding spending and taxing levels and the deficit or surplus these levels incur. Congress is thus provided with a mechanism through which it can weigh the priorities for national resource allocation and explicitly address issues of fiscal policy. The Congressional Budget Office provides Congress with basic budget data and with analyses of alternative fiscal, budgetary, and programmatic policy issues. CBO has specific responsibility for the following: ECONOMIC FORECASTING AND FISCAL The Federal budget both affects and is casts and analyses of economic trends. and alternative fiscal policies. SCOREKEEPING Under the new budget process the Congress establishes, by concurrent resolution, targets (or ceilings) for overall expenditures, budget authority and budget outlays, and for broad functional categories. The Congress also establishes targets (or ceilings) for the levels of revenues, the deficit, and the public debt. CBO "keeps score" for the Congress by monitoring the results of Congressionai action on individual of the new statute are also available from this address. Reports on copyright facts found in the records of the Copyright Office may be obtained for a fee of $5 an hour; any member of the public, however, may use without charge the Copyright Card Catalog in the Copyright Office. CATALOGING DATA DISTRIBUTION Cataloging and bibliographic information in the form of printed catalog cards, book catalogs, magnetic tapes, bibliographies, and other technical publications is distributed to libraries. and other institutions. Kits describing the procedure for ordering materials are available from the Library of Congress, Cataloging Distribution Service Division, Navy Yard Annex Building No. 159, Washington, D.C. 20541. Phone, 202-426-6120. (Library of Congress card numbers for new publications are now assigned by the Cataloging-in-Publication Office. Direct inquiries to Library of Congress, CIP Office, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-6372.) tions, academic institutions, and embassies about Library of Congress services and policies and general reference information are accepted. A pilot project of a nationwide "court of last resort" toll free service for library networks, the National Telephone Reference Service, uses the resources of the Library of Congress in its attempt to answer reference questions beyond the resource capabilities of the 10 participating networks. Persons requiring services which cannot be performed by the Library staff can be supplied with names of private researchers who work on a fee basis. Requests for information should be directed to the Library of Congress, Reader Services Department, General Reference and Bibliography Division, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-5530. RESEARCH AND REFERRAL SERVICES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Reference specialists in the Science and Technology Division answer without charge brief technical inquiries entailing a bibliographic response. Trained personnel also conduct extensive literature searches on a one-time or continuing basis-the service fee is $11 per hour and a minimum fee of $88 is charged. A cost estimate is provided in advance. Inquiries should be directed to the Library of Congress, Assistant Chief for Reference and Referral Services, Science and Technology Division, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-5687. The Division also provides free referral service through its National Referral Center for Science and Technology by directi hose who have a question con a particular subject to organ or individuals that wer. ence service should ibrary of Congress, hnology Division, 20540. Phone, 2021 services are proary of Congress, Na rights ex officio as a nonvoting member, the Commission is charged to study, compile data on, and make recommendations on changes in the copyright law and procedures with respect to the reproduction and use of copyrighted works of authorship "in conjunction with automatic systems capable of storing, processing, retrieving and transferring information," and "the creation of new works by the application or intervention of such automatic systems." As required, a preliminary report to the President and the Congress was made on October 8, 1976, and a final report and recommendations will be made by December 31, 1977. NATIONAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM The Library provides technical information related to the preservation and restoration of library and archival material. New techniques for preservation or restoration are developed and tested in the Restoration Laboratory. Seminars on preservation theory and technique are sponsored by the Library, and a series of free leaflets devoted to the conservation of books, manuscripts, prints, drawings, and other archival material has been prepared by the Preservation Office. Information and publications are available from the Library of Congress, Office of the Assistant Director for Preservation, Administrative Department, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-5213. Sources of Information CONTRACTS Persons seeking to do business with the Library of Congress should contact the Library of Congress, Procurement and Supply Division, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-5180. PUBLICATIONS AND FILMS A list of Library of Congress Publications in Print, many of which are of interest to the general public, is availa ble free upon application to the Central Services Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540. A monthly Calendar of Events, listing programs and exhibits at the Library of Congress, can be mailed regularly to persons requesting it from the same office. A 16 mm. color film entitled "Library of Congress" produced in 1968 by the Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation in cooperation with the Library of Congress is available for loan to libraries and other organizations through the Library of Congress, Loan Division, Washington, D.C. 20540. The film is 23 minutes in length. EMPLOYMENT Employment inquiries and applications should be directed to the Library of Congress, Recruitment and Placement Office, Washington, D.C. 20540. Phone, 202-426-5620. Graduate library schools accredited by the American Library Association may direct questions about the Special Recruit Program to the same office. BOOKS FOR THE BLIND AND Talking books, books in braille, and books on tape are distributed through 56 regional libraries to blind and physically handicapped residents of the United States and its territories. Information is available at public libraries throughout the United States and from the headquarters office, Library of Congress, Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 1291 Taylor Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20542. Phone, 202-882-5500. COPYRIGHT SERVICE Information about the current copyright law, the method of securing copyright, and the procedures for making registrations is available from the Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 1921 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va. 20559. Phone, 703-557-8700. Information on the new copyright law (effective January 1, 1978) and copies |