Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 1.djvu/946

 104 STAT. 912 PUBLIC LAW 101-423—OCT. 12, 1990 Public Law 101-423 101st Congress Joint Resolution Oct. 12, 1990 To establish a national policy on permanent papers. [S.J. Res. 57] 44 USC 509 note. Whereas it is now widely recognized and scientifically demonstrated that the acidic papers commonly used for more than a century in documents, books, and other publications are self-destructing and will continue to self destruct; Whereas Americans are facing the prospect of continuing to lose national, historical, scientific, and scholarly records, including government records, faster than salvage efforts can be mounted despite the dedicated efforts of many libraries, archives, and agencies, such as the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration; Whereas nationwide hundreds of millions of dollars will have to be spent by the Federal, State, and local governments and private institutions to salvage the most essential books and other materials in the libraries and archives of government, academic, and private institutions; Whereas paper manufacturers can produce a sufficient supply of acid free permanent papers with a life of several hundred years, at prices competitive with acid papers, if publishers would specify the use of such papers, and some publishers and many university presses are already publishing on acid free permanent papers; Whereas most Government agencies do not require the use of acid free permanent papers for appropriate Federal records and publications; Whereas librarians, publishers, and other professional groups have urged the use of acid free permanent papers; Whereas even when books are printed on acid free permanent paper this fact is often not made faiown to libraries by notations in the book or by notations in standard bibliographic listings; and Whereas there is an urgent need to prevent the continuance of the acid paper problem in the future: Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United Historic States of America in Congress assembled, ^UIJSCS'' te SECTION 1. It is the policy of the United States that Federal note, records, books, and publications of enduring value be produced on acid free permanent papers. 44 USC 509 note. SEC. 2. The Congress of the United States urgently recommends that— (1) Federal agencies require the use of acid free permanent papers for publications of enduring value produced by the Government Printing Office or produced by Federal grant or contract, using the specifications for such paper established by the Joint Committee on Printing; (2) Federal agencies require the use of archival quality acid free papers for permanently valuable Federal records and confer with the National Archives and Records Administration on the requirements for paper quality; 49-139 O - 90 (423)

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