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Mr. Preyer. The only comment I would make about that is that I hope you are not being too rigid in what is considered to be of historical value so that you do not eliminate things, like the Bess Truman film clip we saw the other day, on the grounds that it is frivolous.
I guess James Boswell changed the whole history of the writing of biography. He was greatly criticized for it when he wrote about Dr. Johnson because he put in all the details of his life which were regarded as beneath the dignity of biography before that time, and that is exactly why we read it today. So, I think a lot of the details, the minutiae, could be historically very important.
Dr. Rhoads. You put your finger on a dilemma that we have. We do not want to stretch our legal authority too far. I think there are some who feel that maybe we have interpreted a little bit too liberally. On the other hand, you are quite right; there are things that might not meet our criteria that do have some interest as social history. So, we walk a kind of fine line there and hope that we do a judicious job of making those decisions.
Mr. Preyer. Is that a notice quoi'um ? Mr. Kindness. Yes.
Mr. Preyer. Then I will recognize Mr. Butler at this time. Mr. Butler. Thank you, Mr. Chainnan.
Wiiat is involved in converting or creating a film laboratory ? Does that involve substantial capital expenditure or physical changes?
Mr. Rhoads. Mr. Landers, perhaps, can be more specific about that than I can.
Mr. Landers. I would say fairly substantial but not a fortune. AVe have had a lab in the basement of the Archives building for several yeai*s. From time to time, we have modified it and remodeled it. If you are talking about construction expenses, or purchase of new printer machines, or new devices, the old ones are not as good as the new ones sometimes, or the old ones wear out.
Were you thinking that we ought to build a new laboratory someplace out in the woods ?
Mr. Butler. No. Is there not a supplemental request to turn one of the buiTied-out vault areas into a film laboratory ? Dr. Rhoads. That is encompassed in our supplemental request — ^yes. Mr. Blttler, Does the Libraiy of Congress have a film laboratory, also?
Dr. Rhoads. The Library of Congress is developing, or perhaps expanding, its nitrate film conversion facilities at Wright-Patterson Field in Dayton, Ohio.
It is my understanding — and Mr. Curran will be the best witness about this — that they expect this to be completed in the summer of 1980, and we hope to have our motion picture film convei-sion completed by the fall of 1980.
Mr. Butler. You do not feel that we are duplicating effort in this regard — or expense?
Dr. Rhoads. I think that the Library of Congress has enough nitrate film to be converted that they can probably run full tilt in their new facilities, and we can do the same.
Mr. Butler. So, you really think we need two ? Dr. Rhoads. I think we do, unless we really want to take the risk of prolonging this process. Given what has happened over the last