Nationwide interest in restoring excellence to education continued into 1984, but made no dent in the Reagan administration's determination to eliminate federal library programs. Congress is again resisting this third year of zero budgets, despite efforts to contain soaring federal deficits. Few issues pending in this second session of the 98th Congress have been resolved. Library Services and Construction Act reauthorization appears likely to make it through the process, but efforts in the House to get a head start on Higher Education Act reauthorization have been dropped. Measures to provide a mass book deacidification facility for the Library of Congress, extend the Medical Library Assistance Act, and give independence to the National Archives are pending. There are continuing efforts to restrict, directly or indirectly, access to government information through administration policy in such areas as contracting out of federal activities, federal information management, lobbying by nonprofit organizations, information relating to national security, paperwork reduction, pay equity, and standards for federal librarians. Telecommunications access charges and divestiture related tariffs were, for the most part, postponed and there were congressional efforts to mitigate the impact of pending increases in the cost of private leased lines used by libraries to transmit bibliographic data. A funding table and status of legislation chart are appended. (DMC)