$25 million for Library of Congress to develop National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program

Citation

Fitzsimons, E. (2001), "$25 million for Library of Congress to develop National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program", The Bottom Line, Vol. 14 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2001.17014bab.007

$25 million for Library of Congress to develop National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program

$25 million for Library of Congress to develop National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program

Keywords: Federal government, USA, Libraries, Internet, Archives

Dateline: Washington, DC

In response to a National Academy of Sciences report calling for the Library of Congress (LC) to take the lead in developing a national effort to archive and preserve digital information, Congress appropriated $25 million for LC to develop the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program in collaboration with other federal agencies, and private libraries and institutions with expertise in the collection and maintenance of digital archives. In addition to the $25 million, over the next two years Congress will match private funds raised for the project, up to $75 million. The library's five-year plan covers content (digitization, plus collection of digital material), technical infrastructure (development of standards), and access (e.g. the Collaborative Digital Reference Service). "Just as the Congress enabled the Library of Congress to begin the last century by making its printed catalog cards widely available, the Congress has enabled its library to begin this century by building a digital record and making it available in the information age", noted Librarian of Congress James Billington. A formal plan will be presented to Congress in October or November 2001. http://www.ala.org/alonline/news/2001/010122.html and http://www.libraryjournal.com/articles/news/thisweek/20010122_17314.asp