Laura E. Campbell
Associate Librarian, Office of Strategic Initiatives
Library of Congress
In December 2000, Congress passed legislation establishing the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) in the Library of Congress (LC). The legislation calls for LC to lead a national planning effort for the long-term preservation of digital content and to work collaboratively with representatives of other federal, research, library and business organizations. Over the last 15 months, LC has conducted an extensive planning process, intended to identify the concerns of the various stakeholder communities, outline a research program in collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other concerned agencies, and sketch a conceptual framework within which technical, organizing and legal issues might be addressed. In addition, the Library is holding a series of scenario planning workshops this spring, which are designed to identify possible future scenarios and implementation strategies for the long term preservation of digital content. A plan will be submitted to Congress later this year.
Given the very wide range of content areas affected by this mandate, LC is initially focusing on digital formats in which its collections are strong or where the digital materials, which exist exclusively or primarily in digital form, are aligned with LC¹s traditional mission: Web sites, electronic journals, electronic books, digitally recorded sound, digital television and digital moving images (e.g., “film”). To date, the planning process has proved most instructive. Meetings with representatives from many of the content and entertainment industries, non-profit foundations and professional associations, major research libraries, cultural heritage institutions, and individual scholars have raised important issues and pointed to several areas of shared concern on where cooperative arrangements might be forged.
This session will discuss LC’s progress to date.