Dear all: here is the first of the LC NDIIPP program announcements,
which I know a number of you have been waiting for.

David

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Subject: DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM CALLS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Public Affairs Office
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington DC 20540-1610
phone (202) 707-2905
fax (202) 707-9199
e-mail [log in to unmask]

August 12, 2003
Contact:
Guy Lamolinara (202) 707-9217

DIGITAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM CALLS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING

The Library of Congress Seeks to Capture At-Risk Digital Materials and
Build a Network of Partners

The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program
at the Library of Congress (NDIIPP) has issued an announcement seeking
applications for projects that will advance the nationwide program to
collect and preserve digital materials.  The Library of Congress is
leading this cooperative effort at the request of the U.S. Congress,
which passed legislation in 2000 asking the Library to work with a range
of stakeholders to ensure that materials produced in digital formats
today are available to future generations.  Associate Librarian for
Strategic Initiatives Laura E. Campbell is directing this initiative.

"As more and more information is produced only in digital form, it has
become critical for the nation to develop an infrastructure for the
collection and preservation of these materials before they are lost,"
said Ms. Campbell.  "The Library of Congress looks forward to
collaborating with many partners in this task, as we work together to
preserve America's digital heritage."

This first set of projects will focus on two major NDIIPP goals:

 o  The selection and collection of at-risk and historically significant
digital materials for which no analog equivalent exists and

o   the development of a network of committed NDIIPP partners with
defined roles and responsibilities to support the long-term collection
and preservation of digital content.

These project applications will develop and test models for the
collection of digital materials, specifically those that are
historically significant and at risk of disappearing if they are not
captured.

The program announcement is available at
www.digitalpreservation.gov/programannouncement. Additional information
may be obtained at (202) 707-3455 or at [log in to unmask]  Applications
must be postmarked by Nov. 12, 2003, to receive further consideration.

BACKGROUND

In December 2000, Congress authorized the Library of Congress to develop
and execute a congressionally approved plan for a National Digital
Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program.  A $99.8 million
congressional appropriation was made to establish the program.
According to Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-1033),  "The overall plan
should set forth a strategy for the Library of Congress, in
collaboration with other federal and nonfederal entities, to identify a
national network of libraries and other organizations with
responsibilities for collecting digital materials that will provide
access to and maintain those materials... In addition to developing this
strategy, the plan shall set forth, in concert with the Copyright
Office, the policies, protocols and strategies for the long-term
preservation of such materials, including the technological
infrastructure required at the Library of Congress."

The legislation mandates that the Library work with federal entities
such as the Secretary of Commerce, the Director of the White House
Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Archives and
Records Administration, the National Library of Medicine, the National
Agricultural Library, the National Institute of Standards and Technology
and "other federal, research and private libraries and institutions with
expertise in telecommunications technology and electronic commerce
policy."  The goal is to build a network of committed partners working
through a preservation architecture with defined roles and
responsibilities.

The Library of Congress digital strategy is being formulated in concert
with a study, commissioned by the Librarian of Congress, and undertaken
by the National Research Council Computer Science and Telecommunications
Board.  "LC 21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress" was
issued July 26, 2000, and made several recommendations, including that
the Library, working with other institutions, take the lead in the
preservation and archiving of digital materials.

The complete text of the "Plan for the National Digital Information
Infrastructure and Preservation Program" is available at
www.digitalpreservation.gov.  This includes an explanation of how the
plan was developed, who the Library worked with to develop the plan and
the key components of the digital preservation infrastructure.  The plan
was approved by Congress in December 2002.

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. Through its
National Digital Library (NDL) Program, it is also one of the leading
providers of noncommercial intellectual content on the Internet
(www.loc.gov).  The NDL Program's flagship American Memory project, in
collaboration with 36 institutions nationwide, makes freely available 8
million American historical items.

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PR 03-141
08/12/03
ISSN 0731-3527