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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
The National Research Council
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Applications
Computer Science and Telecommunications Board

*****

Congressional Briefing
Monday, September 25, 2000 - 9:30 a.m.
Rm. 113 (Woodrow Wilson Room), Jefferson Bldg., Library of Congress

on

LC21: A DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

by

JAMES J. O’DONNELL, Vice-Provost, Information Systems and Computing, University of Pennsylvania, and Chair, Committee on an Information Technology Strategy for the Library of Congress

MARGARET HEDSTROM, Associate Professor, School of Information, University of Michigan, and Member, Committee on an Information Technology Strategy for the Library of Congress

MARY ELLEN ZURKO, Security Software Architect, Iris Associates, and Member, Committee on an Information Technology Strategy for the Library of Congress

The digital revolution--the proliferation of digital information, digital networks, and the World Wide Web--makes it possible to distribute information easily, in innovative ways, and for dramatically lower cost. This revolution is challenging policies and practices throughout our society, but those institutions whose primary charter is to provide access to information, such as libraries, archives, and publishers, are perhaps most affected. What does it mean to "collect" digital information if Web links cause the physical location of information to be irrelevant? How does our society ensure that digital information is preserved for future generations? How must the roles of libraries, publishers, and other institutions evolve? What do the answers to these questions imply for the management of libraries and other information-oriented institutions in the coming decade?

With an understanding of these profound changes underway, the Librarian of Congress asked the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Academies to assist the Library of Congress, which includes the U.S. Copyright Office, Congressional Research Service, and Law Library of Congress, in developing the Library's strategy with regard to information technology. Accordingly, CSTB empaneled its Committee on the Information Technology Strategy of the Library of Congress. The committee recently completed its work and issued its final report, LC21: A DIGITAL STRATEGY FOR THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, in which the above questions were addressed.

This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on July 26, 2000. The full report is available online through the Web site of the National Academies Press.