ANN ARBOR—
Two of the University of Michigan’s information experts will examine the information technology needs for the largest library in the world—the U.S. Library of Congress. Jose-Marie Griffiths, the U-M’s chief information officer, executive director of the Information Technology Division, and professor in the School of Information, and Margaret Hedstrom, associate professor in the School of Information, have been appointed to the National Research Council (NRC) Computer Science and Telecommunications Board‘s project on the Information Technology Strategy for the Library of Congress.
The goal of the project is to identify strategic directions for information technology that will take the Library of Congress into the next decade. The 15-member committee is expected to examine and assess the structure and systems needed to modernize the Library—investigating opportunities for interaction between the Library of Congress and other digital library initiatives.
“This is an interesting assignment because of the rich collections in the Library of Congress,” said Hedstrom. “There is great potential to make the collections more accessible to the public. The issues facing the Library, while on a grand scale, are present in libraries and archives around the world.”
The Library of Congress is the research arm of the Congress and is the national library of the United States. It houses more than 113 million items including 49 million manuscripts, 17 million books, 12 million photographs, 4 million maps and 2 million recordings. The computer system of the Library of Congress currently holds more than 40 million records with 27 million available on the Internet (http://lcweb.loc.gov/). TheNational Digital Library Program makes available more than 500,000 sound recordings, photographs, films, and manuscripts. Through these electronic systems, the Library averages 42.5 million transactions each month.
“The committee is studying the issues around integrating digitized collections with existing materials to preserve and share the Library’s treasures,” says Griffiths. “Committee members hope to celebrate the Library of Congress’ bicentennial in the year 2000 with a plan for new initiatives that will encourage lifelong learning in the digital age.”
The National Research Council, established by Congress in 1916, is part of the National Academy of Sciences. It was created “to provide scientific and technological advice to the nation.” It brings together experts in a variety of scientific and technological areas who “serve as volunteers to address critical national issues and give unbiased advice to the federal government and the public. Members are selected for their expertise on the subject.”

School of InformationLibrary of Congresshttp://lcweb.loc.gov/National Academy of Sciences