Introduction: The Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program

Abstract

This special issue of Library Trends is comprised of sixteen articles that tell fascinating stories about the ground-breaking efforts of numerous partners within the Library of Congress National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). Since its inception in 2004, NDIIPP has grown from an experimental program into a true partnership of concerned organizations working together to sustain access to digital information that is critical to scholarship and cultural heritage nationwide.1 The seeds for NDIIPP were initially sown in a report issued in July 2000 by the National Research Council titled LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress. The report, which was commissioned by the Library and Congress in 1998, was an on-site study of the Library’s technology practices, an initiative conducted by a committee of the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council. Among the recommendations of the LC21 report was the point that the Library of Congress should take the lead in the preservation and archiving of digital materials, but that it must continue to work with other institutions in determining collection policies for digital information, and it must accelerate its efforts to meet the growing demand. In December 2000 Congress passed legislation asking the Library of Congress to develop a national program to preserve the ever-growing amounts of digital information, especially materials created only in digital format. This law was passed in order to ensure that this content would be accessible for current and future generations. This program was funded by a $100 million congressional appropriation and was formally called the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). In December 2000 Congress released $5 million for the initial planning phase. From that point forward, the Library of Congress sought and solidified collaborations with numerous organizations, both public and private, to