Request for Information
The Library of Congress (“Library”) seeks public comments on the attached draft request for proposals as well as the attached principles for third-party digitization contracts.
This is a Request for Information (“RFI”) pursuant to 48 C.F.R. section 15.201(c)(7). This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government or the Library to award a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement on the basis of responses to this RFI. The Library will not pay for the preparation of any information submitted in response to the RFI or for the Library’s use of such information. This notice does not restrict the Government or Library to a particular procurement approach. This RFI should not be construed as a means to pre-qualify contractors. Based on the responses to this RFI, the Library may issue a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) at an undetermined time in the future.
PURPOSE
The Library is interested in increasing the amount of its collections materials to be digitized and ensuring that such materials are made available as widely as possible. To that end, the Library seeks to institute a consistent process by which third parties could propose and enter into no-cost contracts with the Library to digitize Library collection materials. The purpose of this RFI is to solicit input from commercial and non-commercial entities in the digital content community, such as digital content publishers or distributors; educational institutions, libraries, archives, and others involved in the development of digital collections and dissemination of digital materials; and researchers and the public. This RFI focuses on topics such as the terms under which either commercial or noncommercial entities would enter into such digitization arrangement; the types of Library collections that might be most attractive to third-party digitizers and researchers; and the overall principles that might apply to solicitation and assessment of third-party digitization proposals.