Center for the Book. With its network of affiliated centers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and more than 80 organizations serving as national reading promotion partners, the Center for the Book remained one of the Library's dynamic and visible educational outreach programs. On March 8 representatives from nearly all of the center's reading promotion partner organizations gathered at the Library to describe their activities and to learn about other reading and literacy programs. On May 3 representatives from each of the state centers participated in an idea sharing session at the Library.
The Center for the Book contributed to the success of the 2005 National Book Festival, particularly in engaging author participation and organizing the Pavilion of the States, where each state has the opportunity to share information about its reading and literacy promotion projects. The national winners of the center's Letters about Literature reading and promotion program read their winning essays at the National Book Festival. Sponsored by Target Stores, the program received a record-breaking 46,000 submissions.
Six national winners of the Letters About Literature contest are pictured with Target's Beth McGuire (left), Librarian James Billington (center) and Center for the Book Director John Cole (right). - John Harrington Photography
In cooperation with the Viburnum Foundation, the center hosted the second "Reading Powers the Mind" family literacy workshop, held at the Library Aug. 3-5. The center also continued to promote the "One Book, One Community" initiative, which brings members of a community together to discuss the same literary work. The center's Web site lists the 350 communities in 50 states that have participated.
The center continued to sponsor the popular Books & Beyond lecture series, featuring authors discussing their works in free programs held at the Library of Congress.
Federal Library and Information Center Committee. The Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) continued its mission "to foster excellence in federal library and information services through interagency cooperation and to provide guidance and direction for FEDLINK." In March the Federal Library and Information Center celebrated its 40th anniversary. Founded on March 11, 1965, under the leadership of former Librarian of Congress L. Quincy Mumford, FLICC has been a national voice for federal librarianship. Over the years, it has been at the forefront of how government meets the information needs of the people.
Kathryn Mendenhall, left, interim executive director of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) and its network FEDLINK, and former director Susan Tarr, who retired Feb. 3, 2005, after 30 years of Library service, offer a toast to FLICC at a March 24 reception marking FLICC's 40th anniversary. - Gail Fineberg
Held on March 24, the 23rd Annual FLICC Forum, "Evolving Information Policy: Open Access and New Constraints" focused on access to federally funded research in the wake of increased national security. In his keynote address, Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), discussed a new policy to make manuscripts of research supported by NIH available online. The annual FLICC awards for excellence in federal libraries were announced at the FLICC Forum.
FEDLINK continued to provide federal agencies with cost-effective access to an array of automated information retrieval services for online research, cataloging and interlibrary loan. FEDLINK members also procured print serials, electronic journals, books and other publications, CD-ROMs and document delivery through Congress/FEDLINK contracts with more than 100 major vendors. The program obtained further discounts for customers through consortia and enterprise-wide licenses for journals, aggregated information retrieval services and electronic books. During the year, FEDLINK saved federal agencies more than $13 million in vendor volume discounts and approximately $7.9 million more in cost avoidance.
The John W. Kluge Center. The John W. Kluge Center was established in the fall of 2000 with a gift of $60 million from John W. Kluge, Metromedia president and founding chairman of the James Madison Council. Located within the Library's Office of Scholarly Program, the center's goal is to bring the world's best thinkers to the Library of Congress where they can use the institution's unparalleled resources and interact with public policymakers in Washington, D.C. The Office of Scholarly Programs staff worked in a continuous cycle of fellowship support activities, providing support to resident fellows under the Kluge, Rockefeller, Mellon, Luce and Library staff fellowship programs. At the same time, the office ensured that new competitions in those programs were conducted successfully and publicized adequately throughout the application process.
The Kluge Center Scholars' Council met on Sept. 12-13. The Scholars' Council is a body of distinguished international scholars, appointed by the Librarian of Congress, to advise on matters related to the Kluge Center and the Kluge Prize. During the formal session, the Librarian explored some of the key plans for the Library's future, such as the Creativity Across America initiative. He sought the council's ideas and participation and led a discussion in which members suggested the issues that might be of most significance in their field during the next 20 years.
National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Established by an act of Congress in 1931, the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) has grown to a program that circulates 23 million recorded discs and braille materials to nearly 500,000 readers through a network of nearly 132 cooperating libraries around the country.
NLS research and development officer Neil Bernstein, left, and deputy director Michael Moodie examine a prototype flash-memory cartridge--the medium for digital talking books, set to be introduced to patrons in 2008.
During the year, work continued toward replacing analog audiotapes and cassette players with state-of-the-art digital talking books (DTB). The project calls for the incremental phasing in of DTB playback machines and media in 2008 and the gradual elimination of analog cassettes and equipment. During the year, NLS arranged for Battelle, a major technology innovation firm, to lead a consortium of expert subcontractors to design and develop its next-generation audiobook system. NLS also contracted with ManTech Advanced Systems International for a study of distribution systems for the new DTBs. ManTech technology experts evaluated three distribution models and selected as the most appropriate a hybrid model, which would combine mass circulation and on-demand duplication.
Now in its sixth year, the Internet-based Web-Braille service continued to provide access to braille books, magazines and music scores online at www.loc.gov/nls/braille. In addition to providing access to braille material to users with a special braille keyboard and screen, the system allows a library that has lost a braille volume to order a new embossed, bound copy and put the title back in circulation.
The Web-Braille site is password-protected and all files are in an electronic form of contracted braille, requiring the use of special equipment to gain access. Web-Braille began with approximately 2,600 titles and a few hundred registered users.
At year's end, the system offered more than 7,000 titles from the national collection, 600 music scores, 29 NLS-produced magazines and six sports schedules to more than 4,000 users.
