**Request for Expressions of Interest**

**Multi-State Demonstration Projects for Preservation of State
Government Digital Information**

**I. GENERAL INFORMATION**

Announcement number: RFEI-2006-States

Announcement release date: May 5, 2006

Response deadline: June 15, 2006

Federal funds available: \$10 million (with additional funds contingent
upon cost sharing)

Award instrument: Cooperative Agreement

Cost sharing: Cost sharing strongly preferred but not mandatory; see
Section IV

Period of performance: Up to 3 years

Anticipated number of awards: 1 or 2

Expected award date: September 2006

Program contact: Library of Congress, Office of Strategic Initiatives,
William LeFurgy, interest@loc.gov

**II. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE**

In 2005, the Library of Congress (LC), sponsored a series of workshops
involving all 50 states and three territories to discuss preservation of
state government information in digital form. The purpose of these
workshops was to gather information and explore a potential relationship
between the LC National Digital Information Infrastructure and
Preservation Program (NDIIPP) and the states. The workshop report,
*Preservation of State Government Digital Information: Issues and
Opportunities*, not only provides a detailed view of the formidable
challenges facing the states but also identifies collaborative
opportunities. The report is available at
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/statesreport.

The workshops provided evidence about the importance and the
vulnerability of state, territorial, and local government digital
information. A key finding was that most states do not have the
necessary capability to undertake digital preservation. It is apparent
that much state government digital information---including content of
potential interest to LC itself---is at-risk. In spite of such
challenges, state representatives expressed strong interest in
participating in collaborative projects to build the underlying
technical infrastructure necessary for digital preservation.

These findings confirm that LC has a role to play. This role will build
on the initial set of NDIIPP investments in establishing a network of
preservation partners, which are exploring the viability of highly
collaborative, decentralized digital preservation approaches. LC intends
to support multi-state demonstration projects that reveal methods for
preserving state government digital information content by means of
developing partnerships, distributing responsibilities, and sharing
technical expertise and infrastructure components. The intent is to
demonstrate practical solutions for potential widespread adoption, as
well as to learn how multi-state consortial arrangements might be part
of a network of preservation partners. Findings in both areas are
necessary in anticipation of the report to Congress detailing NDIIPP
results and recommendations about the future for a national approach to
digital preservation. Planning for this multi-state initiative was
developed in coordination with the National Archives and Records
Administration.

**III. INTRODUCTION**

LC, as part of NDIIPP, seeks non-binding expressions of interest from
state agencies and/or states-focused professional associations to lead
multi-state demonstration projects that model innovative solutions for
the preservation of state and local government digital information.
These national demonstration projects will focus on building shared
institutional capacities needed for collecting, preserving, and managing
significant information in digital form. The projects should demonstrate
a service model of potential widespread use for the ongoing management
of important "born digital" content. This service model may focus on
various aspects of long-term management and preservation, including
disaster preparedness, business continuity, and data recovery. Projects
should also explore innovative and sustainable collaboration mechanisms
among a variety of public and private stakeholders.

Establishing a model framework for the collection and preservation of
state and local government digital information of ongoing interest to
LC, as well as to state and national legislators and other policy
makers, is a primary intended outcome of this initiative. Examples of
such information include, but are not limited to, procedural rules for
state legislatures, bills, reports, journals, floor proceedings, and
enacted and codified versions of state laws; state court opinions and
administrative reports of state judicial agencies and bodies, decisions,
civil and criminal rules or procedures, and recordings of trial and
appellate court proceedings; and executive/regulatory reports and
hearings, adjudicator decisions, policy and rulemaking documents, and
agency program operations manuals. Additional examples are included in
the attachment to this notice.

This program will not support the digitization of analog materials
(including paper, microfilm, sound recordings, or motion pictures).

Information received in response to this request will be used to
establish one or more demonstration projects. Each project may be
executed between LC and institutions or entities participating in a
multi-state consortium. Technology companies are encouraged as partners
in such consortia.

## IV. COST SHARING 

Congress has made a substantial portion of NDIIPP funding contingent
upon matching contributions from non-federal sources, although \$10
million has been exempted from matching to support states-based
projects. LC's intent is to increase the overall available NDIIPP funds
in support of these important state demonstration projects. Therefore,
although not mandatory, LC will give strong preference to proposals with
proposed matching cost shares (both cash and in-kind) of at least 50
percent of total proposed project costs.

##  

## V. WHAT TO SUBMIT

LC is interested in supporting efforts that feature broad stakeholder
representation within and among states and that explore options for
including multiple entities in projects. An example would be a model for
several states to exchange and preserve critical digital content as part
of a disaster preparedness or business continuity strategy.

Please send responses to <interest@loc.gov> and include
"RFEI-2006-States" in the message subject heading. Information submitted
must consist of no more than three pages and should provide the
following details:

-   Name of the institution or entity to lead the project, and contact
    information for the person submitting the information.

-   Brief description of the "born digital" content to be preserved.

-   Names of potential partner institutions or entities (specific
    commitments need not have been concluded).

-   Brief details about existing institutional capabilities for
    collaboration and digital preservation on the part of the lead
    institution and among potential partners.

-   Estimated project cost, duration, and potential sources of
    cost-sharing, if any.

-   Brief description about how the potential project will address the
    goals outlined below.

**VI. GOALS**

This initiative seeks to leverage existing institutional capabilities in
a collaborative context. Of key interest are proposals that address the
areas outlined below in a manner that will develop practical tools,
methods, and policies that are of potential widespread use for
collecting, preserving, and otherwise providing preservation for state
government digital information resources. Welcomed are submissions that:

-   Are led by a state institution (such as a state library or state
    archives) or a states-focused professional association; proposals
    should include plans for developing or expanding partnerships with
    other states and, if appropriate, technology companies.

-   Intend to identify, test, develop, and evaluate tools and technical
    infrastructure components needed to improve institutional capacities
    for digital preservation; these capacities should lend themselves to
    shared and distributed preservation models. Proposals that aim to
    develop methods for syndicated data storage (such as mechanisms for
    an institution to store content from another institution) are of
    special interest.

-   Aim to build or extend collaborative service models for shared
    preservation responsibilities.

The infrastructure investment costs of digital preservation are
substantial and require support from a broad spectrum of vested public
and private stakeholders. The standards and best practices for digital
preservation are evolving and are best identified through actual
practice and shared implementation experiences.

LC plans to address this issue in connection with the states through
four approaches:

1.  Expand the network of digital preservation stakeholders to state and
    local institutions that are mandated to sustain digital government
    information, especially information important to national and state
    legislative policy makers. As a legislative federal agency charged
    with supporting Congress, LC is especially interested in shared
    commitments to preserve such content.

2.  Further demonstrate collaborative efforts in two critical areas:

    a.  Developing the underlying technical infrastructure necessary to
        sustain digital content, and

    b.  Implementing broadly applicable standards, models, and best
        practices among stakeholders in a distributed digital
        preservation network.

3.  Encourage models for multi-state storage of critical state and local
    government information for preservation, business continuity, and
    disaster recovery.

4.  Support projects with concrete, demonstrable results that can be
    shared among network participants.

> **Attachment**
>
> **Examples of State Government Digital Information of Interest to
> the**
>
> **Library of Congress**

Listed below are several categories of state and local government
digital content that represent examples of information of interest to
the Library of Congress. Submissions that propose selection, collection,
preservation, and ongoing management of such information are encouraged.
Note that the Library is interested in supporting the preservation of
"final products" such as reports and laws as well as of underlying data
that provide significant factual and/or contextual information.

1.  Number range CHAPTERLegislatures

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a.  Bills and amendments

b.  Enacted and codified laws

c.  Reports from legislative agencies and bodies

d.  Journals

e.  Floor proceedings

f.  Procedural rules

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2.  Courts

    a.  Decisions and opinions

    b.  Reports from judicial agencies and bodies

    c.  Civil and criminal rules or procedures

    d.  Recordings of trial and appellate court proceedings

3.  Executive/regulatory agencies or entities

    a.  Reports and hearings

    b.  Regulatory policies and decisions

    c.  Rulemaking documentation

    d.  Agency policy and operations manuals

4.  Special Subjects

    a.  Directories of government-wide structure, personnel, and
        responsibilities

    b.  Historical state tax forms and instructions, along with
        descriptions (i.e., rates and brackets) of each state tax

    c.  Documentation (such as memoranda of understanding) of regional
        government consortiums, mutual aid agreements, and other
        interstate arrangements, including Councils of Government

    d.  State plans for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
        (TANF) program

    e.  State adjutants-general documentation relating to National Guard
        and State Guard units and activities, particularly with regard
        to military deployments and civilian disaster assistance