Grants and cooperative agreements; availability, etc.: Ameritech national digital library competition,

[Federal Register: August 13, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 156)]

[Notices]

[Page 43425-43426]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr13au98-116]

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

[LOC Docket No. 98-3]

Library of Congress/Ameritech National Digital Library Competition

ACTION: Notice of competition.

SUMMARY: This Notice of Competition announces that the Library of Congress, with a gift from Ameritech, is sponsoring a competition to enable public, research, and academic libraries, museums, historical societies, and archival institutions (except federal institutions) to create digital collections of primary resources for distribution on the Internet. In the 1998/99 competition year, applications will be limited to collections of textual and graphic materials that illuminate the period 1492-1920 and that complement and enhance the American Memory collections in the National Digital Library. Awards will be made of up to $75,000 to individual institutions and up to $150,000 to eligible consortia for projects that can be accomplished in twelve to eighteen months.

DATES: Applications must be postmarked by November 2, 1998.

ADDRESSES: LC/Ameritech NDL Competition, Library of Congress, 101 Independence Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20540-1340.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ariel Rosenblum, Tel: (202) 707-1087; Fax (202) 252-3249; Email: lc__ameritech@loc.gov; Http:// memory.loc.gov/ammem/award/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Digital Library is envisioned as

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a distributed collection of converted library materials and digital originals to which many American institutions will contribute. The Library of Congress' contribution to the World Wide Web-based virtual library is called American Memory and is created by the Library's National Digital Library Program. Non-profit cultural repositories in the United States with collections of primary resources that are significant for education and research in United States history and culture are eligible to apply to the LC/Ameritech Competition. Collections that are digitized with awards from this competition must be distributable on the Internet.

Applications from Association of Research Libraries (ARL) and non- ARL institutions will be evaluated separately, in order to encourage applications from a variety of institutions. In the final selection among meritorious projects, consideration will be given to the historical subjects emphasized in the guidelines and to the size, type, and geographical location of the applicant institution. The evaluation criteria is as follows:

‹bullet› The significance of the collection's content for understanding United States history and culture, as well as its breadth of interest and utility to students and the general public.

‹bullet› The availability and usability of aids to intellectual access that can be integrated into the American Memory resource.

‹bullet› The technical and administrative viability of the project's plan of work in relation to the scope of the project.

Applications will be evaluated by scholars, educators, librarians, archivists, administrators, and technical specialists external to the Library of Congress. Evaluators will be convened by George Farr, Director of the Division of Preservation and Access of the National Endowment for the Humanities and by Deanna Marcum, President of the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Only costs directly associated with digital conversion may be included in the request. Equipment may not be purchased with award funds. The 1998/99 Guidelines and Application Instructions are available online to view or download from the Library of Congress/ Ameritech National Digital Library Competition Web page (http:// memory.loc.gov/ammem/award).

Dated: August 3, 1998. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress.

[FR Doc. 98-21723Filed8-12-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 1410-10-P