Students as Testors

Because the materials of the American Memory project are digitized, students are able to download their search results directly into a word-processing or desktop-publishing program for use in their school assignments. The long-term goal is to have the American Memory project available at every public library in every community. Thanks to the rapid development and accessibility of the Internet, this goal may be attained even sooner than originally planned.

Billington has noted that the Library of Congress is not only a special repository of knowledge in Washington and the national library of the United States, it must also be an electronic pioneer for the information age and an international symbol of knowledge-based democracy. By calling on America's technology entrepreneurs to help bring information to the citizenry, Billington has been able to further the Library's goal of "the reaffirmation of Thomas Jefferson's vision."

This collaborative approach between entrepreneur and institution can continue to build, often resulting in what can be called "Second-Level Fusion," wherein the result of an original Free Market Fusion undertaking starts producing secondary joint-venture projects.

The Internet became an important player at the second level as well, and the National Digital Library Project evolved as a second level venture. The National Digital Library intends to have five million items digitized for electronic delivery on the Internet by 2000 and has raised $45 million in private funds to do so.

Assisting in the raising of the funds was the Madison Council. The Madison Council is another example of "Second-Level Fusion." A national private-sector group created to serve as the Library of Congress' primary link to the business community, the Madison Council is made up of individuals who are able to help further the goals and programs of the Library of Congress through their personal and professional resources, contacts, and expertise. As Billington has noted, "The Madison Council provides the Library with a hitherto missing link between the massive resources accumulated and sustained in Washington and business, educational, and cultural enterprises scattered across the nation. Madisonians are the Library's ambassadors to other communities and institutions, and are its entrepreneurial supporters in putting Library resources to work for the nation."

This leveraging, combining the strengths of one group with those of another, enables the Library to extend its resources far beyond its normal sphere of influence, for the benefit of millions around the world.

Since its inception, the National Digital Library has begun to serve as a model for other projects. National libraries in England, several European countries, and Russia have solicited the consulting advice of Billington's staff on initiating similar public-private efforts to save precious archive materials.

More about the:    NEED | SOLUTION | SPECIFICS | FUTURE