Library of Congress Inspector General Makes Latest Semiannual Report to Congress Available Online

In the last six months we prepared reports on The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped’s planning and implementation of the conversion to digital talking books; protection of surplus collections materials; assessments of the condition, accountability, and security of the Music Division’s collections; the telework program; verification and validation of the Library’s fiscal year (FY) 2011-2016 Multi-Year Affirmative Employment Program Plan; improper payments; and the FY 2010 financial statements of the Open World Leadership Center. We also followed up on prior reviews of the “Not-on-shelf” rate and the Office of Opportunity, Inclusiveness, and Compliance. During this period, investigations focused on an alleged theft, an attempted narcotics purchase, and investigative updates on issues from prior semiannual reports.
In the next six months, we will report on in-progress reviews of information technology (IT) risks, Asian Division collections security, the Librarian’s document tracking system, operations of the Acquisitions Fiscal Office, criteria for internal control reviews of field offices, a contract review, a survey of the Library’s fire suppression systems, apparent contractor overcharges, use of computers in reading rooms, FY 2011 financial statements of the Library and Madison Council, and in-depth follow-ups on IT strategic planning and contracts management.
This period, our reviews identified at least $17.1 million in funds to be put to better use and more than $275,000 in questioned costs. We are pleased to report that the Library implemented 21 of our recommendations from prior semiannual periods.
We appreciate the cooperative spirit Library staff have shown during our reviews.