Library of Congress Fiscal 2020 Budget Justification Now Available Online

The Library of Congress Fiscal 2020 Budget Justification document (191 pages; PDF) is now available online.

From the Document:

The Library of Congress is submitting its fiscal 2020 appropriations in alignment with the direction of the 14th Librarian of Congress and the strategic goals and objectives articulated in its new fiscal 2019– 2020 Strategic Plan: To expand access, enhance services, optimize resources, and measure impact. The fiscal 2020 budget submission also reflects the Library’s decisive shift to be more user centered, digitally enabled, and data driven agency. All of the goals and objectives are interdependent, and align work to support the best and most effective use of the Library’s incomparable resources in service to the Congress and the American people.

The Library continues building on the work done in recent years to modernize its information technology operations, which have received significant congressional support. Through the data center initiative, for example, the Library is transitioning from its restricted legacy hosting facility on Capitol Hill to a hybrid hosting infrastructure with enhanced security that is capable of accommodating greatly increased digital engagement with its managed assets. IT centralization is in its final phase with staff and funding transfers from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Copyright, and the National Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) to the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). The Copyright Office is aggressively pursuing comprehensive modernization of its IT systems. With a solid IT infrastructure close to realization, the CIO is now focusing on a new phase of optimizing and modernizing all of its systems so that they are in condition to support the Library in a way that was not possible in the past but that is essential to expanded access and services.

Organizational changes that streamline functions and support the user centered direction forward are now completed. Parts of the former National and International Outreach service unit now form two new centers, the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement (CLLE) and the Center for Exhibits and Interpretation (CEI), which will focus on creating exhibitions, learning spaces and publications that provide access to and connections with the collections both physically and digitally. The realigned Library Collections and Services Group now includes the Law Library, Library Services and NLS. A Digital Strategy Office was also created within CIO to partner with service units to incubate innovative digital projects. The first Digital Strategy, which complements the new 2019-2023 Strategic Plan, was recently released to provide a bold vision to guide the Library’s digital transformation over the next five years. The digital strategy team has already launched a comprehensive and successful crowdsourcing project, “By the People,” which allows public contributions to and interactions with the digital collections in new ways while at the same time helping the Library make data more discoverable. All of these changes directly support public engagement with the Library’s resources and services.

The fiscal 2020 budget request continues and expands necessary modernization and optimization efforts in its operations, for example in financial services, delivery of NLS talking and braille books and magazines through the internet, data analytics in support of strategic and annual planning, and fabrication and installation of a treasures exhibition and youth center as part of planning for the Visitor Experience in the Jefferson Building.

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191 pages; PDF.

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