Microsoft signs cooperative agreement with U.S. Library of Congress
End-to-end technology provider for their New Visitor Experience
Beginning in the spring of 2008, visitors to Washington, D.C. will be able to experience the Library of Congress, the world's greatest repository of knowledge and creativity, as never before. An entirely new visitor experience is being developed that will make the Library’s Jefferson Building and its unmatched contents newly accessible through a seamless integration of content, design, and technology that breaks new ground. Microsoft is the sole technology provider for this incredibly ambitious project. Visitors will be able to experience books and articles previously unavailable to the public such as Thomas Jefferson’s personal collection, the papers of Benjamin Franklin, a Gutenberg Bible, and many more.
Example of a Microsoft Silverlight-based interactive online display at the Library of Congress.
The web-based New Visitor Experience (NVE) will enable visitors to “pre-visit” the NVE online by creating an identity called a “Passport to Knowledge,” peruse collections and plan their in-person visit. Once in Washington, DC, a visitor will use their Passport to Knowledge to authenticate at a kiosk and explore and interact with the collection; children will begin an online “Knowledge Quest” quiz at the kiosks requiring on-premises exploration, and then bridge their live library experience to the home or classroom via the NVE web site where they can complete Knowledge Quest , learn more about what they saw during their physical visit, and explore new collections and exhibits. The Library plans to further develop NVE in the coming years, eventually showcasing the its vast digitized holdings, including the world’s largest collection of maps, genealogical information, and public domain audio and video.
Scale: The Library of Congress receives upwards of 2 million visitors per year. Also, LOC.GOV is one of the top sites for search engines for international and U.S. historical searches and receives millions of hits and unique users per month. Children and teachers across the country will learn by using this site, the materials created here will be approved curriculum in all 50 states.
Scope of influence: This initiative will influence library technology worldwide. Libraries large and small from around the country and the world look to the Library of Congress for technical guidance and are certain to take note of what tools are being used in the NVE and on MyLoC.gov. Because of its scale and breadth, it will have influence not only in the U.S., but also for scalable web sites in general. The Library of Congress will engage top educators to create educational content which will meet strict guidelines mandated by state departments of education for inclusion in public schools.
Partners: Schematic: User Experience. Portal Solutions: infrastructure implementation.
The Technology: For the on-site visitor, Kiosks will be built using Windows Vista and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) using touch-screen technology for an immersive experience. Visitors will be given a “passport” (optionally mapped to a Windows Live ID), which can be used to digitally keep track of what exhibits each visitor has seen.
The publicly available web site will offer the ability to visit the library in a virtual environment which will complement the physical visitor’s experience. Because the Library of Congress is so vast, tourists will be able to “complete” their visit on line using the web site, which will have kept track of their visit when they were present at the library using the “passport” technology.
These components will share a common MOSS 2007-based content management infrastructure enabling users to have a unified experience.
Microsoft is the key technology provider for this initiative. The NVE will use a complete suite of Microsoft presentation, infrastructure and development software. Prominently featured will be Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Presentation Foundation and Sharepoint, in addition to Live Services all developed using Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft Expression Studio.
A taste of things to come: As part of this work, the Library of Congress has opened their new Early Americas exhibit, with both WPF kiosks on-site, and web-based Silverlight experiences which compliment the on-site experiences.
You can see this work at Exploring the Early Americas
