Information Technology Related Business with the Library

The mission of the Library of Congress is to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity. In order to accomplish this mission, we are engaging and sharing knowledge with users worldwide and building the tools necessary to allow quick and easy copyrighting of creative works. These activities require the Library to be connected digitally to a global audience and require a variety of off-the-shelf and highly customized Information Technology (IT) solutions including building new systems, modernizing and enhancing functionality of existing systems, and utilizing cloud and mobile technologies wherever possible.

All Library IT projects are required to follow the Library’s Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) and System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) directives, guidance, and standards. The Library’s PMLC is based on the Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) and Federal government guidance. The SDLC is a sub-set of activities and standards that exist within the larger PMLC the Library employs to effectively manage and deliver IT projects. System development at the Library typically follows an Agile SDLC, a framework intended to reduce the risk of project failure through the application of incremental and iterative solution delivery. Aligning IT work with the Library's priorities and agency mission, breaking work down into loosely-coupled components or services, and delivering iteratively in rapid learning cycles, delivers more value in less time.

Although the Library is primarily focused on agile processes for IT system development, the Library also initiates "Hybrid" projects (e.g., containing some aspects that are agile in nature but others that are not) and traditional Waterfall development. For Hybrid projects, it is assumed that the software design and development activities will follow an agile approach, even if other portions of the project do not.

More detailed information about the Library’s SDLC and PMLC, including process roles and steps for each, will be made available upon contract award. However, if you are interested in engaging in IT-related business with the Library, keep these frameworks in mind. To learn more about the Library’s procurement process, please see How We Buy. If you have an IT related proposal or service you would like the Library to consider, please refer to How to Market To Us.