The Library of Congress, Contracts and Logistics Services, 1701 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD 20785

63 -- PAPER-BASED AND NON-PRINT MATERIALS SECURITY AND PROPERTY-MARKING SYSTEM SOL RFI99-1 DUE 123198 POC Kaye Klinker, Contracting Officer, (202) 707-8608 E-MAIL: The Library of Congress, kkli@loc.gov. The Library of Congress is seeking information concerning products and technologies that can be utilized to mark and prevent unlawful removal of library collections, including materials such as books (and their paper, cloth, leather, or vellum covers) and magazines, manuscripts, art and artifacts on paper (prints, drawings, maps, documents, sheetmusic) audio and video tapes, motion picture films, microfilms and microfiche, photographs and photographic negatives and slides, disc sound recordings (CDs, LPs, 78s, 45s), soft and hard sculptures (for example, statuary, cloth dolls, picture frames, clay figures, etc.), jewelry, clothing, multi-media kits and games, and fabrics. The total holdings of the Library of Congress are presently in excess of 114 million items, including 50 million manuscripts, 2.5 million sound recordings, 800,000 motion picture films and videos, 12 million microforms, 83,000 posters, 395,000 prints and drawings, 4 million maps and atlases, 12 million photographic items, and more than 27 million books and other paper-based printed materials -- e.g., books, sheet music and musical scores, piano rolls, architectural drawings, pamphlets, technical reports, and periodicals. The collections grow at the rate of two million new items per year. The Library's interest is in finding products and methods that are safe and effective, easily employed at a number of in-house sites, and not labor-intensive. Any materials and equipment employed must not contribute to degradation of the materials. Specifically, these products, methods, and equipment must achieve at least one but preferably both of the following objectives: (1) Write, etch, print, or transfer onto each item a permanent legend indicating that each object is the "Property of the Library of Congress." (2) Incorporate on the items a safe, non-degrading, non-removable sensor that will activate alarms whenever the items pass through a Kno-Go Security gate. Products and methods suggested to meet these objectives should satisfy the followingLibrary goals: *Will not adversely affect the life span of the items nor any data carried on them. *Will not alter or interfere with the normal performance or use of the items. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION and is considered to be Market Research. The intent of this sources sought synopsis is to determine if any sources exist, therefore, no RFP is available. Consequently, any responses failing to provide the aforementioned data but instead submit a routine letter requesting a copy of the RFP will be ignored. Written responses must be received by December 31, 1998. Information, suggestions, inquiries, and/or samples of materials that may be utilized to meet this objective may be sent to Gerald D. Gibson, Preservation Research & Testing Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC 20540-4560. (PH) (202) 707-1055, (FX) (202) 707-6449, email: ggib@loc.gov NOTE: A related Request for Information was issued by the Library August 13, 1998, soliciting information solely about marking and securing "compact discs (CDs)." A number of companies and organizations responded to that RFI. The government is still actively studying and considering those information submissions. If you responded to that RFI about CDs and do NOT desire to indicate that the information, systems, supplies, equipment, or related technology that you proposed for marking and/or securing CDs can ALSO be utilized to mark and/or secure other media described above, you do not need to reply again to this current RFI. Posted 11/19/98 (W-SN272948). (0323)

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