Volume 16, Number 5
Oct 1992

LC and Deacidification Suppliers to Cooperate in 2-Year Testing and Evaluation Program

The following announcement came from the Library of Congress, Contracts and Logistics, Landover Center Annex, 1701 Brightseat Road, Landover, MD 20785. It appeared in the Commerce Business Daily (CBD) on August 11, 1992 and was sent September 1 to those individuals or firms who had previously requested the solicitation RFP90-21 issued 09/13/90 for Mass Book Deacidification Services. It is reprinted here verbatim with minor editorial changes.

A. EVALUATION AND TESTING OF BOOK DEACIDIFICATION PROCESSES. The Library of Congress, to encourage and facilitate the development of deacidification technology, will provide testing and evaluation opportunities as well as technical information to interested parties who wish to submit their deacidification technology for Library evaluation. The Library will enter into cost sharing arrangements with parties submitting their technology. For each party interested in participating in this three-step, two (2) year program, the Library will evaluate book deacidification technology and provide an assessment of progress toward meeting the Library's deacidification requirements as contained in its Request for Proposals (RFP9O-21) dated 09/13/ 90 (copies available from the CO upon request). The focus is on the preservation requirements (extension of life of book paper, complete deacidification, alkaline reserve), but additional information will be gathered on each party's potential for mass scale processing, process-related damage, and other challenges to the successful use of the technology for preserving Library collections. Parties that request the Library's evaluation of their process must be able to demonstrate in Step 1 that they are potentially able to provide mass deacidification services by providing with their request to the Library and at their expense, the following information and samples:

• The party's name(s), address(es), principal(s), deacidification process inventor(s), and patents held or pending related to the offered process.
• Description of the deacidification chemistry, process, and existing and planned facilities.
• Available data on the effectiveness of the process in extending the life of book papers, providing complete deacidification and depositing adequate, uniform, permanent alkaline reserve.
• Three hard cover books of average size (10"h x 7"w x 1"t) that have been processed by the technology, within thirty days of the request.
• A list of customers or others that are using or evaluating the deacidification services.

After all of the above information is received and a determination is made that the party demonstrates potential for providing mass deacidification technology, the Library will proceed to Step 2 as follows:

Meet with the principals to establish an agreement and time schedule for the evaluation.
• Establish a team of technical specialists to assist in the evaluation of the process.
• Evaluate all the materials, data, and other information submitted and any additional information that may be requested.
• Conduct a site visit at a mutually agreed time to assess the existing deacidification plant, facilities, process and operations. Provide a small sample of books, including five (5) test books to be deacidified by the proposed technology. The expense of the deacidification of the sample books shall be borne by the offeror.
• Perform laboratory analyses on processed books from the sample of books for alkaline reserve, completeness of deacidification, and extension of life of the paper as measured by accelerated aging.
• Evaluate the sample of books for any process-related damage.
• Document all evaluations, analysis, and findings in a written report to be made available to the preservation community for their use in making their preservation decisions.
• Meet with each party to review the findings in the report and receive their comments.

Those parties that successfully demonstrate that they have the potential to meet the Library's mass deacidification requirements may request a more detailed evaluation of their process in Step 3. The evaluation will be consistent with those described in the Library's RFP90-21.

Parties interested in participating in this program must provide the information and samples no later than 18 months from the date of this notice to be considered under the 2-year open season. When responding to this notice please cite RFI92-O04.

[Signed] Kaye Klinker, Contracting Officer, 202/707-8608.