Classification Web Plus “Minaret” Subscription, Hosting, and Support

SOURCES SOUGHT

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Classification Web Plus “Minaret” Subscription, Hosting, and Support

1 Introduction

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) ONLY. This SS is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a request for proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This SS does not commit the U.S. Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Library of Congress (“The Library”) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this SS; all costs associated with responding to this SS will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this SS does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it may be synopsized on the SAM.gov website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

Although "proposal" and "offeror" may be used in this SS, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. Information submitted in response to this notice will be for Library planning purposes and may be used as a basis for a future solicitation and/or as a basis for more in-depth research of an interested offeror's capability.

The Library anticipates solicitation and award of a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract, but reserves the right to solicit and award a different contract type if the results of this market research indicate that an alternate solicitation approach can more effectively fulfill future requirements.

2 Background

The Library of Congress has a requirement for support for on-going production and modernization of its web-based, subscription service, Classification Web Plus (“Class Web”) which provides online access to the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) schedules and the Library of Congress Subject Heading (LCSH). The Library is posting this sources sought to determine if another system can replace Minaret and its support services detailed below.

Classification Web Plus (“Class Web”), located at https://classweb.org, is a searchable and input- update proprietary database consisting primarily of the LCC schedules and LCSH but also contains Name Authorities, specialized genre terms, LC bibliographic records, Library of Congress documentation, and specially designed search options (e.g. Correlations Search) that help maximize the online searching capabilities for these resources. Class Web’s objective is to help library professionals quickly find the subject heading and classification schedule information they need to create bibliographic metadata for incoming library resources, as well as provide a resource for Library of Congress produced cataloging documentation. Additional information about Class Web is available on the LC website at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/classweb/classwebfeatures.html.

The internal system (input-update database) of Classification Web, known as LCC Online, (sometimes referred to as “Minaret”) contains the proposal system where authorized staff organize and edit new classification and subject heading proposals that are submitted by member libraries as well as Library of Congress staff. Class Web’s target audience is library staff working in cataloging areas of libraries and cataloging institutions around the world, although reference librarians are also Class Web users. Class Web has over 2,400 subscriber accounts which can vary from solo user all the way up to concurrent users of 95-99.

The Library requires a contractor to provide hosting, operation, and maintenance of the existing Class Web system (including LCC Online) and enhancement to leverage evolving search, web technologies, and hosting solutions to optimize Classification Web’s usefulness to the end user. Class Web is built on a proprietary database that is a product of Minaret. The library owns the source code of Class Web, but any other contractor would need to license a copy of the proprietary database from Minaret to operate and maintain the existing Class Web. A contractor may have to design and build their own system on their own database, including all the customizations of the existing system (in order to satisfy our needs at the library and from customers), from scratch, using whatever database technology available.

The current system includes:

• Class Web Operation and Maintenance Support on Minaret’s proprietary database
• Class Web Components
• Proposal system
• Service Levels/Specifications
  • Availability
  • Bug fixing and customer support
  • System Maintenance
  • System Monitoring
  • Contractor and Staff Recommended Enhancements
• Classification Web Hosting       
• Project Management
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Security
  • Transition Plan
  • Support
  • Consultation

3 INFORMATION REQUESTED

3.1 Part 1. Business Information

1. Name and address of organization, Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) Number, Organization Point of Contact with phone number and email address.

2. Product Name & a brief description of the computer software capabilities demonstrating the above qualities and those addressed in the draft SOW attached.

3.2 Additional Instructions

1. Page Limitations: The total page limitation for responses should not exceed 15 pages

2. SS Schedule:

a. SS Responses Due – 2/27/2026 no later than 4:00PM EST.