Emerging Technologies, Wireless, and Broadband Solutions Centers utilized to deploy a wireless system in less than 60 days.

The Client

The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution preserving a collection approaching 124 million items. Much of the information provided to the public is on the Web at www.loc.gov. One of the Library’s most popular websites is the Thomas site named after Thomas Jefferson. This site provides legislative information such as bill summary and status, Senate and House votes, committee schedules and much more. Legislators, in particular, depend on the accuracy and timeliness of this site for their work on Capitol Hill

The Challenge

BearingPoint approached the Library to propose the implementation of a “self-funded pilot project?to test emerging wireless technologies so that users would easily access the Thomas to receive timely updates and perform searches using handheld wireless devices.

The Solution

BearingPoint collaborated with the Library team to redesign, reformat search pages and other functions so that users could easily search by bill number, bill sponsor or keyword from wireless devices. They also determined what information would be most meaningful to users. The pilot was implemented. The entire process took less than 60 days with a consortium of alliance partners that included Compaq Hewlett-Packard and IBM.

The Benefits

The pilot allowed the Library to gather valuable information on the use of its systems. It showed the effectiveness and value of wireless devices for users in accessing legislative information. Now, the Library has useful information that will assist the organization as it moves forward with wireless technologies in ongoing efforts to improve services to its users.

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