The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires a service to store, publicize, and fulfill requests for NSF-owned visual materials regarding antarctic subjects. The collection, presently housed at room 627, National Science Foundation, 1800 G Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20550, consists of approximately 12,000 mounted 35mm slides, 6,300 black-and-white negatives with contact proofs, and approximately 25 videotapes comprising raw footage and finished films. These materials are used to respond to requests from the media, public, NSF staff, and other Federal agencies. The contractor will fulfill requests in a timely and efficient way, maintain caption and credit information about the slides and black- and-white photographs (including those in negative form), catalog caption and credit information, and number slides, photographs, and black-and-white negatives. This information will be provided to NSF. Fulfillment of requests includes performing research to identify items that satisfy the needs of the requester, providing duplicates or prints, lending original materials to responsible organizations (limited to established media such as newspapers and magazines) or to others with NSF's permission, and providing users with captions and credit information. The contractor will monitor use of the collection and will dun users of originals when necessary to assure return of materials to the collection. It also will perform research and fulfillment (including duplication of slides and printing of black- and-white photographs from the original negatives) for NSF when requested. The contractor will store all materials in a way that assures long- term preservation, easy retrieval and replacement, convenient addition of new items to the collection, and security from loss, theft, or physical damage. It also will publicize the collection among likely users such as media, educational institutions, and science organizations. NSF will be consulted in advance of all publicity actions. I recommend that Capital Systems Group be awarded $67,428 for the first year of work.
