In the aftermath of 9/11 and the anthrax attacks on Capitol Hill, security of the staff, the collections and the facilities remained one of the Library's highest priorities throughout the year. The Library continued to provide Congress with timely information on important issues surrounding homeland security.
Congress approved a supplemental appropriation of $7.4 million to the Library's budget for security-related expenditures. The Library's Security Office expanded its function to include emergency preparedness and led the cooperative effort to coordinate emergency communications between the Library and the Senate, the House of Representatives, the U.S. Capitol Police, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the D.C. Emergency Management Center and others. As an additional security measure, construction work continued on the Capitol Visitor Center, which will include a tunnel between the Capitol and the Library of Congress.
During the year the Library made progress in implementing the remaining components of its security enhancement plan, a multiyear program of physical security upgrades. The new consolidated Police Communications Center (PCC), which integrates the Library's upgraded intrusion detection and security monitoring systems, became operational in July 2003.
Significant upgrades were also made to the firewall that safeguards the Library's valuable computer resources. Additional firewalls were implemented in several of the Library's overseas offices. Working with other information technology professionals in the legislative branch, the Library constructed an alternative computer facility in a remote location to mirror its high- priority system applications in case of a disaster on Capitol Hill.