Thanks to the new partnership between Microsoft and the Library of Congress, the vistors will have new ways to experience U.S. history.

The joint technology innovation effort between the Library and Microsoft will electronically expose the Library's immense collection of historical artifacts to patrons visiting the Library's Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C., and will allow unparalleled and immersive interactive experiences that will bring the Library's vast historical collections and exhibits to life onsite and online through the upcoming myloc.gov Web site.

Also, the Library will deliver its New Visitors Experience through a complex technology system with interactive kiosks in the Jefferson Building as well as rich Internet applications delivered through a robust Web infrastructure.

For Microsoft, the new partnership is a perfect way to demonstrate the capabilities of its new technology, Microsoft Silverlight. The software company is building a interactive presentation software for kiosks running on Windows Vista and its Web equivalent.

New interactive galleries will bring to life the world's largest collection of knowledge, culture and creativity, with virtual hands-on interaction with items such as the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, the Gutenberg Bible, the 1507 Waldseemuller world map that first used the word "America," and original volumes from Thomas Jefferson's library.

The system will offer also a new "Passport to Knowledge," with a unique bar code linked to an online account, will allow visitors to bookmark areas of interest that can later be accessed and explored in depth at the upcoming myloc.gov Web site. "Knowledge Quest," a game-based learning activity, will send visitors onsite and online searching for clues in the art and artifacts of the Library.