This study of the activities surrounding the National Digital Library Program (NDLP) at the Library of Congress (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000) focuses on institutional processes associated with technological innovation in the library context. The study identified modalities of successful innovation and the characteristics of creative decision making. Theories of social change and organizational rationality, and the social construction of technology (SCOT) approaches provided the

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... l basis for this study. The underlying design for a phenomenological approach is discussed, together with the method for constructing a descriptive narrative that synthesizes the phenomenon under study (an emergent national digital library program). Theory, methodology, data collection, and the summary of findings with implications for practice are presented here. The accompanying article, Part II (available as an electronic-only article in this issue), presents the narratives of development, applying the interpretive phenomenological framework to document the innovators' perspectives about this formative event.