Digitising Darwin’s Library

Digitising Darwin’s Library Jane Smith, Natural History Museum Grant Young, Cambridge University Library Presentation for JISC Programme Meeting, October 2009

The background
One of three projects funding under Phase 2 of the JISC – NEH JISC/NEH Transatlantic Digitisation Collaboration Grants
Starting September 2009; completing February 2011
Uni of Cambridge awarded £103,000
http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/projects/darwinlibrary.html

The challenge
A key source of ‘data’ for Darwin was his library – heavily annotated
Annotations published in late 1980s, but full utility requires access to the books they annotate – some quite obscure
It would be very costly to digitise his entire library

The idea
A partnership - an initial idea from David Kohn
Bringing together
Research expertise
Collections
Existing digitisation programmes
Initiatives developing and delivering access to biodiversity and cultural/heritage collections

A solution
Link transcriptions with digitised books
For heavily annotated books – scan whole volume
For sparsely annotated books – just scan annotated pages and link in with digital surrogates
Store and delivery content with Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), to ensure wide resource discovery and good sustainability

Our partnership
Cambridge University Library (CUL) will scan Darwin’s Library books and pages
Natural History Museum (NHM) will provide suitable surrogates via two workflows (high-end and mass digitisation programme)
Darwin Manuscript Project at the American Natural History Museum (AMNH) will provide metadata, transcriptions, and indexes
Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) , of which both NHM and AMNH are partners, will provide delivery and preservation

BHL Mission - provide access to biodiversity literature
Goals:
Digitise the core published literature on biodiversity and put on the web
Agree on approaches with the taxonomic community, publishers and others

Darwin: “If this were true adios theory” ! Lyell: “The entire variation from the original type... may usually be effected in a brief period of time, after which no further deviation can be obtained by continuing to alter the circumstances, though ever so gradually; indefinite divergence, either in the way of improvement or deterioration, being prevented..." Context is significant

Context is significant

JISC-NEH Project – just the beginning…
This project will enable us to represent just over half of the annotated books in Darwin’s Library – we will fundraise for remainder
Darwin also kept notes of books he borrowed (and so couldn’t annotate!). Where these books are available, we will mount transcriptions of notes, enabling us to broaden concept to Darwin’s Reading

T he cultivation of natural science cannot be efficiently carried on without an extensive library.
Charles Darwin, et al (1987)
Darwin, C.R. ,et al. 1847. Copy of Memorial to the First
Lord of the Treasury [Lord John Russell], respecting the
Management of the British Museum. Parliamentary
Papers, Accounts and Papers 1847, paper nu. (268),
Vol. XXXIV.253 (13 April): 1-3. [Complete Works of
Charles Darwin Online]

UK Contacts
Grant Young
Cambridge University Library
Email: [email_address]
Jane Smith
Natural History Museum, London
Email: [email_address]
www .nhm.ac.uk
www.Biodiveritylibrary.org

Questions?

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Digitising Darwin’s Library

by JISC on Mar 10, 2010

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Digitising Darwin’s Library — Presentation Transcript