The Biodiversity Heritage Library Martin R. Kalfatovic Smithsonian Institution Libraries A Cornerstone of the Encyclopedia of Life

Biodiversity Heritage Library

Structure of the Encyclopedia of Life

OH O H 2 N OH H Serine Molecule

Education & Outreach Smithsonian/Harvard Informatics Marine Biological Laboratory Secretariat Smithsonian Synthesis Center Field Museum Biodiversity Heritage Library

Biodiversity Heritage Library 2003, Telluride. Encyclopedia of Life meeting February 2005. London. Library and Laboratory: the Marriage of Research, Data and Taxonomic Literature May 2005. Washington. Ground work for the Biodiversity Heritage Library June 2006. Washington. Organizational and Technical meeting August 2006. New York Botanical Garden. BHL Director’s Meeting. October 2006. St. Louis/San Francisco. Technical meetings February 2007. Museum of Comparative Zoology. Organizational meeting

2003, Telluride. Encyclopedia of Life meeting

February 2005. London. Library and Laboratory: the Marriage of Research, Data and Taxonomic Literature

May 2005. Washington. Ground work for the Biodiversity Heritage Library

June 2006. Washington. Organizational and Technical meeting

August 2006. New York Botanical Garden. BHL Director’s Meeting.

October 2006. St. Louis/San Francisco. Technical meetings

February 2007. Museum of Comparative Zoology. Organizational meeting

Biodiversity Heritage Library American Museum of Natural History (New York) Field Museum (Chicago) Natural History Museum (London) Smithsonian Institution (Washington) Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis) New York Botanical Garden (New York) Royal Botanic Garden, Kew Botany Libraries, Harvard University Ernst Meyer Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University Marine Biological Laboratory / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution James Dwight Dana Zoophytes. Atlas , 1849

American Museum of Natural History (New York)

Field Museum (Chicago)

Natural History Museum (London)

Smithsonian Institution (Washington)

Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis)

New York Botanical Garden (New York)

Royal Botanic Garden, Kew

Botany Libraries, Harvard University

Ernst Meyer Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University

Marine Biological Laboratory / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Taxonomic Literature Over 250 years of systematic description of life The cited half-life of publications in taxonomy is longer than in any other scientific discipline The decay rate is longer than in any scientific discipline Tom Moritz

Over 250 years of systematic description of life

The cited half-life of publications in taxonomy is longer than in any other scientific discipline

The decay rate is longer than in any scientific discipline

Tom Moritz

Literature Repatriation Biologia Centrali-Americana. Edited by Frederick Ducane Godman and Osbert Salvin. London : Pub. for the editors by R. H. Porter, 1879-1915

Digital Divide?

Digital Divide? Vishwas Chavan travels a lot. An informatician based at the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune, India, he collects data on what types of animal live where in India to enter into a biodiversity database … Much of the information Chavan seeks is in old, out-of-print tomes … To find them, Chavan has spent years trailing around libraries. He dreams of the day when books such as these are scanned and made available as digital files on the Internet. “ Science in the Web Age: The Real Death of Print” by Andreas von Bubnoff Nature 438, 550-552 1 December 2005 Henry Walter Bates The Naturalist on the River Amazons, 1863

Narrowing the Divide

Core literature pre-1923: 400,000 (80 million pages) All pre-1923: 600-750,000 (120-150 million pages) All literature: 1.4-1.6 million (280-320 million pages) Biodiversity Heritage Library Mass. Zoological and Botanical Survey Reports on the fishes, reptiles and birds of Massachusetts , 1839

Core literature pre-1923: 400,000 (80 million pages)

All pre-1923: 600-750,000 (120-150 million pages)

All literature: 1.4-1.6 million (280-320 million pages)

Changing Priorities Open Access for scientific literature Encourage re-use and re-purposing of the data in multiple and diverse systems Work with non-commercial publishers to provide access

Open Access for scientific literature

Encourage re-use and re-purposing of the data in multiple and diverse systems

Work with non-commercial publishers to provide access

Changing Priorities BHL has had discussions with various society publishers as well as: BioOne JSTOR T.H. Huxley by Leslie Ward (“Spy”)

BHL has had discussions with various society publishers as well as:

BioOne

JSTOR

Digital Book Creation Automated structure detection – vital for serials Taxonomic Intelligence Digital Identifiers Scalable mass scanning (outside of the Google environment) Richard Owen by Leslie Ward (“Spy”)

Automated structure detection – vital for serials

Taxonomic Intelligence

Digital Identifiers

Scalable mass scanning (outside of the Google environment)

BHL Structural Metadata First Ingest Internet Archive 390888347 45632 390888346 45632 390888345 45632 390888344 45632 390888343 45632 Sub-element Barcode Bib #

BHL Structural Metadata Sub-Element Map Internet Archive 5 390888343 45632 4 390888343 45632 3 390888343 45632 2 390888343 45632 1 390888343 45632 Sub-element Barcode Bib #

BHL Structural Metadata Page Structure Map Internet Archive XML structure map that delineates the relationships of the images created automatically 1 390888343 45632 Sub-element Barcode Bib # 0005 0004 0003 0002 0001 Image Number

Taxonomic Intelligence

Taxonomic Intelligence 9.4 million name strings in NameBank Uses sophisticated algorithm (TaxonGrab) to locate likely name strings in OCR text Iterative processing of BHL texts will both increase the number of name strings in NameBank and increase the accuracy of name string recognition Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de Buffon Histoire naturelle : générale et particulière (Oiseaux) , 1799-1808

9.4 million name strings in NameBank

Uses sophisticated algorithm (TaxonGrab) to locate likely name strings in OCR text

Iterative processing of BHL texts will both increase the number of name strings in NameBank and increase the accuracy of name string recognition

Digital Identifiers Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) Handles Life Science Identifiers (LSID) URIs Etc. Telespiza palmeri Avifauna of Laysan , 1893-1900

Digital Object Identifiers (DOI)

Handles

Life Science Identifiers (LSID)

URIs

Etc.

Digital Identifiers Factors: Cost per identifier Community acceptance Scalability BHL is working with TDWG and others to come up with the best scheme(s) Moho bishopi Aviafauna of Laysan , 1893-1900

Factors:

Cost per identifier

Community acceptance

Scalability

BHL is working with TDWG and others to come up with the best scheme(s)

Scalable Mass Scanning

The Internet Archive 501(c)(3) organization Dedicated to “Universal Access to Human Knowledge” Founder of the Open Content Alliance Provides: Mass scanning Archival storage of files Image processing Technology development

501(c)(3) organization

Dedicated to “Universal Access to Human Knowledge”

Founder of the Open Content Alliance

Provides:

Mass scanning

Archival storage of files

Image processing

Technology development

Internet Archive Scribe Scanner Single Scribe Machine Human operated 200 volumes per shift per week ~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week Cost: $100,000 / year

Single Scribe Machine

Human operated

200 volumes per shift per week

~ 70,000 pages from a single machine per week

Cost: $100,000 / year

Internet Archive Scribe: Boston Cooperative facility with the Boston Library Consortium (19 New England Libraries) BHL Members MBL/WHOI and Harvard Libraries will use the facility Status: In production

Cooperative facility with the Boston Library Consortium (19 New England Libraries)

BHL Members MBL/WHOI and Harvard Libraries will use the facility

Status: In production

Internet Archive Scribe: Boston

Internet Archive Scribe: London Single Scribe in place Projected 5 unit pod to be located at The Natural History Museum Status: In production

Single Scribe in place

Projected 5 unit pod to be located at The Natural History Museum

Status: In production

Internet Archive Scribe: London

Internet Archive Scribe: Washington Single unit arrived May 5 Funded by Smithsonian Libraries Projected 5 unit BHL pod in National Museum of Natural History Projected 10-15 unit pod shared by Smithsonian/BHL and regional Washington libraries

Single unit arrived May 5

Funded by Smithsonian Libraries

Projected 5 unit BHL pod in National Museum of Natural History

Projected 10-15 unit pod shared by Smithsonian/BHL and regional Washington libraries

Internet Archive Scribe: Washington

Internet Archive Scribe: New York Current BHL plans focus on sharing a 10 unit pod located at the New York Public Library American Museum of Natural History and New York Botanical Garden will use this facility Status: in planning Carl von Linné (1707 - 1778)

Current BHL plans focus on sharing a 10 unit pod located at the New York Public Library

American Museum of Natural History and New York Botanical Garden will use this facility

Status: in planning

Internet Archive Scribe: Illinois Two machines funded by State of Illinois UIUC scanning Fieldiana (all series) Arrangement coordinated by Michael Godow, Bryan Heidorn (UIUC/GSLIS), Betsy Kruger (UIUC/Library) Status: In production

Two machines funded by State of Illinois

UIUC scanning Fieldiana (all series)

Arrangement coordinated by Michael Godow, Bryan Heidorn (UIUC/GSLIS), Betsy Kruger (UIUC/Library)

Status: In production

Internet Archive Scribe: Illinois

BHL Portal Library catalog-like interface to BHL literature Enhanced structural analysis to provide volume/issue/article page access to the literature Iterative development based on feedback from user community Provide access to two key audiences: Humans Machines

Library catalog-like interface to BHL literature

Enhanced structural analysis to provide volume/issue/article page access to the literature

Iterative development based on feedback from user community

Provide access to two key audiences:

Humans

Machines

www.biodiversitylibrary.org

BHL Literature Online 1,291,485 pages 657,310 pages via BHL Portal Yet another physical difficulty is the task of assembling the library and indexes which will enable the student to work under proper conditions…. the beginner must now be prepared to spend liberally, or else must establish himself in an institution where a large library exists ; if he work by himself with only a few books, he will have to confine himself to a very narrow specialty indeed. 'The Limitations of Taxonomy' by J.M. Aldrich, Science , April 22, 1927, vol. LXV, no. 1686, p.381

Biodiversity Heritage Library

Biodiversity Heritage Library