Presentation given at VALA2012 conference February 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Ely Wallis and Dave Matthews were coauthors in a paper entitled Collaborating Locally, Contributing Globally. The Biodiversity Heritage Library in Australia.
Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. 3rd International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives. Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco. 30 May 2013.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Collaborating Globally, Scanning LocallyMartin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Collaborating Globally, Scanning Locally. Librarians as Digital Leaders: Collaborating on the Development and Use of Digitized Collections. American Library Association Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV. 28 June 2014.
Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Smithsonian Science Executive Committee. Washington, DC. 12 January 2015
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Workflow OverviewMartin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Workflow Overview. Martin R. Kalfatovic and Suzanne C. Pilsk. BHL Australian Node Meeting: Melbourne Museum. 2 June 2010. Melbourne, Australia.
Digitizing Entomology: The Biodiversity Heritage Library @ the SmithsonianMartin Kalfatovic
Digitizing Entomology: The Biodiversity Heritage Library @ the Smithsonian. Martin R. Kalfatovic. National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology Staff Meeting. Martin R. Kalfatovic. November 26, 2007. Washington, DC.
An Inordinate Fondness for Data: The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
An Inordinate Fondness for Data: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. OCLC Digital Forum East 2009. November 5, 2009. Arlington, VA.
Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
Scanning Locally, Collaborating Globally: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. 3rd International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives. Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco. 30 May 2013.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Collaborating Globally, Scanning LocallyMartin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Collaborating Globally, Scanning Locally. Librarians as Digital Leaders: Collaborating on the Development and Use of Digitized Collections. American Library Association Annual Conference. Las Vegas, NV. 28 June 2014.
Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Smithsonian Science Executive Committee. Washington, DC. 12 January 2015
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Workflow OverviewMartin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Workflow Overview. Martin R. Kalfatovic and Suzanne C. Pilsk. BHL Australian Node Meeting: Melbourne Museum. 2 June 2010. Melbourne, Australia.
Digitizing Entomology: The Biodiversity Heritage Library @ the SmithsonianMartin Kalfatovic
Digitizing Entomology: The Biodiversity Heritage Library @ the Smithsonian. Martin R. Kalfatovic. National Museum of Natural History, Department of Entomology Staff Meeting. Martin R. Kalfatovic. November 26, 2007. Washington, DC.
An Inordinate Fondness for Data: The Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
An Inordinate Fondness for Data: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. OCLC Digital Forum East 2009. November 5, 2009. Arlington, VA.
The Smithsonian Institution: Diffusing Knowledge in Partnership with the DPLAMartin Kalfatovic
The Smithsonian Institution: Diffusing Knowledge in Partnership with the DPLA. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Digital Programs Advisory Committee, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 10 December 2015
Us and Them | Me and You | from swerve of shore to bend of bay: Take Down the...Martin Kalfatovic
Us and Them | Me and You | from swerve of shore to bend of bay: Take Down the Fences … Here Comes the Crowd. Martin R. Kalfatovic. IMLS Focus: Inspiration and Innovation in Libraries and museums 2015. New Orleans. 16 November 2015
The Biodiversity Heritage Library Mass Digitizing Project: A Grandeur in this...Martin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library Mass Digitizing Project: A Grandeur in this View of Digital Libraries by Martin R. Kalfatovic and Suzanne C. Pilsk, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. LITA National Forum, October 2007. Denver, Colorado.
Open science, citizen science - unleashing the power of community collaborati...Elycia Wallis
Panel session given at MCN2012. This slide deck is the introduction, and was followed by talks from Arfon Smith (Director of Citizen Science at the Adler Planetarium and Technical Lead of the Zooniverse projects) and Jeff Holmes (Digital content editor, Encyclopedia of Life).
Session abstract:
Citizen science describes methodologies and technologies that allow members of the public to contribute actively to gathering, improving and analysing data. Museums, particularly natural history and science museums have started to utilise citizen science techniques to provide a way to increase the speed and volume of information processing that can be undertaken. Datasets published openly and online can be made available for transcription, pattern recognition and visual analysis. The skills of enthusiastic amateurs can be utilised to gather new data for research and to add to existing collections datasets. In this panel the benefits to museum research and collections of citizen science approaches will be presented, along with case studies and discussions of technologies for large scale public data analysis.
Atlas of Living Australia for GBIF Nodes: A collaborative endeavorFrancisco Pando
How National Nodes of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility are collaborating on building national cyberinfastructures for biodiversity data following the lead of Australia
3 Years On: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. BHL Australia Kick Off Meeting: Melbourne Museum. 1 June 2010. Melbourne, Australia.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. International Relations Round Table, American Library Association Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, 28 June 2013.
A summary of the activities and project work of the Australian branch of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Presented 19 July 2018 at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden in The Netherlands.
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the...Martin Kalfatovic
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the BHL. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Expanding Access to Biodiversity Workshop. Atlanta History Center. Atlanta, GA. 24 January 2017.
The Smithsonian Institution: Diffusing Knowledge in Partnership with the DPLAMartin Kalfatovic
The Smithsonian Institution: Diffusing Knowledge in Partnership with the DPLA. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Digital Programs Advisory Committee, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 10 December 2015
Us and Them | Me and You | from swerve of shore to bend of bay: Take Down the...Martin Kalfatovic
Us and Them | Me and You | from swerve of shore to bend of bay: Take Down the Fences … Here Comes the Crowd. Martin R. Kalfatovic. IMLS Focus: Inspiration and Innovation in Libraries and museums 2015. New Orleans. 16 November 2015
The Biodiversity Heritage Library Mass Digitizing Project: A Grandeur in this...Martin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library Mass Digitizing Project: A Grandeur in this View of Digital Libraries by Martin R. Kalfatovic and Suzanne C. Pilsk, Smithsonian Institution Libraries. LITA National Forum, October 2007. Denver, Colorado.
Open science, citizen science - unleashing the power of community collaborati...Elycia Wallis
Panel session given at MCN2012. This slide deck is the introduction, and was followed by talks from Arfon Smith (Director of Citizen Science at the Adler Planetarium and Technical Lead of the Zooniverse projects) and Jeff Holmes (Digital content editor, Encyclopedia of Life).
Session abstract:
Citizen science describes methodologies and technologies that allow members of the public to contribute actively to gathering, improving and analysing data. Museums, particularly natural history and science museums have started to utilise citizen science techniques to provide a way to increase the speed and volume of information processing that can be undertaken. Datasets published openly and online can be made available for transcription, pattern recognition and visual analysis. The skills of enthusiastic amateurs can be utilised to gather new data for research and to add to existing collections datasets. In this panel the benefits to museum research and collections of citizen science approaches will be presented, along with case studies and discussions of technologies for large scale public data analysis.
Atlas of Living Australia for GBIF Nodes: A collaborative endeavorFrancisco Pando
How National Nodes of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility are collaborating on building national cyberinfastructures for biodiversity data following the lead of Australia
3 Years On: The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. BHL Australia Kick Off Meeting: Melbourne Museum. 1 June 2010. Melbourne, Australia.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. International Relations Round Table, American Library Association Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL, 28 June 2013.
A summary of the activities and project work of the Australian branch of the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Presented 19 July 2018 at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden in The Netherlands.
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the...Martin Kalfatovic
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the BHL. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Expanding Access to Biodiversity Workshop. Atlanta History Center. Atlanta, GA. 24 January 2017.
An Introduction to the Biodiversity Heritage LibraryMartin Kalfatovic
An Introduction to the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Martin R. Kalfatovic. BHL Australian Node Meeting: National Library of Australia. 4 June 2010. Canberra, Australia.
Botanical Literature Goes Global: The Biodiversity Heritage Library warnemen
The BHL is an international collaboration of natural history libraries working together to make biodiversity literature available for use by the widest possible audience through open access and sustainable management.
The Biodiversity Heritage Library 10 Years and More!Martin Kalfatovic
The Biodiversity Heritage Library 10 Years and More! Martin R. Kalfatovic. TDWG 2016. Centro de Transferencia Tecnológica y Educación Continua (CTEC) San Carlos, Santa Clara, Costa Rica. 7 December 2016.
Free & Open Access to Biodiversity Literature: An Introduction to the Biodive...Martin Kalfatovic
Free & Open Access to Biodiversity Literature: An Introduction to the Biodiversity Heritage Library. NDSR Workshop. Smithsonian Libraries. 2 February 2017.
Smithsonian Libraries 2.0 and the Biodiversity Heritage Library ProjectMartin Kalfatovic
Smithsonian Libraries 2.0 and the Biodiversity Heritage Library Project. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Smithsonian Libraries Board Meeting. June 26, 2009. Landover, MD.
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the...Martin Kalfatovic
Increasing Access, Promoting Progress: Empowering Global Research through the BHL. Martin R. Kalfatovic. Group of 12 Meeting. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle. Paris, 2 December 2016.
African Digital Libraries in Global Content: The Biodiversity Heritage Librar...Martin Kalfatovic
African Digital Libraries in Global Content: The Biodiversity Heritage Library Model. Martin R. Kalfatovic & Anne-Lise Fourie, ICADLA-4. Accra, Ghana, 28 May 2015
The Biodiversity Heritage Library: Empowering Discovery through Free Access to Biodiversity Knowledge | Martin R. Kalfatovic, XIX IBC 2017. Shenzhen, China. 25 July 2017
Biodiversity Heritage Library : Development and PartnerhipsNancy Gwinn
Biodiversity Heritage Library. Development and Partnerships. Nancy E. Gwinn. Biodiversity and Ecosystems Informatics Group, National Science Foundation, March 24, 2008, Washington, D.C.
Creating a network of connections: how the Biodiversity Heritage Library adds...Elycia Wallis
This talk was given at the Open Repositories 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. It discussed how digitised literature in the Biodiversity Heritage Library can be used in many ways, including as a source of scientific data; beautiful historic artworks; and to provide the taxonomic community with sometimes rare or inaccessible first descriptions of new species.
Biodiversity Heritage Library in Australia during 2014-2015Elycia Wallis
This presentation was given at the 6th Global Biodiversity Heritage Library meeting in Sao Paulo, Brazil in May 2015. It describes the highlights of the past year for the Biodiversity Heritage Library project in Australia, funded by the Atlas of Living Australia and coordinated through Museum Victoria.
Data out, data in: the ALA and the Field Guide apps to Australian Fauna ProjectElycia Wallis
This talk was given in June 2013 at the Atlas of Living Australia Science Symposium, at CSIRO Discovery Centre in Canberra.
The talk discussed a project being run by Museum Victoria to work with museum partners around Australia to develop field guide apps to animals found all around Australia.
The text of the talk can be found at the end of the slides.
Keynote presentation given at Labcon 2012Elycia Wallis
Keynote talk given at Labcon2012 - a conference for Laboratory Technicians. The talk covers science in museum exhibitions, in museum research, and in programs to share museum data.
Blurring boundaries, shifting perspectives - museum science meets history onl...Elycia Wallis
This set of slides formed the background and introduction to a roundtable discussion at MCN2012. Panellists were Ed Rodley (Museum of Science, Boston, USA), Janet Carding (Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada), Sharon Grant (Field Museum, Chicago, USA), and Adrian Kingston (Te Papa, Wellington, NZ).
Session abstract:
Multidisciplinary museums have opportunities for active collaboration and participation by experts in varying fields. However, differing methodologies and approaches have traditionally meant that there is still a divide. New technologies are helping to bridge that disciplinary gap, allowing scientists, anthropologists and historians to share data, interpretation and experience in ways they have not been able to before. Digitisation of collection information, and release of large datasets into the public domain allow techniques such as data mining, transcription and semantic linking to open new ways to interpret museum collections information, to the benefit of all.
Cabinets of Curiosity: Museum Victoria The Curiosity ShopElycia Wallis
Panel session at MCN2012. This talk is one of three given in the panel on either running a content aggregation site, or contributing to a content aggregation site.
Talk given to to the History Teachers Association of Victoria Middle Years Conference in Melbourne, October 2012. Presenters were Jan Molloy, Liz Suda and Ely Wallis, all from Museum Victoria.
Talk given to to the History Teachers Association of Victoria Middle Years Conference in Melbourne, October 2012. Presenters were Jan Molloy, Liz Suda and Ely Wallis, all from Museum Victoria.
Historically Speaking, Digital Humanities, EWallis July 2012Elycia Wallis
A presentation given at a Professional Historians Association, Historically Speaking session in Melbourne, Australia, July 2012.
The aim of this talk was to describe digital humanities to a group of professional historians who might have heard of the term, but not be active practitioners.
Thinking of getting a dog? Be aware that breeds like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, and German Shepherds can be loyal and dangerous. Proper training and socialization are crucial to preventing aggressive behaviors. Ensure safety by understanding their needs and always supervising interactions. Stay safe, and enjoy your furry friends!
How to Build a Module in Odoo 17 Using the Scaffold MethodCeline George
Odoo provides an option for creating a module by using a single line command. By using this command the user can make a whole structure of a module. It is very easy for a beginner to make a module. There is no need to make each file manually. This slide will show how to create a module using the scaffold method.
June 3, 2024 Anti-Semitism Letter Sent to MIT President Kornbluth and MIT Cor...Levi Shapiro
Letter from the Congress of the United States regarding Anti-Semitism sent June 3rd to MIT President Sally Kornbluth, MIT Corp Chair, Mark Gorenberg
Dear Dr. Kornbluth and Mr. Gorenberg,
The US House of Representatives is deeply concerned by ongoing and pervasive acts of antisemitic
harassment and intimidation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Failing to act decisively to ensure a safe learning environment for all students would be a grave dereliction of your responsibilities as President of MIT and Chair of the MIT Corporation.
This Congress will not stand idly by and allow an environment hostile to Jewish students to persist. The House believes that your institution is in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and the inability or
unwillingness to rectify this violation through action requires accountability.
Postsecondary education is a unique opportunity for students to learn and have their ideas and beliefs challenged. However, universities receiving hundreds of millions of federal funds annually have denied
students that opportunity and have been hijacked to become venues for the promotion of terrorism, antisemitic harassment and intimidation, unlawful encampments, and in some cases, assaults and riots.
The House of Representatives will not countenance the use of federal funds to indoctrinate students into hateful, antisemitic, anti-American supporters of terrorism. Investigations into campus antisemitism by the Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Ways and Means have been expanded into a Congress-wide probe across all relevant jurisdictions to address this national crisis. The undersigned Committees will conduct oversight into the use of federal funds at MIT and its learning environment under authorities granted to each Committee.
• The Committee on Education and the Workforce has been investigating your institution since December 7, 2023. The Committee has broad jurisdiction over postsecondary education, including its compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, campus safety concerns over disruptions to the learning environment, and the awarding of federal student aid under the Higher Education Act.
• The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the sources of funding and other support flowing to groups espousing pro-Hamas propaganda and engaged in antisemitic harassment and intimidation of students. The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is the principal oversight committee of the US House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate “any matter” at “any time” under House Rule X.
• The Committee on Ways and Means has been investigating several universities since November 15, 2023, when the Committee held a hearing entitled From Ivory Towers to Dark Corners: Investigating the Nexus Between Antisemitism, Tax-Exempt Universities, and Terror Financing. The Committee followed the hearing with letters to those institutions on January 10, 202
A workshop hosted by the South African Journal of Science aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers with little or no experience in writing and publishing journal articles.
This presentation was provided by Steph Pollock of The American Psychological Association’s Journals Program, and Damita Snow, of The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), for the initial session of NISO's 2024 Training Series "DEIA in the Scholarly Landscape." Session One: 'Setting Expectations: a DEIA Primer,' was held June 6, 2024.
This presentation includes basic of PCOS their pathology and treatment and also Ayurveda correlation of PCOS and Ayurvedic line of treatment mentioned in classics.
A Strategic Approach: GenAI in EducationPeter Windle
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as Generative AI, Image Generators and Large Language Models have had a dramatic impact on teaching, learning and assessment over the past 18 months. The most immediate threat AI posed was to Academic Integrity with Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) focusing their efforts on combating the use of GenAI in assessment. Guidelines were developed for staff and students, policies put in place too. Innovative educators have forged paths in the use of Generative AI for teaching, learning and assessments leading to pockets of transformation springing up across HEIs, often with little or no top-down guidance, support or direction.
This Gasta posits a strategic approach to integrating AI into HEIs to prepare staff, students and the curriculum for an evolving world and workplace. We will highlight the advantages of working with these technologies beyond the realm of teaching, learning and assessment by considering prompt engineering skills, industry impact, curriculum changes, and the need for staff upskilling. In contrast, not engaging strategically with Generative AI poses risks, including falling behind peers, missed opportunities and failing to ensure our graduates remain employable. The rapid evolution of AI technologies necessitates a proactive and strategic approach if we are to remain relevant.
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
This slide is special for master students (MIBS & MIFB) in UUM. Also useful for readers who are interested in the topic of contemporary Islamic banking.
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
6. Platypus see Ornithorhynchus John Gould (1863) The Mammals of Australia The Naturalist's Miscellany: Or, Coloured Figures Of Natural Objects; Drawn and Described Immediately From Nature (1789-1813)
7. Literature and taxonomy Theodore Roosevelt, 1910, African Game Trails: an account of the African wanderings of an American hunter-naturalist. http://bhl.ala.org.au/bibliography/20032#/summary
8. Taxonomy is a dynamic science Supergiant amphipod caught in the Kermadec Trench off New Zealand. Photo copyright of Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen, UK. http://www.niwa.co.nz/news/%E2%80%98supergiant%E2%80%99-amphipods-discovered-7-kilometres-deep
22. The Council of Heads of Australian Faunal Collections (CHAFC) The Council of Heads of Australian Entomological Collections (CHAEC) The Council of Heads of Australasian Collections of Microorganisms (CHACM) The Council of Australasian Museum Directors (CAMD)
Most museums and herbaria have libraries that are there to support the curatorial research of the institution. Most have relatively small holdings, particularly when compared to university or State libraries They usually only lend to staff and interlibrary loans They were often set up at the start of the organisation’s history and have significant rare and historic works.
For example, at Museum Victoria our library is home to significant natural history works such as McCoy’s Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria (Green lipped Abalone, Haliotis laevigata) (Vine moth, Comocrus behri) and, Albertus Seba’s Thesaurus (Red Ibis, Eudocimus ruber)
The research libraries of museums and herbaria are there to support the research of these organisations – taxonomy – the science of naming new species. Having access to good libraries is also particularly pertinent in Australia. For species described a long time ago the original specimens were taken back to Europe to be described there so the literature is the most accessible description of the specimens. Similarly if you’re out in the field – taking literature files with you is much more practical than taking specimens.
So when new species are described, that description becomes the authoritative account of that animal, plant, bacteria or fungus. And this is reflected in how a taxonomic name is cited – with an author and date at the end of the scientific name. But taxonomy isn’t a science with a definite answer and names change over time. Taxonomy is an art as well as a science, whose aim is to construct in names the evolutionary relationships between them. So a species concept may have more than one name attached to it. So when you’re investigating a species you need to find all the literature – traditionally done as ‘archaeological bibliography’ that involves a lot of inter library loan requests!
The other more sobering point to note about the literature and taxonomy is best illustrated by this image. This image illustrates and describes the Western Black Rhinoceros, a subspecies of which ( Diceros bicornis longipes ) last year was declared extinct by the IUCN. The fact that the ‘hunter-naturalists’ of last century have hunted this animal extinction means that there won’t be any new literature published with recent data in any scientific. All the information we have about this species is now held in the published literature, and in the specimens that might still be kept in museums. And that makes this information scares and precious and worth keeping.
On a lighter note, the literature is also used to assist in the description of new species. It does often surprise people to know that new species of plants and animals are still being discovered and described. Although this critter may not be a new species, it’s super cool. It’s an amphipod that’s the length of a ruler – whereas usually these animals are less than the length of your little finger. The analogy given by the discoverers was to think of a cockroach the size of a dinner plate. It’s only just been reported after being pulled up from a deepsea trench north of New Zealand. It will be compared with the other known supergiants, and may or may not prove to be a new species. My point is that there are still lots of things we don’t know about in the world.
If it does turn out to be a new species, then there are c odes that govern how new species are described. Publishing of names is also a controversial matter and changes are slowly afoot – IBC now allows publishing of names electronically. Previously a new name was only valid if it was published on paper. Can also now write your description in English, instead of Latin only. So the new publishing model should allow scientists to access new literature but as with any discipline that requires access to historic literature, the logical thing to do is to start digitising and make the literature available that way. The Age Bridie Smith, July 27 2011 Botanists turn over a new leaf to name plants in English http://www.theage.com.au/national/botanists-turn-over-a-new-leaf-to-name-plants-in-english-20110726-1hym5.html#ixzz1XQ41eZAD
So I’ll now move into the second part of the talk which is all about the digital literature – the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
So back in 2005 the idea for a scholarly digital research library was formed. The principles of this project were to be that:
The original collaborators were a number of libraries in museums and herbaria in North America and the UK. Started in 2005 with discussions connected to an associated project, the Encyclopedia of Life.
EoL was the brainchild of the famous biologist EO Wilson, with a catchphrase ‘a webpage for every species’. The BHL was originally conceived as the literature service of the EoL.
And BHL is still there are the on each species page, providing literature references for that species.
And with these principles agreed, the original consortium members started scanning from their collective libraries. Some of the scanning operations have become very big. And with the advent of a partnership with the Internet Archive, both scanning functions and storage were solved.
And 1.5 million users
Original consortium in North America. European project operating under Europeana. No new scanning funded but linking to digitised literature. Focus on European languages. China focus on scanning Mandarin language literature. Egypt are scanning Arabic texts and also have many old and rare European texts. Brazil working through a SciElo to concentrate on South American literature. And I will describe the Australian operations in much more detail in a minute.
So I’ll now move into the last part of the talk which is all about BHL project in Australia
In Australia, just as BHL US is the literature service for EOL, BHL Australia is the literature service for a larger project called the ALA. The only thing I’ll say today about the Atlas is that it’s mission is (slide), that it is federally funded until June this year And that if you’re interested, you can see the Atlas website at www.ala.org.au
Partners in the Atlas include all the State and Territory museums and herbaria, and some State government departments and universities.
So the goals for the project are: (slide)
One of the first things we’ve done is to take the BHL US website and added our own look and feel to it. Our designer and developers have also worked on improving the code base and getting it running really smoothly. The entire body of content that’s available in the US node of BHL is now also available here. It’s being synchronised weekly with the store in the US, so what they have, we have too.
The next part of the project is for the community to develop a list of publications they’d like to see digitised. We know that there will be limited funds, so we want to know what’s most important for the scientific community to see in there. What’s important for real taxonomists and how can we service that.
Museum Victoria has purchased the first of the scanning rigs planned for Australia. For anyone interested, it’s an ATIZ book pro, with some custom modifications, such as the addition of a glass plattern rather than the perspex one it was supplied with. Our digitisation project manager has been busy getting the rig set up and just on Tuesday ran the first training course for our scanning operators – a team of 5 volunteers keen to help us out.
It’s taken us a while to set up the scanning process, partly because we were mucking around with the rig itself but mostly because we’ve been spending a lot of time getting the post production workflow right. The Smithsonian Library has shared their post production workflow software called Macaw that we have been changing to suit our local needs.
So I’ll now move into the last part of the talk which is all about BHL project in Australia
BHL links to species pages in the Atlas of Living Australia. Ultimately we’d like for all the references to each species to be dynamically linked.
One of the biggest issues for all these digitisation projects is the disconnect between what libraries catalogue and what researchers use. Particularly so for serials – the article versus the run. Projects like BioStor take citation lists and throw them at the journals to try to “articlise” the journals to make them useful to researchers.
Linking through to Trove – who show when a book is available online.
And I will just end with a couple of the other ways that BHL content is being disseminated. In the meantime, BHL runs an active Flickr site where images from BHL are posted. This is proving to be really useful and of interest to artists, historians, amateur naturalists and all sorts of people other than who we thought we were building BHL for.
Get preformatted PDFs of some of the BHL content
Natural history libraries are full of wonder, just like the world we live in. Thank you.