This document summarizes the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) workshop in Nairobi, Kenya in September 2015. It provides details about: - The goals of the workshop to train staff at partner institutions on BHL systems and workflows for contributing content. - An overview of topics covered including collection management, selection, copyright, metadata, and cross-institutional collaboration. - Results of the workshop including over 22,000 pages and 100 items contributed from African partners. - Lessons learned around tailoring training based on partners' skills and needs and managing language barriers. The summary captures the key information about the purpose, content, and outcomes of the BHL Africa workshop from the

1. Building the
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Through Standards and Content
Presented by:
Carolyn Sheffield
BHL Program Manager

2. www.biodiversitylibrary.org
119,000+ 6tles
201,000+ items
51+ million pages

3. BHL is both
• An organization and
• A digital library
Mission
The Biodiversity Heritage Library improves research
methodology by collaboratively making biodiversity
literature openly available to the world as part of a
global biodiversity community.
18 Members
17 Affiliates
60+ ins6tu6ons worldwide

4. Scanning Locally
18MEMBERS
AS OF May 2017
17AFFILIATES 60+ WORLDWIDE PARTNERS
Coordinating Globally

5. Scanning Locally
• Selection
• Scanning processes –
Imaging books using
• in-house equipment
• or external vendors
• Cataloging and
metadata for
discoverability
Coordinating Globally
• Selection priorities
coordination
• Scope – topical
guidelines
• Scope – rights
guidelines
• Request & Permissions
• Digitization Workflows –
image requirements and
post-imaging processes
• Training

6. BHL Partner Ins:tu:ons have different
approaches, collec:ons, exper:se, and
resources in terms of:
• Cataloging
• Copyright
• Digital Imaging
• Technical expertise, support, and
bandwidth

7. …for a growing consor-um
BHL SciELO 2010
Building Capacity…
BHL Africa Sept. 2015
BHL Mexico Dec. 2015
EABL Feb. 2016
MNHN Mar. 2017
BCU Lausanne Nov. 2016
CMN Nov. 2016
NDSR Feb. 2017

9. BHL Africa Workshop
Na6onal Museums of Kenya, September 24-26, 2015

10. Workshop Purpose
Prepare staff at participating
institutions to use BHL systems and
follow BHL workflows for
contributing digitized literature to the
Biodiversity Heritage Library.
• e

11. Workshop Process
• Pre-workshop consultation
• Coverage of core topics, including:
• Collec6on Management
• Selec6on
• Copyright
• Metadata
• Cross-Ins6tu6onal Collabora6on
• Tailored training for each Partner

12. Collection Management

13. Core Topics
1. Does it fall within
topical scope of
BHL?
Requirements & Standards

15. www.biodiversitylibrary.org

16. Core Topics: Gemini
Issue tracking
system that helps
us manage:
- User requests
- Permissions titles
- Overall global
coordination on
selection

17. Gemini Issue: Anatomy

18. Core Topics
1. Does it fall within
topical scope of
BHL?
Requirements & Standards
2. Is it eligible?

19. Who is Responsible?

20. Copyright Status
Go Proceed with cau:on Stop! (and get
permission)

21. Core Topics
3. Is there valid
MARC XML?
1. Does it fall within
topical scope of
BHL?
Requirements & Standards
2. Is it eligible?
4. Are there TIFF,
JPEG2000, or PDF
image files with
appropriate filenames?

22. Core Topics: Communications
• Push Communications
– Listservs (Staff & Partners)
– Reports & Newsletters
• Pull Communications
– Public Wiki
– Private Wiki
• Interactive
– Conference Calls
– Annual Meetings
– Workshops
@

23. Content contributed by Partners who have completed a workshop:
Results: Content in BHL
Partner Pages Items
BHL Africa 22,347 101
BHL Mexico 157,130 2,034
BCU Lausanne 42,302 119
Canadian Museum
of Nature
1,046 5
TOTAL 222,825 2,259
In addi6on, EABL now delivers the same or similar training to
other US ins6tu6ons thereby extending reach and exponen6ally
building BHL’s collec6ons.
Total from EABL Collec6on: 431,773 pages | 3,892 items

24. Content contributed by BHL Africa Partners:
Results: Focus on BHL Africa
Partner Pages Items
Nature Kenya, East Africa
Natural History Society
5,934 31
South African Ins6tute for
Aqua6c Biodiversity
753 2
South African Na6onal
Biodiversity Ins6tute
10,582 56
University of Pretoria,
Library Services
5,078 12
TOTAL 22,347 101

25. Active participation via Gemini
• EABL, Canadian Museum of Nature, &
NDSR have all demonstrated high levels of
participation vis a vis:
• developing their own components to
manage workflows (EABL)
• responding promptly, within 2 business
days, to issues assigned (all)
• creating their own workspaces to
manage issues assigned (NDSR)
• BHL Africa and BHL Mexico have
demonstrated some levels of participation
Results: Collaboration

26. Improved ability to ask good questions
and more easily understand answers:
• Active Skype participants: BHL Mexico,
EABL, Lausanne, NDSR
• Workshops help establish a relationship
with BHL Secretariat so partners are better
able to direct questions to the right person
and communicate more clearly about their
needs/challenges
Results: Engagement Overall

27. Well…
That all sounds great but what
if we want to participate but
haven’t even started scanning?

28. • Timing should be planned so partners will be
able to hit the ground running.
• Language barriers can be managed with
slower pacing and by sending materials ahead
of time.
• Time for hands-on training needs to be
tailored for the skill sets, experience, and
technical resources of workshop participants.
• Partners’ unique needs guide the depth of
coverage for core topics and any new content
that may need to be produced.
Lessons Learned

29. Documentation
Available on both Public and Private wiki
• h`p://bhl.wikispaces.com
• h`p://biodivlib.wikispaces.com

30. Workshop Organizers
• Bianca Crowley
• Carolyn Sheffield
• Grace Costan6no
• Jacqueline Chapman
• Mar6n Kalfatovic
• Constance Rinaldo
• Julia Blasé
Workshop Hosts
• Anne-Lise Fourie
• Lawrence Monda
• Partricia Koleff
• Carmen Ramirez
• Diana Hernandez
• Susan Fraser
• Constance Rinaldo
• Gildas Illien
Acknowledgments

31. Asante Sana
Carolyn Sheffield
BHL Program Manager
+1 202-633-1709
sheffieldc@si.edu
Skype: Carolyn.Sheffield