Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage Library
Martin R. Kalfatovic | Science Executive Committee | 12 Jan 2015
A set of services to the research
community both within and outside the
Smithsonian Institution. Managed by
the Smithsonian Libraries, the
program assists in capturing the
research output of Smithsonian
scholars and making it available to
Institutional management as well as
scientists and historians world-wide.
Smithsonian Research Online
Total Items in Research Bibliography
73,371
• Science Units: 52,093 (71%)
• HAC & Other Units: 7,035 (9.5%)
• USN Museum Pubs: 14,243 (19%)
Currently, 19,341 items in Digital Repository
Smithsonian Research Online
MCI NASM NMNH NZP SAO SERC STRI
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
Publications Totals
2006 – 2014
Science Units
Indexed by Google Scholar
Includes legacy Smithsonian publications
(e.g. US National Museum Publications)
Dspace Repository (+ SAO ADS) fulfills
White House Open Access mandate
Smithsonian Research Online
STRI
SERIC
NZP
NMNH
NASM
MCI
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
Total Repository Views
(July 2014-January 2015)
SRO Data Reuse
Research Altmetrics
Provides additional
usage data
Shows non-traditional
impact of research
Includes data and knowledge bases references,
article views, downloads, or mentions in social
media and news media
Research Altmetrics
Research Altmetrics
Research Altmetrics
Smithsonian Profiles
Addresses an enterprise-wide knowledge management system need
Ad hoc cross-Smithsonian team (SIL, OCIO, OSP, OIR, DUSCIS,
NMNH, OFI) formed to develope a beta “Smithsonian Profiles” system
Smithsonian Profiles will enable users to search key terms and identify
relevant staff and researchers quickly and efficiently. It will shine new
light on research, scholars, and services making them more
discoverable both internally and externally.
Testbed is VIVO, open source system in production at large academic
universities (Cornell, University of Colorado, Brown, University of
Florida, University of Melbourne, Duke, etc.) as well as the EPA and
NAL
Smithsonian Profiles
Plans with NMNH include how Smithsonian Profiles could
assist with PAEC, department webfeeds, NMNH Science
report, etc.
Plans with OIR include use for tracking global Smithsonian
research
Plans with OFI include using Smithsonian Profiles to replace
SORS database
Integration with LDAP, Active Directory, ORCID ID,
Researcher IDs
Smithsonian Profiles
The Biodiversity Heritage Library
Created in 2006 with US and UK
participants ...
...Initial funding via EOL/MacArthur
Foundation in 2007
Scope of biodiversity content
Focus for the BHL …
Technology Libraries Science
BHL is a project that encompasses
BHL "Central" has grown to 23 members and affiliates
And BHL has grown globally with nodes in:
Europe, China, Brasil, Australia, Egypt,
Sub-Saharan Africa, Singapore, Mexico
CHAIR VICE-CHAIR SECRETARY
Global BHL Steering Committee
August 2011
Vice Chair SecretaryChair
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Global Governance
Dr. Elycia Wallis Dr. Jiri FrankDr. Elycia Wallis Dr. Nancy GwinnDr. Jiri FrankDr. Jiri Frank
How do we get from this …
... To this?
FedScan (Library of
Congress)
Boston Public Library
San Francisco (Internet
Archive)
NHM London
Princeton, NJ
University of Pretoria
… and local scanning
Digitization Centers Shared by Members
Smithsonian Libraries: Natural History & Pennsy Dr.
45,270,435 pages
155,365 items
90,710 titles
145,088 segments
12 Jan 2014
And growth of content: 2007-2014
Increase agreements
with publishers of in
copyright materials
► 318 titles
► 133 publishers
December 2014
2007
2014
146,798 visitors | November 2012
Growth of users (2007-2014):
- 3,629,268 visitors
- 7,005,292 sessions
- 29,164,065 page views
- 51% vs 48% new vs. returning
2007
2014
146,798 visitantes | November 2012
Usages for CY 2014
- 890,447 visitors
- 1,501,297 sessions
- 4,558,099 page views
- 58% vs 42% new vs. returning
233 countriesUsers in 245 Countries
2007 -2014
Visitors from 241 countries
87,594 mobile visits (32% iPad)
March 2013 – March 2014
35,231 mobile visits (45% iPad)
March 2012 – March 2013
TheMachineIsUs/ingUs
<Response
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-
instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<Status>ok</Status>
<Result>
<Item>
<ItemID>16800</ItemID>
<Volume/>
<Contributor>MBLWHOI Library</Contributor>
<Sponsor>MBLWHOI Library</Sponsor>
<Language>English</Language>
<LicenseUrl/>
<Rights/>
<DueDiligence/>
<CopyrightStatus/>
<CopyrightRegion/>
</Item>
...But many "visits" are
from other machines
28+ million total visitors| 99K + images (December 2014)
Funder: Institute of Museum and Library Services
($174,724 for US partners)
Partners: Center for Biodiversity Informatics, Missouri
Botanical Garden, (US); National Centre for Text Mining,
University of Manchester, (UK); Big Data Analytics Institute
and Social Media Lab, Dalhousie University, (CAN).
Also participating: Smithsonian Institutions and
Encyclopedia of Life.
Field Book Project
Cataloged: 7,378
Digitized: 529
In BHL: 418
In the Transcription Center:
102
Transcribed: 92
Field Book Project
NMNH Departments:
 Department of Botany
 Division of Birds
 Department of Entomology
 Division of Fishes
 Division of Mammals
 Department of
Paleobiology
Smithsonian Libraries
 Cullman Library
New areas like Biodiversity Library
Exhibitions
“
T
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f
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I do admire the whole BHL
enterprise, wish I had
been born later, or BHL
earlier, so that I might
have had a more active
role in it.
Pat LaFollette
Natural History Museum of
Los Angeles County
Feedback from users
“
T
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BHL is one of the jewels in
the crown of biodiversity
informatics. It has delivered
a resource that is already of
high value to taxonomists,
collection managers and
naturalists around the
world.
Donald Hobern
GBIF Executive Secretary
Feedback from users
“
T
h
a
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k
y
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f
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BHL is simply a boon and
bonanza without parallel. I
am the greatest possible
fan of BHL and am going
to start recognizing it in the
Acknowledgments of all
the papers I publish that
depend largely on archival
resources.
Storrs Olson
Division of Birds, NMNH
Feedback from users
I am thrilled with what I
have been able to find re:
archaic mammary
embryology …
and to get it through your
program was a huge
advantage.
Olav T. Oftedal
Smithsonian Environmental
Research Center
Feedback from users
Community / Partnership / Science / Content
Thank you!

Digital Services Division & The Biodiversity Heritage Library