The Role of Libraries in Digital Data Preservation and

Access:

The Library of Congress Experience

Deanna MarcumAssociate Librarian for Library

Services

Library of Congress

June 3, 2010

LC’s Historical Collections in Science and Technology

• Seminal works of science and technology

**Newton, Copernicus, Darwin, Pavlov, and Einstein

• Works of scientific and technological historiography**Secondary works of analysis and interpretation

Source of Science and Technology Collections

• Smithsonian Deposit

--1866 act of Congress transferred 40,000 volumes to the Library of Congress

• Copyright Act of 1860--”all records and other things relating to copyrights ad required by law to be preserved, shall be under the control of the Library of Congress

18th and 19th century holdings

• Scientific serials in all languages

• Transactions, proceedings, bulletins and memoirs of scientific societies and institutions

• Records, diaries, and investigations

• Published monographs

• Technical reports

Manuscript Collections

• Papers of --Alexander Graham Bell--Luther Burbank--Vannevar Bush--Sigmund Freud--J. Robert Openheimer--Wright Brothers

AND MANY MORE

20th Century

• Textual matter that supports research on current issues, legislation, and public policy

• Emerging technologies, environment, fuel cell technology, alternative energies, cyber security, climate

Looking Ahead

• eScience• Develop a strategy for digital information

and data related to sciences and technology that is appropriate for the National Library

eScience Team

• Headed by Peter Young

• 15 staff from across the institution (Library Services, Office of Strategic Initiatives, Law, Congressional Research Service

• Meets weekly to determine Library’s role

eST’s Approach

• Meet with representatives from Federal science agencies to discuss digital data creation, preservation, and use

• Coordinating proof-of-concept projects

Geospatial Data

• Several geospatial data sets transferred to and eST pilot environment to investigate and analyze them as possible models for the Library’s role with eScience data

• Formulated study questions regarding target digital data sets to determine challenges

Learning from the pilot

• Deeper understanding of Library’s role

• Clarify workflows, policies, and technical issues related to transfer, ingest, management and access issues related to digital data sets

Participation in BRDI

• BRDI focused on improvement of management, policy, and use of digital data and information for science and the broader society

• Library’s interest in supporting these investigations from the national collections

Rethinking our Collections

• Digital science and data-driven research

• Interdisciplinary research

• New processes• New workflows• New curatorial skills

LS’s Challenges

• Engage communities of practice in developing preservation, archival, and access policies, methods, and tools

• New digital infrastructure to address long-term needs for digital data sets

Initial Efforts

• NDIIPP investments and partners

• Direction for curatorial and service functions

• CRS use of data sets to respond to Congressional requests

• Requires sustained access

• Continual use and reuse of data

From Reading Room to Research Center

• Format- or discipline-based reading rooms are no longer suitable

• Move to research centers that respond to specific needs of communities of interest

• New capacities to preserve and provide access to scientific and other data

New Requirements

• Collaboration

• Cross-institutional approaches

• Infrastructure

• Integration of collections

Thank you!