We've Got Issues! Discovering the right tool for the job

Erin ThomasBiodiversity Heritage LibrarySmithsonian Institution thomase@si.edu

• The Biodiversity Heritage Library

  • Communications

 • Software Solutions

 • Librarianship and Identity

The Biodiversity Heritage Library

• Academy of Natural Science (Philadelphia, PA)

• American Museum of Natural History (New York, NY)

• California Academy of Science (San Francisco, CA)

• The Field Museum (Chicago, IL)• Harvard University Botany Libraries

(Cambridge, MA)• Harvard University, Ernst Mayr Library of

the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Cambridge, MA)

• Marine Biological Laboratory / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA)

• Missouri Botanical Garden (St. Louis, MO)• Natural History Museum (London, UK)• The New York Botanical Garden (New

York, NY)• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Richmond,

UK)• Smithsonian Institution Libraries

(Washington, DC)

  

How to turn THIS into 1's and 0's...

• 501 (3) (c)• Dedicated to Universal

Access  • Founder of Open Content

Alliance•  Provides

o Mass Scanningo Archival Storageo Image Processingo Technology

development  

Internet Archive

Mass Digitization

Pros• Rich & robust quantity of content• Access, Access, Access• Collaboration across boundaries (institutional, geographic,

interdisciplinary) • Few space limitations• Library as global place with global audience• Full text searching• Ability to link content with other collections and services • Future of information services realized (data-mining

opportunities, doors opened to new research opportunities, library is where users are)

Cons• Low cost model can compromise scanning quality• Access over preservation• Managing the details • Scope creep • Browsing can be overwhelming to users• Cataloging inconsistencies among various libraries• Access to originals can be compromised• Threat to traditional library services• Managing user expectations in the age of Google• Copyright limitations

Mass Digitization

And the problems begin…

   Serials, monographs, monographic series, associated titles, title changes, duplicate scans, merging records, missing pages, blurry pages, foldouts, page insertion, gaps in serial runs, mischievous metadata, pagination, document delivery, PDF generation, copyright, permissions, sequencing, technical issues, authority lists, navigation, item level corrections, title level corrections, requests, record mismatches..on and on and on...

Photo courtesy curryegg.blogspot.com

Much ado over 40,000 Titles; 75,000 Volumes; 30,000,000 Pages...

Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:The Problem with the Portal....

Is Gemini the answer?

Issue tracking software used by BHL's development staff.

New Terms for a New Purpose

For Example…

Greener Pastures?

.

image courtesy www.bergoiata.org

..

• RedMine• Gemini• Trac• Bugzilla• Cerebro• Issue Net

• RoundUp • Projistics• SimpleTicket• SharpForge• Debbugs• DisTract

Functional Requirements 

• Custom Fields for Tagging• Advanced Report Generation• Time Tracking• Email Intergration • Hosted• Sub-Issues• Centralized Editing • Support• Budget Friendly

  

The Options

We Can Define Our Own Wheels!

Square-wheeled trike. Thanks to Jeff Atwood at www.codinghorror.com.

  

  

Links:http://www.slideshare.net/group/biodiversity-heritage-libraryhttps://biodivlib.wikispaces.comhttp://www.biodiversitylibrary.org

Credit and Many Thanks to: Grace Costintino!Suzanne Pilske!

Bianca Lipscomb!Martin Kalfatovic!

Erin Thomas Biodiversity Heritage Library thomase@si.edu

THANKS FOR LISTENING!