The Biodiversity Heritage Library:

an Open Global Resource of Literature

for African Biodiversity Users

Kirstenbosch Gardens

June 13th, 2012

Biodiversity Information Management Forum 2012

William Ulate, Global BHL Project Coordinator

What is BHL?

Access to literature is particularly important to

taxonomic researchers

All we know for some organisms…

… held in one of the great natural

history or botanical libraries…

A library that is, all too often,

far from the reader!

…is a brief description

in a hard to find book…

But there is a library

closer to where you are…

The Biodiversity Heritage Library

Dear Sir / Madam Can i just

congratulate you on an

absolutely brilliant online

resource. I am compiling a

report on an invasive

hydromedusae and could not

believe the ease and efficiency

of this web page which

genuinely saved me weeks of

my life

Research that previously

took months now takes

only a few hours

La plus grande

#bibliotheque #botanique &

#zoologique online The

largest online botanical &

zoological #library #BHL

The freeing of knowledge

may lead to new

discoveries and changes

in the way the natural

world is perceived

What is BHL?

The Biodiversity Heritage Library is

a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries

that cooperate to digitize and make accessible the

legacy literature of biodiversity held in their collections

and to make that literature available for open access

and responsible use as a part of a global “biodiversity

commons.”

The Biodiversity Heritage Library is

a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries

that cooperate to digitize and make accessible the

legacy literature of biodiversity held in their collections

and to make that literature available for open access

and responsible use as a part of a global “biodiversity

commons.”

Extensive

Open

~1.6 m users | 16 m page views

233 countries

Open

Global…

GLOBAL BHL is…

a cooperative network of autonomous members

operating programs and projects to make biodiversity literature available

through open access principles.

Global Replication & Serving Replicated Data Center Portal Application

Repatriating Information

Coordinating with Global BHL

Sharing

Sharing of Technical Topics

Scan Requests –

Strategy for handling and managing scan requests globally

Deduplication –

Avoiding duplication of scanning.

Feedback –

How to coordinate feedback (issues) between the nodes?

A Global Project requires a few Meetings

…permanent interactions…

…and very good communication!

www.biodiversitylibrary.org

@BiodivLibrary #bhl

blog.biodiversitylibrary.org

> 390,000 views in 10

months

> 30,000+ images

FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

What’s next?

22.00

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84.86

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16.4

31.8 35.4

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Oct-08 Oct-09 Oct-10 Oct-11

Pages (Millions) and Volumes (in Thousands) included in BHL

Volumes (K)

Pages (M)

More Online Content

New Partners and Geographies

JRS Workshop for Africa • African colleagues met for the first time.

• Presented their institutions and projects.

• Defined next steps for collaborating.

• Proposal to JRS Call for a Meeting in June in South Africa

BHL Africa

Invitation

Libraries Working Session

Today June 13th 14:00

Chair: Anne-Lise Fourie

BHL Africa Organizational Mtg.

Thu. 14th & Fri. 15th June

Thank you William Ulate Global BHL Project Manager

Missouri Botanical Garden

william.ulate@mobot.org

Skype: william_ulate_r