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
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
40.00
84.86
94.6
9.2
16.4
31.8 35.4
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10
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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
Skype: william_ulate_r
