The Digital Library for Earth System Science:

Contributing resources and collections

GCCS Internship Orientation

Holly Devaul

19 June 2003

Today’s orientation

Background and tour of DLESE

Collection building process

Your tasks this summer

DLESE Mission

“To improve the quality, quantity, and efficiency of teaching and learning about the Earth at all educational levels.” DLESE Strategic Plan

Why a digital library?

A well-articulated community goal to transform geoscience education by combining pedagogy, technology and science

A well-articulated community goal to transform geoscience education by combining pedagogy, technology and science

What is DLESE?

A place to find quality teaching and learning resources about the Earth systemSupport and services for anyone interested in learning about the EarthA community-led effort, funded by NSF The geosciences node of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL)

What does DLESE offer?

Web-based materials (lesson plans, computer and lab activities, data, visualizations, background material, portals)

Resources about the Earth are contributed and described by educators and scientists

Services to help users effectively create and use materials

Search by standards; find teaching tips and reviews; attend workshops and events

Interfaces and tools to allow exploration of Earth data sets

Who is building DLESE?

Individual K-12 and university educators and scientists contribute resourcesPartnerships create thematic collections*Community governance guides library developmentCore services develop library components

Collections, Community, Data, Evaluation, and the DLESE Program Center (DPC)

Discovering ResourcesUsing DLESE

Discovery only for resources related to Earth system science

Resources in DLESE are selected and cataloged by the ESS education community

Resources are described in metadata records which enhance discovery and comprehension of the items. DLESE holds

metadata records, not the actual web pages.

What is Metadata?

Structured descriptive information about a resource that enables discovery

“Data about data” Free text as well as controlled

vocabularies for audience, resource type and others

www.dlese.orgwww.dlese.org

Simple Simple searchsearch

Power Power searchsearch

ozoneozone

BrowsBrowsee

Browse by Browse by subject, subject, grade level grade level or resource or resource typetype

Select grade Select grade level and level and type of type of resource resource

View the View the

completecomplete

descriptiondescription

View the View the

completecomplete

descriptiondescription

The The resource resource itselfitself

Data and imagery for each exercise

New look for Aug.

2003

August 2003:

Search over multiple collections;

Reviewed

collections

Read reviews and teaching tips

Collection BuildingDLESE library policies

http://www.dlese.org/documents/policy/index.html

• Scope: what the collection is about• Accession: what’s needed to be a collection• Deaccession: when a collection or resource “breaks”• IP and Privacy: how we treat the collection

DLESE Catalog System – for record creation

OAI software - for collection harvesting

Broad Collection and Reviewed Collection

Broad ReviewedCollection Collection

Relevant to Earth system educationCataloged with a minimum set of information for discoveryWide access to a range of resources

All the criteria of the Broad Collection plus:

• Scientifically accurate

• Importance• Pedagogically

effective• Well-documented• Ease of use• Power to inspire• Robust

Your role this summer

Set the stage for a thematic collection by:Drafting guiding documentsConstructing concept matrix to guide resource selectionExploring the potential resources availableCataloging on-line resources

Initially available as individual resources in DLESE, eventually as part of a discrete collection

Capturing info about off-line resources for future inclusion

Defining a Collection

Scope statement – describes types of resources included in collection

Topically, resource type Goals of collection ; what niche to fill

Short, easy to understandTranslates to a short set of principles or requirements as suitable guides to collecting

Building a Collection

Selection processIn this case, a matrix of topics, subtopics, and resource types will be developed and populated

Review processHow you evaluate the robustness, integrity and validity of the resources, determining which ones to catalog for the collection

How do resources get cataloged?

Web-based cataloging tool (DCS) at www.dlese.org -> public tool for general collectionUnique instances of cataloging tool for formal, thematic collections – managed at project site or hosted by DPCXML files created outside of web tool – XML template or database generated

DLESE Catalog System

Web-based tool to catalog resources with the following:

• URL, title, description, resource type• Grade level, subject (and many more)

Tool can be downloaded for local cataloging use

Can share cataloged information with digital libraries or use at DLESE

Build your own collection

Free-text and controlled vocabularies

Other considerations

Develop preliminary keyword list – possible subsequent specialized vocabularyOff-line resources data gathering

Timetable and DeliverablesWeekly Wednesday afternoon group meetingsWeek One - today

OrientationBegin crafting guiding documents

Week Two – June 25th

Review of guiding documents draftsCatalog training Wed. June 25th 1 pm

Week Three - July 2ndFlesh out matrix, begin selecting resources and cataloging15 records ( combined) for group review

Timetable and Deliverables continued

Week Four – July 915 records revised, 20 new are reviewedSelection and review criteria are revisited

Week Five – July 1320 revised, 20 new ( total 50)First draft analysis paper

Week Six – July 2020 revised, 20 new

Week 7Wrap up

www.dlese.org