Transforming Knowledge Services for the Digital Age

Redefining the Research Library

Peter R. YoungDirector

National Agricultural Library▓ ▓ ▓

Wageningen, Netherlands21 February 2008

…advancing access to global information for agriculture…

Redefining the Research LibraryOutline

• Introduction• Transformative Trends

– E-Science & Agriculture• Global Challenges

– Knowledge Services• Transition Challenges

• Digital Research Library Vision

Introduction• Thanks to Joke Webbink for

inviting me • It is a pleasure to visit the

Wageningen Library• National Agricultural Library:

– Serves both USDA and USA– 3.8M item collections– 265 staff– 7 Information Centers– 90M annual transactions– Digital transition

Access links to Non-commercial Content

Transformative Trends• E-Science and Agriculture

• Inter-related global challenges • Team-based research• Inter/multi/trans-disciplinary• Data intensive• Multi-source channels

• Knowledge Services• Custom personalized• Comprehensive• Integrated

• Research Libraries• Integrated services• Cyberinfrastructure• Digital archival, preservation, & curatorial services

Global Challenges• Global climate change research

• Renewable energy alternatives

• Access to clean water & sanitation

• Water resource management

• Animal & human infectious diseases

• Treatment & prevention

• Human nutrition• Food quality, availability,

& safety

Renewable Energy & Food• Food, fiber, feed, and fuel

– FAO Food Price Index +37% in 2007• Demand for biofuels - tension

– Developing nations demand more protein– Widening gap between

rich and poor nations• Competition & demand for

edible & cooking oils increasing

Renewable Energy & Food• Global meat demand increase• Assembly-line meat factories

– High energy consumption– Water pollution problems– Greenhouse gases generated– Corn and grain for feed

• Total world meat supply– 71 million tons in 1961 – 284 million tons in 2007

• Demand to double by 2050

• Inter-disciplinary & team-based– Multi-sector partnerships

• Technology intensive (E-Science)– Modeling & visualization– Application & method driven– Instrumentation intensive– Large-scale data accumulation

• Accelerating discovery cycles• Focus on capturing processes, not just

outputs and outcomes• Shared use of resources and results

Scientific Research - Trends

Knowledge Services Transition Challenges

•Search & Discovery Tools

•Knowledge Content Resources

•Knowledge Services

•Transformational Opportunities

Search & Discovery ToolsPrint

• Standard index-abstracts

• Local resource collection

• Catalog and indices• General-use generic

tools• Libraries as gate-

keepers• Standard authorities• Format-specific

Digital• Portals & crawlers• Linked content• Integrated formats• Object clusters• Discipline specific

tools• Cross-domain search

– browse-able taxonomies

– federated search• Format agnostic

Content ResourcesPrint

• Publisher acquired• Tangible collections• Bibliographic control• Fixed editions/titles• Collection centric• Preservation• Facility infrastructure• Well-established

usage patterns

Digital• Intangible born-digital• Complex objects• Non-place specific• Fluid and transitory

– Dynamic objects• Content is king• Multi-media formats• Metadata registry

– Persistent metadata• Article-level publishing

Knowledge ServicesPrint

• Standard text-based• Reactive• Custodial• Generic services

– Reference service– Lending service

• Subscription-based services

• Private readers

Digital• Multi/mixed-format• Custom services

– Consultation– Alerts (Push)– Email & chat reference

• Unmediated services– User tracking & monitoring

• Licensed access– Pay-per-use pricing– Subscription licenses– Digital rights management

and protection

• Multi-source providers– Open source– Competitive offerings

Transformational Opportunities

• Visible• Inspiring• Innovative • Dynamic • Self-Initiating • Integrated• Convergent• Globally accessible• Virtual • Customer-Centric (CRM)• Highly respected &

recognized leader• Transformational • Evolutionary • Diverse

• Awakening• Fulfilling• Well organized/coordinated• Cooperative• Premier• Enterprising• Comprehensive • Authoritative, trusted,

reliable• Openly communicating• Culturally significant• Diverse support sources• Research intensive• Responsible costs• Interoperative & Connected

Digital Research Library Vision• Personal Learning Landscape (Elgg)• Web 2.0 Meme Map• Web Trends • Digital Community Development tools

– You Tube – Face Book– Library Thing– Twine It

Digital Age Context

Web Trends• Increasing use: fastest growth = non-US

– Increased vulnerabilities• Broadband increase• Improving search functionality• Web 2.0 application adoption • Software as service• Web-enabled portable devices• Cloud computing

– Microsoft, Amazon Simple DB, Google• Computers as customers

Digital Community Development Tools

• Customized link services & references – “If you liked this…”– Niche community development– 69 million visitors Facebook visitors

• 29 million uses per day • 392 million installations

– 206 million unique You Tube visitors• 21 billion minutes

• Implications of social networking Web 2.0 for Research Libraries

Transformational Changes?• Why do libraries need to catalog and

create metadata records? – Why not use social networking tools to

provide tags?• Why worry about access and demand

when Google Scholar and Books are so popular?– Why should we be concerned about

preservation and stewardship of archival digital content?

• Will research libraries be marginalized, or is a new paradigm emerging?

Digital

Research Library

Cyber-Infrastructure

Challenges

• Supercomputer simulations of complex systems require multidisciplinary expertise, computational models & data

• Enormous data streams from smart sensor arrays • Increased power of data mining• Data validation and metadata quality enhancement over time• Digital archiving and preservation

Global

Cyber-Infrastructure

Digital

Research Library

Roles

• Global cyberinfrastructure (CI) can become a platform for routine, effective distance-independent activities of knowledge communities

• World-scale collaborative teams can be common place

• Cyberinfrastructure offers new options for what is done, how it is done, and who participates

• The digital library community has made large contributions to creating this vision

• We now have the opportunity (and responsibility) to help make it real

Digital Research Library Vision

• Online access to complete credentialled, archival literature

• Stewardship and curation services for enormous collections of scientific data

• Digital repositories for diverse digital objects as instructional material and works in progress

• Digitized special collections

• More continuous (vs. batch) & open forms of scholarly communication

• Individual and community customization information services