iDigBio is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections Program (Cooperative Agreement EF ). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. All images used with permission or are free from copyright. Success (and challenges) in broadening participation and engagement in digitization Deborah Paul Institute for Digital Information (iDigInfo) Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) at Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) 2013 Conference Florence, Italy October 28 – Nov 1

Virtual Communities for Biodiversity Science Empowering International e-Collaboration for Sustainability Theme: Virtual Communities for Biodiversity Science Symposium: Empowering International e-Collaboration for Sustainability

Overview NIBA What is ? Issues and Trends Digitization Collaboration Workforce training and resources Rich(er) data, data discovery, and data citation Sustainability hints Working group thoughts (Theme: Hiding complexity and meeting half-way)

The Acronyms… NIBANetwork Integrated Biocollections Alliance NIBA: Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance NIBA vision: virtualized community vision: …a vibrant, virtualized community sharing data and digitization experiences collectively developing requirements for new tools NSF NSF ADBC ADBC: Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections iDigBio iDigBio: Integrated Digitized Biocollections TCNsThematic TCNs: Museum Thematic Collection Networks

goals goals build an accessible aggregated, integrated, scalable, vouchered-specimen database database (USA collections) participation in digitization facilitate and increase participation in digitization researchers’ access enable researchers’ access to and use of the data partnerships build partnerships to expand and enhance

and the TCNs and the TCNs

TCN: Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids: A Model System for the Study of Tri-Trophic Associations

photo credit: Yon Visell TCN: Plants, Herbivores and Parasitoids: A Model System for the Study of Tri-Trophic Associations

NIBA Implementation Plan - Goal 4 Increase participation in and support for NIBA from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, both nationally and internationally. identify areas of overlap and synergy Align NIBA’s strategic plan with road-mapping exercises of other broad-based biodiversity initiatives in order to identify areas of overlap and synergy. BIS (TDWG) ?

Collaborate! The imperative case. Cross Disciplinary Research (CDR) needs Cross-Disciplinary Communication “…practical approaches to enhancing collaboration have emerged slowly…” tracking contacts and collaborations examples needed in listener’s terms

TDWG, iDigBio, your project? identify areas of overlap and synergy identify areas of overlap and synergy possible overlap cyberinfrastructure standards workforce training workforce training outreach outreach education education interoperability vision and scope for cooperation and collaboration

NIBA Implementation Plan - Goal 3 pursue international cooperative efforts in training in biodiversity science…” “…pursue international cooperative efforts in training in biodiversity science…” 3.1. Implement new training opportunities in biodiversity informatics.

You just saved me a month… Workshops - just in year 2 > 150 institutions, 9 workshops, 3 symposia 528 sponsored participants Videos on Vimeo, remote participation Train the Trainer’s model Series of digitization training workshops (herbaria, wet collections, entomology, paleontology, fluid-preserved invertebrate imaging, small herbaria, ) “data curation time cut from 7 years to 3 months.” batch process 30 images per night?

iDigBio Working Groups and Workshops AugmentingOCR Augmenting OCR (aOCR) ent Biodiversity Informatics Management Working Group Cyberinfrastructure (CYWG) DROIDFlat Things Developing Robust Object to Image to Data (DROID1): Flat Things Pinned Things DROID2: Pinned Things 3D Objects DROID3: 3D Objects and Things in Spirits Education Outreach Education and Outreach Imaging Interest Group Fluid-preserved Arthropod and Microscopic Slide Imaging Interest Group Georeferencing Working Group (GWG) Whole-Drawer Digitization International Whole-Drawer Digitization Interest Group (WDD) Information Standards Minimum Information Standards, Authority Files, & Semantics (MISC) Paleo Digitization Paleo Digitization Working Group Paleontology Public Participation Public Participation in Digitization Communication Strategic Communication Interest Group Website Content Providers Editorial Board and Interest Group

What’s in a name? Biodiversity Informatics Biological Informatics Bioinformatics Issues Do we mean the same thing? Where are students learning these skills? What skills do they need?

iDigBio Biodiversity Informatics Management Working Group

iDigBio Biodiversity Informatics Management Working Group Mission Who Who bridges the potential gap between collection managers and IT staff? manages a digital resource, once it is created? coordinates digitization workflow development and documentation? What socio-technical skills What socio-technical skills are needed? Where Where do these skilled individuals come from? Surveys Surveys in progress digital collections need digital collections management digital collections need digital collections management

A botanist and a programmer walk into a bar… “Make that a triple(t) please.” Resource Description Framework (RDF) Triple Darwin Core Triplet Subject Avalue B Subject A has property value B has Collector A. Parente A. Parente intended to express relationships intended to express relationships Institution Code: Collection Code: Catalog Number CAS:LOT: CAS:LOT: intended to be a globally unique identifier intended to be a globally unique identifier

The Flat Sheets and Packets Working Group completed modules and associated tasks for herbarium and related collections (October 2012). The Pinned Things in Trays and Drawers finished and posted its work for entomology (January 2013). 3D Objects in Spirits in Jars and Vials completed and posted its workflows for fluid-preserved specimens (May 2013). 3D Objects in Drawers and Trays workflows group in process now. Augmenting OCR WG and DROID in process to incorporate ocr tools and output Preparation-independent workflows to follow (2013). DROID Workflows Working Groups Modular Approach

iDigBio Georeferencing Working Group (GWG) Current Resources Ongoing Work Train-the-Trainers (TTT) I and II Online Workshop Resource Workforce Training listserve and wiki listservewiki videos online training materials More online training materials, collaborative development Webinars Webinars Webinars Georeferencing Workflows, Georeferencing Workflows, Workshop Protocols and Help

iDigBio GWG Train the Trainers I and II 5 Days Pay-it-forward Community Resource

Rich(er) Data and Metadata: Wanted and Needed in the next room Data Quality issues (in the next room) Aggregators and Integrators Proactive Digitization Standards for field data collection Data model and subsequent data base changes Social issues of data re-use Data citation Data discovery Hide complexity OR meet half-way?

Association of Research Libraries Report, February 2013 permanence of a digital file engaged user base management supports resource Sustainability? Hints from Library Special Collections Digitization Key success factors? understand needs of users / stakeholders identify activities needed to support them delegate responsibility to manage costs financialnon-financial support develop reliable sources of financial and non-financial support. need an actively engaged manager to set and accomplish goals.

Association of Research Libraries Report, February 2013 Key findings (a few)… Hints from Library Special Collections Digitization Biggest challenges to long-term maintenance? besides financial resources, technological capabilities, and staff time… workflowsstandards establishing / clarifying workflows and standards expertise of staff expertise of staff institutional culture institutional culture … “digitization is critical to future, but updates and upgrades are not sufficient.” management of digital resources often dispersed across departments are digitization projects (ever) finished? budgeting / planning for enhancements

Working Group Thoughts WG (Outreach) Liaison? bridge the gap increase participation standards adoption digitization maturity proactive digitization public documentation An outside member? bridge the gap no expertise

Summary and Outreach Issues and Trends Digitization Collaboration and Sustainability hints Workforce training Rich(er) data, data discovery, and data citation Your questions / issues / ideas AND Theme: Hide complexity AND meet (more than) half-way

Sources Splashes and Ripples: Synthesizing the Evidence on the Impacts of Digital Resources Eric T. Meyer, Oxford Internet Institute at The University of Oxford & Oxford University Consulting A Strategic Plan for Establishing a Network Integrated Collections Alliance (NIBA) Implementation Plan for the Network Integrated Biocollections Alliance (NIBA) Cross-Disciplinary Communication JISC infoNet: Tools A range of analytical tools and templates used across our infoKits. From pilot work and output from the workshop streams, it has been found that these tools can often be used interchangeably to deal with a variety of scenarios. Appraising our Digital Investment: Sustainability of Digitized Special Collections in ARL Libraries: A Report from Ithaka S+R and the Association of Research Libraries. Nancy L. Maron, Ithaka S+R, Sarah Pickle, Ithaka S+R. February A decadal view of biodiversity informatics: challenges and priorities Alex Hardisty, Dave Roberts and The Biodiversity Informatics Community BMC Ecology 2013, 13:16 doi: / iDigBio Working Groups iDigBio Digitization Training Workshops iDigBio Collections Digitization Workflows iDigBio Workflow Modules and Task Lists iDigBio Georeferencing Train the Trainer Workshops

Thank you TDWG, from all of us at iDigBio