The Natural Resources Digital Library Needs, Partners, and Challenges Bonnie Avery, Janine Salwasser, & Janet Webster Oregon State University

2 OSU Libraries: Land grant roles and goals Goals –Enhance the collection in areas of historical strength and institutional excellence (e.g. natural resources) –Provide user centered services and user self- sufficiency –Take a lead role in developing a natural resources digital library for the State of Oregon

3 OSU Libraries: Shifting information environments Digital –Provide internet access to information –Provide a quality filter –Provide metadata and implement standards –Facilitate web use and resource discovery –Assess user needs and incorporate user input Classic/Traditional –Build on collection strengths –Validate information –Catalog and organize information –Share Resources –Help current users –Plan with the user in mind

4 Natural Resources Digital Library Working definition: “… a managed environment of multimedia materials in digital form, designed for the benefit of its user population, structured to facilitate access to its contents, and equipped with aids to navigate the global network …” Mel Collier,ISDL’97,

5 Needs Assessment Goal: Create the OSU Natural Resources Digital Library vision based on what users want and need –Content –Access –Geographic Scope –Uses and Usability –Services Method: 35 face-to-face interviews and 1 workshop with users of natural resources information

6 Needs Assessment: How, Who? 37 meetings with key contacts 35 face-to-face interviews with users of natural resources information: –Academia (10) –Business (1) –Conservation/Environmental Groups (5) –Extension Services (6) –Government (10) –Watershed Councils (3) 1 workshop with 20+ participants (mix of users and key contacts)

7 Needs Assessment: 2001 Findings Users can articulate what they want and need from a digital library Users want a wide variety of information in a wide variety of formats Topics of greatest interest include: forestry, watersheds, land and water use Place matters: Access to multiple spatial scales wanted and needed (watershed, county, state, region)

8 Moving Forward with a Natural Resources Digital Library Users were not aware of any accessible system or digital library that enables: –Spatial and non-spatial information discovery; –Information integration and synthesis; –Evaluation of information quality; and –People networking.

9 Digital Library Conceptual Framework Users Web Portal Data/ContentToolsPeople

10 Partnerships provide the expertise Infrastructure Development Content Funding Usability

11 Natural Resources Digital Library Case Studies OSU Projects –Tsunami Digital Library –Willamette Basin Stream Survey Photographs –Willamette River Basin Natural Resources Digital Library Highlights –Digital Library Features –Partnerships

12 Tsunami Digital Library Digital Library features: access to articles and data compilations is enhanced by user questions and ratings. Partnership expertise: computer science, library science, international tsunami research Digital Library features: access to articles and data compilations is enhanced by user questions and ratings. Partnership expertise: computer science, library science, international tsunami research

13 Willamette Basin Stream Survey Photographs Digital Library features: searchable photo archive. Partnership expertise: library science, forest and fisheries science Digital Library features: searchable photo archive. Partnership expertise: library science, forest and fisheries science

14 Willamette River Basin Natural Resources Digital Library Digital Library features: web- enabled GIS. Partnership expertise: library science, computer science, local restoration/conservation groups Digital Library features: web- enabled GIS. Partnership expertise: library science, computer science, local restoration/conservation groups

15 Technology Features Tsunami Digital Library –Collaborative filtering Willamette Basin Stream Survey Photos –Photo archiving & a geographic search interface Willamette River Basin Natural Resources Digital Library –Web enabled GIS services

16 Digital Library Conceptual Framework Users Web Portal Data/ContentToolsPeople

17 Emerging Social Challenges Identifying the key user communities Identifying partners with the right expertise Showing the benefits to all the constituents Communicating across the different expertise groups and user communities Developing a process for reaching agreement on how to move forward Managing expectations of users and partners

18 Emerging Functional Challenges Searching across collections Providing centralized access to distributed data and content Creating an effective user experience Balancing strategic goals with opportunistic possibilities

19 Concluding Remarks Our needs assessment proved an important process for identifying content and technology parameters important to users Partnerships in development, content, funding, and usability are an effective means to address the full spectrum of expertise needed to create a useful digital library Social, technical, and economic challenges exist, but can be worked through when you can clearly and frequently communicate the collective vision, needs, benefits and costs

20 Contacts and Bibliography Contact Information Bibliography

21 Discussion Topics: Functional & social challenges Searching across collections Providing centralized and secure web services from distributed data/content holdings Creating an effective user experience Balancing strategic and opportunistic approaches Identifying key users Identifying partners Showing the benefits to all the constituents Communicating across the different expertise groups and user communities Developing a process for reaching agreement on how to move forward Managing expectations of users and partners