The Library of the Future: Embedded in E-Science Presentation to conference “Women in Science” Alexandria, October 23-24, 2007 Carol A. Mandel Dean, Division of Libraries New York University

2 The Library of 2007 is already profoundly different from the library of 1997 Users are different Users are different Users expectations are different Users expectations are different Collections are different Collections are different Modes of research are different Modes of research are different Scholarly communication is different Scholarly communication is different

3 We already must redefine, reconceptualize, and stretch all library functions: Collecting resources Collecting resources Enabling discovery Enabling discovery Providing access Providing access Facilitating use Facilitating use Supporting scholarly communication Supporting scholarly communication Preserving content Preserving content

4 Rethinking library functions Collections: Hegemony of print is over Collections: Hegemony of print is over Discovery: “Google” sets the standard Discovery: “Google” sets the standard Access: Immediate gratification Access: Immediate gratification Use: Recombinant content Use: Recombinant content Preservation: Planning ahead Preservation: Planning ahead

5 The next transformation: translating these essential functions into the realms functions into the realms of E-Science, the infrastructure for collaborative, networked, data-driven science

6 E-Science is: Computationally intensive Computationally intensive Data intensive Data intensive Multi-disciplinary Multi-disciplinary Multi-institutional Multi-institutional Global Global

7 Collecting resources: deciding (selecting) a body of data content for curation, i.e., deciding that it is part of the global, networked library of the future

8 Enabling discovery: creating, maintaining and distributing metadata that enable both deeper and broader discovery

9 Providing access: managing and maintaining policies, services and authorizations within or across complex communities

10 Facilitating use: managing, organizing, creating and maintaining tools to interrogate and transfer data

11 Supporting scholarly communication: creating and managing repositories and environments that support the new generations of interactive publications in which tools and data are embedded (or vice versa)

12 Preserving content: ensuring (somehow) that both raw and manipulated data needed by future generations will endure and remain usable

13 The library of the future will co-habit and add value to the virtual realm of researchers, their data and their communications