1. A LOOMING CRISIS: MAINTAINING ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC RESEARCH PRODUCTS Daphne Fautin University of Kansas Gail Kampmeier Illinois Natural History Survey Daphne Fautin University of Kansas Gail Kampmeier Illinois Natural History Survey

2. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

3. What Happens…  When project funding ceases  When project members disperse  When PIs retire, change research topics, move, or …  When project funding ceases  When project members disperse  When PIs retire, change research topics, move, or … Who will champion access to the electronic resources produced by PEETs, AToLs, BSIs, PBIs, …?

4. Fate of Our Electronic Resources Who should be responsible?  Institutions originally receiving project funding?  Funding agencies?  Those creating the resources?  Professional societies? Who should be responsible?  Institutions originally receiving project funding?  Funding agencies?  Those creating the resources?  Professional societies?

5. Issues  Who owns the products? (not an issue only for electronic media)  How can the products continue to be served?  How should the products best be preserved?  Who owns the products? (not an issue only for electronic media)  How can the products continue to be served?  How should the products best be preserved?

6. This is a global issue Among efforts to grapple with it is the 2005 National Science Board Report 05-40 Among efforts to grapple with it is the 2005 National Science Board Report 05-40 www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsb0540 (NPR this morning on electronic art and art museums)

7. Issues  Who owns the products? (not an issue only for electronic media)  How can the products continue to be served?  How should the products best be preserved?  Who owns the products? (not an issue only for electronic media)  How can the products continue to be served?  How should the products best be preserved?

8. LIBRARIES LIBRARIES have historically been the repository of scholarly output (= publications) MUSEUMS MUSEUMS have been custodians of specimens Some other physical objects TRADITIONAL ARCHIVES end up in TRADITIONAL ARCHIVES Archiving

9. Archiving  WHICH products should be preserved  HOW should they be preserved  WHERE should they be preserved Locally, supercomputers, electronic archives, etc.  WHICH products should be preserved  HOW should they be preserved  WHERE should they be preserved Locally, supercomputers, electronic archives, etc. Metadata: retrieval requires excellent documentation Software versions: a practical challenge, not a technical one (remember Gene Stoermer!)

10. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

11. Internet Archive

12. Mr. Peabody’s WayBack Machine…

13. Caveats: Pages Not Archived  Anything requiring interaction with the server  Forms, database-generated content  Javascript not resolving in true URLs  Server-side image maps  Pages with robot exclusion headers (robots.txt)  Orphan pages (no links into)  Unknown sites  Anything requiring interaction with the server  Forms, database-generated content  Javascript not resolving in true URLs  Server-side image maps  Pages with robot exclusion headers (robots.txt)  Orphan pages (no links into)  Unknown sites

14. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

15. Images  Scanned  Resolution  Format standard: TIF?  Produced digitally  Format evolution of production software if not saved as flat TIF  Scanned  Resolution  Format standard: TIF?  Produced digitally  Format evolution of production software if not saved as flat TIF

16. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

17. Literature, Reports, Field Journals...  Issues similar to images  Format evolution  Media migration  Metadata for retrieval  OCR for finding individual items  Solutions are library-like, requiring recurring infusions of  $$$  Personnel  Migrate as formats evolve, versions change  Time  Digital lifetime determination  Issues similar to images  Format evolution  Media migration  Metadata for retrieval  OCR for finding individual items  Solutions are library-like, requiring recurring infusions of  $$$  Personnel  Migrate as formats evolve, versions change  Time  Digital lifetime determination

18. Literature, Reports, Field Journals...

19. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences and other molecular data  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

20. Gene sequences and other molecular data A central archive – a library! Maintained by a Federal agency

21. Electronic PEET Products  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences  Project web pages  Images  Literature - publications, reports, field journals  Gene sequences  Character matrices & keys  Databases - data & structure

22. Character Matrices & Keys  DELTA/INTKEY (example of standard in danger of format evolution)  Lucid (now in Version 3.4)  MacClade  PAUP  Hennig86  MorphoBank  Others…  DELTA/INTKEY (example of standard in danger of format evolution)  Lucid (now in Version 3.4)  MacClade  PAUP  Hennig86  MorphoBank  Others…

23. Relational Databases: Content & Structure  Archiving  Metadata essential for discovery  Convert to flat files  Software-independent format (e.g. comma delimited)  Lose relational structure – but relationships can be coded  Archiving  Metadata essential for discovery  Convert to flat files  Software-independent format (e.g. comma delimited)  Lose relational structure – but relationships can be coded

24. Relational Databases: Content & Structure  Continued service  Version changes  High maintenance (some require professional DBA)  One size generally does not fit all – makes it difficult to pass on  Maintain also “front end” (required for queries)  scripting language: e.g. ColdFusion, PHP  Continued service  Version changes  High maintenance (some require professional DBA)  One size generally does not fit all – makes it difficult to pass on  Maintain also “front end” (required for queries)  scripting language: e.g. ColdFusion, PHP

25. a SILVER BULLET or SILVER BUCKSHOT? Concentration of resources vs. discovery of new methods by diversification TO MAINTAIN ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC RESEARCH PRODUCTS

26. Demonstrate value / usefulness Hits / citations Can be problematic for taxonomy / systematics Become part of large entity

27. the data portal for and legacy of www.iobis.org the main provider of marine data to (currently the third-largest data provider with nearly 10 million records) www.gbif.org

28. Maintaining functionality A distributed resource PORTAL CONTRIBUTORS OBIS GBIF FishBase Consortium Individuals Institutions LIBRARIES have been custodians of scholarly knowledge

29. DIGITAL LIBRARIES

30. www.nsf.gov/pubs/2005/nsb0540 The Foundation should actively engage with the community to ensure that community policies and priorities are established and then updated in a timely way. Develop a clear technical and financial strategy; create policy for key issues consistent with the technical and financial strategy.

31. Recurring Challenges  $$$  Personnel  Time  Format evolution / back compatibility  Metadata – complete, appropriate (controlled vocabulary)  Digital lifetime - determining what, if anything, should be truly discarded  $$$  Personnel  Time  Format evolution / back compatibility  Metadata – complete, appropriate (controlled vocabulary)  Digital lifetime - determining what, if anything, should be truly discarded

32. IT’S UP TO US