A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
Digital @ the American Museum of Natural History: ZBIG Meeting University of Kansas(?) 1998 (?)
1. The AMNH Congo ExpeditionThe AMNH Congo Expedition
(1909-1915)(1909-1915)
“The Lang-Chapin Expedition”“The Lang-Chapin Expedition”
Colobus guereza or “Black & White Colobus”
DIGITAL @ AMNH
The Library
American Museum of Natural History
2. AMNH Digital Library Project 2
Assessing...“Legacy Data”Assessing...“Legacy Data”
• 3 Billion Specimens in 6,500 natural history
museums (Nature, 1998)
• Provides essential baseline for biodiversity
• Major support available for national & regional
biodiversity studies (World Bank/GEF)
• Museum data has not been comprehensively
applied/used (with a few exceptions…)
3. AMNH Digital Library Project 3
Assessing the Museum EnvironmentAssessing the Museum Environment
• Museum departments and their collections
are defined by discipline (Anthropology,,
Botany, Entomology, Paleontology, etc.)
• Museums are often decentralized & seldom
organized in multi-disciplinary ways
• Data capture and processing typically
occurs at individual-researcher or
departmental level
4. AMNH Digital Library Project 4
Some possible definitions…Some possible definitions…
• “Data”: Observations, descriptions or measurements
recorded and reported in some standard way…
• “Information”: Reasonable associations of data
• “Experience”: Personal or collective recollection and
interpretation of events
• “Knowledge”: Rational assumptions derived from
information and experience, presumed to be “true”and
“reliable”
• “Expertise”: Individual or collective knowledge that
is considered reliable by virtue of accomplishment
7. AMNH Digital Library Project 7
Scientific Senate
Ad Hoc Committee of Data Access
Proposed Institutional Policy and Guidelines
on Access to Collection-based Information
Preamble
Through their collections natural history institutions house a permanent record of the
world's biodiversity, earth history, and cultural change, as well as, in their libraries and
archives, a written record pertaining to these subjects.
These collections serve as essential resources for a broad user community, from
scientists and other scholars who seek to understand and interpret the natural
world, to those concerned with preserving biological and cultural diversity, to
countries and peoples attempting to promote their well-being through sustainable
use and conservation of their natural resources, to societies in general through
educational outreach.
Because of the critical services that collections-based information provides to society, the
curatorial staff of the American Museum of Natural History endorses a policy that
makes data freely available in a timely way to the user community, with restrictions
to be noted below.
Collection-based information
For the purposes of this document, collection information is defined to be those data
(whether in electronic form or not) directly linked to the Museum's scientific
collections, including but not necessarily limited to specimen or object identification,
provenance, and disposition, such as is provided by catalogs, label information,
images and field notes deposited with collections, and other associated descriptors.
Excluded by this definition are unverified and preliminary data or notes as well as
interpretive data and conclusions that are derived from specimens/objects in the normal
course of scientific and scholarly research. It is assumed that free, open, and timely
access to these kinds of data will result from standard avenues of scholarly publication
and dissemination.
8. AMNH Digital Library Project 8
1892-1996 Records
Source: Department of
Herpetology, California
Academy of Sciences
(1999) (by permission)
9. AMNH Digital Library Project 9
1892-1996 + 1997-1998
Records
Source: Department of
Herpetology, California
Academy of Sciences
(1999) (by permission)
12. AMNH Digital Library Project 13
AMNH Digital Library ProjectAMNH Digital Library Project
March 1999: Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation Awards AMNH “Digital
Library” Grant
– Grant involves an 18 month “pilot phase” focused on
the AMNH “Lang-Chapin” Congo Expedition (1909-
1915)
– second phase -- extends an additional 42 months and
involves multiple “themes”
24. AMNH Digital Library Project 26
Forminière [1909-1913]
in Archives,
Tervuren Museum
Brussels, Belgium
Geological site map
sketched in Congo
during Lang-Chapin
era.
25. AMNH Digital Library Project 27
Source: Voss
& Emmons,
AMNH Bull.
No. 230, 1996
(by permission:
T. Erwin)
Recent site
map from
Peru
depicting
elements of
“collecting
effort”
26. AMNH Digital Library Project 28
Biodiversity AssessmentBiodiversity Assessment
• Specimen Records
• Collecting/Observational Events
• “Collecting [sampling] Effort” in itself
( i.e. null results are significant)
– pattern of sampling
– comprehensive effort (collecting methodology)
32. AMNH Digital Library Project 34
Fishing Owl
The Congo
AMNH Library Special Collections
33. Ceratogymna atrata / BLACK-CASQUED HORNBILL
(Male in breeding season)
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~parker/Parkerweb/media/pictures/bchmale.hot.jpg
Recording courtesy of Dr. Hans Slabbekoorn
Ctr for Trop. Res., San Francisco State University
41. AMNH Digital Library Project 43
SPATIAL
NOMINAL
CHRONOLOGIC
CONTEXT FOR
NATURAL HISTORY INFORMATION
42. AMNH Digital Library Project 44
“Darwin Core” – Access Points
1. ScientificName
2. Kingdom
3. Phylum
4. Class
5. Order
6. Family
7. Genus
8. Species
9. Subspecies
10. InstitutionCode
11. CollectionCode
12. CatalogNumber
13. Collector
14.Year
15.Month
16.Day
17.Country
18.State/Province
19.County
20. Locality
21. Longitude
22. Latitude
23. BoundingBox
24. Julian Day
Dave Vieglais Species Analyst 4/20/2000
http://habanero.nhm.ukans.edu/presentations/Gainesville_May2000_files/v3_document.htm
43. AMNH Digital Library Project 45
For resource discovery in specimen databases:For resource discovery in specimen databases:
aa common denominatorcommon denominator
zoologicalzoological Specimen RecordSpecimen Record
Core descriptive elements:
Collector [Person]
Date [Chronologic]
Place [Spatial]
Name [Taxonomic]
Institution/Collection [Instit. Address]
Field Collection Code [discrete alphanum. string]
Accession (Catalog) Code[discrete alphanum. string]
Bibliographic [DOI/SICI?]
44. AMNH Digital Library Project 46
Barambo Chief
Hand-colored “Lantern Slide”
taken from a Lang Negative
AMNH Library Special Collections
53. AMNH Digital Library Project 56
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!-- edited with XML Spy v3.0.7 (http://www.xmlspy.com) by John Aubry (American Museum of
Natural History) -->
<document xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/1999/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="G:DigitalLibraryIT Working
GroupXMLSample_treatment.xsd">
<treatment taxon_level="species">
<nomenclature>
<taxon_name>Dimorphomyrmex andrei</taxon_name>
<authority>Emery, 1894: 73.</authority>
<history>(Later combinations: Aphomomyrmex andrei Emery, 1899: 494;
Cladomyrma andrei, Emery, 1925: 45). Syntype queen, BORNEO: Indonesia, South Kalimantan, Poulo Laut,
Doherty; MCSN [examined].
Cladomyrma cryptata Agosti, 1991: 304.Holotype queen, BORNEO: East-Malaysia, Sabah, Poring Hot
Springs, 815, Ulrich Maschwitz, ex Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; BMNH. New
syn.</history></nomenclature>
54. AMNH Digital Library Project 57
<treatment_body>
<diagnosis>Diagnosis:
<morph>Major worker. AL 0.84-1.64, HL 0.86-1.42, HW 0.76-1.32, EL 0.16-0.30, SL 0.38-0.68, CI 89-98,
EI 21-42, SI 44-53 (n = 8). Generally larger body size; pilosity and dorsum of alitrunk and gaster variable,
generally short and not very dense; generally reddish dark brown to dark brown; clypeus angulate; gastral
pubescence thin, hair at least as long as distance between their insertions.</morph>
<morph>Minor worker. AL 0.64-1.00, HL 0.59-1.04, HW 0.52-0.78, EL 0.13-0.22, SL 0.29-0.46, CI 83-95,
EI 23-27, SI 55-66 (n = 8). Generally larger body size; pubescence on gaster dense, short, and appressed;
metapleural gland orifice large.</morph>
<morph>Queen. AL 2.08-2.56, HL 1.30-1.46, HW 1.02-1.24, EL 0.47-0.54, SL 0.61-0.78, CI 76-86, EI 40-
47, SI 58-66 (n = 17). Large body size (AL < 2.0 mm); body color usually dark brown to black (rarely
uniform yellowish); head distinctly bicolored with genae and clypeus lighter than reminder of the head
capsule; metapleural gland orifice large but covered with a bunch of hairs inserted ventral to the opening;
petiole low and dorsally truncate; gaster with many long, erect hairs scattered all over the tergites and
generally appressed, widely set pubescence. paratype: Queen AL 2.28, HL 1.36, HW 1.14, SL 0.68, EL 0.53,
CI 84, EI 46, SI 60. </morph></diagnosis>
55. AMNH Digital Library Project 58
<comment>Comments: The species belongs to the larger Bornean species of Cladomyrma. At the same time,
it is the most variable in size, in head shape from a very short to a medium long head, an almost black body
color to brown (rarely uniform yellowish [one collection]), and long to short gastral hairs. The synonymy with
cryptata indicates that the status of this species is similar to that of petalae (see below). Though there might be
several species included, it is at the very moment impossible to separate them.The typical cryptata and andrei
differ somewhat in the fine chagrinate sculpture on the head and the matte surface, which is very distinct in
cryptata as opposed to the brilliant shining and completely smooth surface in andrei. The type series of
cryptata includes one queen with a short head and one with an elongate head, which is similar to the type of
andrei.Another variation includes workers from Poring Hot Springs (J. Moog, 95-018 and 95-017) which
have a slightly elongated head, and very conspicuous long, heterogeneous hairs (some longer than others) on
the dorsum of the alitrunk. In contrast, the workers of the typical andrei have subhomogeneous shorter setae.
This variation is also the only population of andrei living in Drypetes longifolia (Euphorbiaceae). One
collection (J. Moog, 93-061) shows a uniform yellowish-colored queen that closely resembles andrei (cryptata
form) in most characters except body color. We observed a very slight difference in the density of the
pubescence on the anterior and lateral parts of the mesonotum but since this character exhibits some variation
in andrei, it was not used to erect a new species. Considerable variation in body color of queens may be a
rather common phenomenon in Cladomyrma (see under petalae). </comment>
56. AMNH Digital Library Project 59
<biology_ecology>Biology and Distribution: The species has been found colonizing the endemic
woody climbers Callerya (formerly Millettia) nieuwenhuisii (Maschwitz et al., 1989), Spatholobus
oblongifolius (both Papilionaceae) and the tree genus Neonauclea (Rubiaceae). In general, liana saplings
usually possess a primary stem diameter too thin to allow ant inhabitation. However, saplings of these host
lianas (Callerya,Spatholobus) provide some stem internodes with distinctly enlarged diameter (ant domatia) to
permit colonization by foundress queens (Moog et al., in press).</biology_ecology>
<distribution> In Poring Hot Springs, Sabah, samples of this species have been obtained on a canopy
walkway from a huge Callerya, about 40m above ground. Its supposed that andrei is distributed over all of
Borneo since the type specimen was collected in South Kalimantan (Poulo Laut). Most records are, however,
from Sabah and Sarawak, but Kalimantan is poorly sampled.</distribution>
57. AMNH Digital Library Project 60
<materials_examined>Material Examined: type: INDONESIA, South Kalimantan, Poulo Laut, Doherty,
MCSN, queen. other specimens: E-MALAYSIA, Sabah, Ranau, Poring Hot Springs, 11/14/1992, Brigitte
Fiala, 0052, ex: Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; Sabah, Ranau, Poring Hot Springs, 1/22/1989, Ulrich
Maschwitz, 0815, ex: Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; Sabah, Ranau, Poring Hot Springs, 1/28/1993,
Joachim Moog, 93-061, ex: Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii, alt.: ca. 600 m, colony size: 11 workers;
Sabah, Ranau, Poring Hot Springs, 1/26/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-017, ex: Drypetes longifolia, young colony:
ca. 200 workers in total, alt.: ca. 800 m; Sabah, Ranau, Poring Hot Springs, 1/26/1995, 95-018, Joachim
Moog, ex: Drypetes longifolia, mature colony, alt.: ca. 800 m; Sabah, Ranau Poring Hot Springs, 5/2/1987,
Burckhardt and Lobl; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/25/1992, Ulrich Maschwitz, 92-222, ex: Spatholobus
oblongifolius; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/25/1992, Ulrich Maschwitz, 92-224, 92-224a and 92-224c, ex:
Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/25/1992, U. Maschwitz, 92-227, ex:
Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; Sarawak, Lambir NP, Miri, 2/17/1995, Joachim Moog, 95-060, ex:
Spatholobus oblongifolius, mature colony. INDONESIA, Kalimantan, 11/14/1992, Brigitte Fiala, 0126, ex:
Callerya (=Millettia) nieuwenhuisii; Kalimantan, Balikpapan, 11/16/1992, Brigitte Fiala, 0182, ex:
Spatholobus oblongifolius.</materials_examined></treatment_body></treatment>
73. AMNH Digital Library Project 76
Bakango Fish Trap
AMNH Library Special Collections
74. AMNH Digital Library Project 77
Congo River
Fishing Platform
AMNH Library Special Collections
75. AMNH Digital Library Project 78
CORC: Cooperative Online
Resource Catalog
Access to museum
information through
standards and
international
cooperation.
76. AMNH Digital Library Project 79
ITIS*ca - Canadian version of
ITIS
Integrated Taxonomic Information
System
Taxon-based biological information system
77. AMNH Digital Library Project 80
AMNH Digital Library Infrastructure
• Hardware
– SUN 250
• OS
– Solaris Sun OS 2.6
• Database Environment
– ORACLE 8i
• Interface
– Web/XML
– CD/DVD?
• Production/Scanning
• Indexing/Cataloging
– Metadata Standards
• Bibliographic Utility
– OCLC/(CORC)
• Bibliographic Indices
– Zoological Record
• Integrated Online
Library System(IOLS)
– Innovative Interfaces
• (MOU on R&D)
78. AMNH Digital Library Project 81
A . W . M e l l o n F o u n d a t i o n
A M N H D i g i t a l L i b r a r y P r o j e c t
A M N H W e b P r o g r a m
( C o m m . & M a r k e t i n g )
E x t e r n a l D i g i t a l L i b r a r y
A d v i s o r s / P a r t n e r s / C o l l a b o r a t o r s
A M N H D i g i t a l
L i b r a r y W o r k i n g G r o u p s
M i c h e l l e K o o
G I S S p e c i a l i s t ( C o n t r a c t o r )
A M N H L i b r a r y A s s e s s m e n t & E v a l u a t i o n
S a r a h Y e a t e s / M a r y D e J o n g
G o r d y S l a c k
C o n t e n t D e v e l o p e r ( C o n t r a c t o r )
A M N H L i b r a r y W e b D e s i g n
( M . D e j o n g )
A n t h r o p o l o g y D i g i t i z a t i o n P r o j e c t
( O t h e r A M N H D i g i t a l P r o j e c t s )
A M N H M e t a d a t a / C a t a l o g i n g
( R .B r u n o / D . S h i h )
A t o n i a L o p e z d e V i c t o r i a
T r a n s c r i p t i o n / D a t a E n t r y A s s t .
A M N H N e t w o r k S y s t e m s
D a n K a n i a r a s s e r i l
W e b / S e r v e r M a n a g e r
J o h n A u b r y
D a t a B a s e M a n a g e r
I s a b e l M e n d e l s o h n
F r a n P o l l i t t
T e c h n i c a l A s s i s t a m t s
M i k e M c C a f f r e y
W e b D e s i g n e r / J u n i o r P r o g r a m m e r
A n t h o n y T r o n c a l e
D i g i t a l C o l l e c t i o n s L i b r a r i a n
S u s a n R a p p a p o r t
A s s t . D i r e c t o r T e c h n i c a l S e r v i c e s
T o m M o r i t z
B o e s c h e n s t e i n D i r e c t o r L i b r a r y S e r v i c e s
P r i n c i p a l I n v e s t i g a t o r
79. Digital Library Process
Theme(s)
Content
Ownership(IPR)
Acquisition
Format Definitions
Conversion
Transcription
Arrangement
Storage
Mark-up
Metadata
Semantic Standards
(“authorities”)
Tagging
User Needs
Assessment
Surveys
Focus Groups
Analysis
Data Modelling
Databasing
“Business Plan”
WorldWideWeb,
CD-ROM,
DVD
[Pre-processed &
On-demand]
FTP
printed reports and
Publications
Information Technology Infrastructure
80. AMNH Digital Library Project
AMNH
Digital Library
Fundamental Tasks
Mark-up
Content-Formats
Metadata-Tags
Integrating Mechanisms
Access-Interfaces
Conversion to Digital
Clearances-IPR
WWW
81. AMNH Digital Library Project 84
AMNH DL: Publishing EnvironmentsAMNH DL: Publishing Environments
Digital Publishers
(Digital Publishing Environments)
• BioOne (AIBS/SPARC/ ARL/
Allen Press/Univ. Kansas)
• Highwire Press (Stanford)
• Columbia University
Press ?
Digital Archives
• JSTOR
82. AMNH Digital Library Project 85
Metadata is:Metadata is:
“Information which qualifies other
information”
OR
“Data about other data”
83. AMNH Digital Library Project 86
AMNH DL: Cataloging EnvironmentAMNH DL: Cataloging Environment
Metadata Standards:
• MARC
• DC (CIMI)
• GILS
• FGDC
• [ZR?/ “Dialog”?]
84. MARC Record
ID 10507973BASE DG STS n REC am ENC I DCF a ENT 960314
INT REP GOV CNF 0 FSC 0 INX 1 CTY onc ILS ab
MEI FIC 0 BIO MOD CSC d CON b LAN eng PD 1995
006 p <CAS>
015 C95-980201-0 <DG>
020 0660130734 : $c $45.00 Can. <DG,CAS>
040 VXG $c VXG $d CUV <DG> 040 VXG $c VXG $d CSFA <CAS>
041 0 engfre <DG,CAS> 043 n-cn--- <DG,CAS> 082 0 574.5/0971 $2 20 <DG>
100 1 Mosquin, Theodore, $d 1932- <DG,CAS>
245 10 Canada's biodiversity : $b the variety of life, its status, economic benefits,
conservation costs, and unmet needs / $c by Ted Mosquin, Peter G. Whiting, and Don E.
McAllister ; prepared for the Canadian Centre for Biodiversity, Canadian Museum of
Nature. <DG,CAS>
246 1 $i Title on diskette: $a Biodiversit_e du Canada : $b _etat actuel, avantages
_economiques, co_uts de conservation et besoins non satisfaits <CAS>
260 Ottawa, ON, Canada : $b Canadian Museum of Nature, $c c1995. <DG,CAS>
300 xxiv, 293 p. : $b ill., maps ; $c 21 x 26 cm. <DG>
300 xxiv, 293 p. : $b ill., maps ; $c 21 x 26 cm. + $e 1 computer disk (3 1/2 in.) <CAS>
440 0 Henderson book series ; $v no. 23 <DG,CAS>
500 "French text provided on diskette"--P. [4] of cover. <CAS>
504 Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-286) and index. <DG,CAS>
538 System requirements for diskette: WordPerfect 5.1, version MS-DOS. <CAS>
650 0 Biological diversity $z Canada <DG,CAS>
650 0 Biological diversity conservation $z Canada <DG,CAS>
700 1 Whiting, Peter G. <DG,CAS>
700 1 McAllister, D. E. <DG,CAS>
710 2 Canadian Centre for Biodiversity <DG,CAS>
CAS: 901 $aO$b34363082$cCAW 902 $a19960618224327.0 903 $aCAS 904
$a19960618$b19960618$b19960618
Hol: 920 $aCAWR 922 $aZCAS 924 $aCSFA 926 $aBiodiv 930 $aQH106$b.M67 1995 932
$aRef. 935 1$lLI.96.100 DG: 901 $aV$b1374AKO$cDAVD 902 $a19980713093351.0 903
$aDG 904 $a19980713$b19980713 910 $aocm34363082
Hol: 920 $aCUVA 922 $aUCD 924 $aCU-A 926 $aShields 930 $cQH106.M67 1995
85. AMNH Digital Library Project 88
CIMI: Consortium for the Computer Interchange
of Museum Information
From Guide to Best Practice: Dublin Core (DC 1.0 =
RFC 2413)
Final Version 12 August 1999
The 15 Dublin Core Elements
Resource Type
Format
Title
Description
Subject and Keywords
Author or Creator
Other Contributor
Publisher
Date
Resource Identifier
Source
Relation
Language
Coverage
Rights
86. AMNH Digital Library Project 89
CIMI: Consortiumfor the Computer Interchange of MuseumInformation
Guide to Best Practice: Dublin Core (DC1.0 =RFC2413)
Final Version (12 August 1999)
Example D-4 Record Describing a Natural History Specimen
<?xml version=”1.0” ?>
<dc-record>
<type>physical object</type>
<type>original</type>
<type>natural</type>
<title>Prosorhynchoides pusilla</title>
<description>Specimen fixed in Berland's fluid and preserved in 80%
alcohol.</description>
<description>Preparedby: Taskinen, J.</description>
<description>Determiner: Gibson, D.I. </description>
<description>Determination date: 1993-08-21</description>
<subject>parasite</subject>
<subject>fluke</subject>
<subject>animal</subject>
<creator>Gibson D.I.</creator>
<contributor>Taskinen, J.</contributor>
<publisher>The Natural History Museum, London</publisher>
<date>1993-08-21</date>
<identifier>NHM1994.1.19.1.</identifier>
<relation>IsPartOf Bucephalidae</relation>
<relation>Requires Esox lucius</relation>
<coverage>Battle River</coverage>
<coverage>Fabyan</coverage>
<coverage>Alberta</coverage>
<coverage>Canada</coverage>
<rights>http://www.nhm.ac.uk/generic/copy.html</rights>
</dc-record>
87. AMNH Digital Library Project 90
TAXONOMIC
ITIS ca
??
GEO-REFERENCING
Alexandria?
Getty TGN?
SUBJECT
THESAURI
(Controlled
Vocabularies)
CONTENT???
CIMI: Consortium for the Computer Interchange of Museum Information
Guide to Best Practice: Dublin Core (DC 1.0 = RFC 2413)
Final Version (12 August 1999)
Example D-4 Record Describing a Natural History Specimen
<?xml version=”1.0” ?>
<dc-record>
<type>physical object</type>
<type>original</type>
<type>natural</type>
<title>Prosorhynchoides pusilla</title>
<description>Specimen fixed in Berland's fluid and preserved in 80%
alcohol.</description>
<description>Prepared by: Taskinen, J.</description>
<description>Determiner: Gibson, D.I. </description>
<description>Determination date: 1993-08-21</description>
<subject>parasite</subject>
<subject>fluke</subject>
<subject>animal</subject>
<creator>Gibson D.I.</creator>
<contributor>Taskinen, J.</contributor>
<publisher>The Natural History Museum, London</publisher>
<date>1993-08-21</date>
<identifier>NHM 1994.1.19.1.</identifier>
<relation>IsPartOf Bucephalidae</relation>
<relation>Requires Esox lucius</relation>
<coverage>Battle River</coverage>
<coverage>Fabyan</coverage>
<coverage>Alberta</coverage>
<coverage>Canada</coverage>
<rights>http://www.nhm.ac.uk/generic/copy.html</rights>
</dc-record>