[ESIP-all] AGU special sesssion on library - data center collaboration

[James Frew]

Session U08: The Library - Data Center Alliance in Earth and Space Sciences

Conveners: Mark A. Parsons, National Snow and Ice Data Center, and
Rajendra Bose, Columbia University Center for Digital Research and 
Scholarship

Description:  Preserving, sharing, and understanding the diverse and 
growing collection of Earth and space science data and information 
require sustained commitment and diverse expertise. Recent reports from 
national and international scientific organizations increasingly 
emphasize professional and collaborative approaches to managing data and 
information, especially supporting interdisciplinary science. The 
electronic Geophysical Year (eGY) promotes this professional development 
and collaboration. In particular, eGY recognizes the conceptual alliance 
between today's research libraries and scientific data centers, and 
promotes partnerships, collaboration and even hybrids of these two types 
of enterprises to meet the Earth science informatics challenge.

Research libraries have a long, sustained, and respected role as 
curators of Earth science information and knowledge. Yet, in recent 
decades, scientific data centers have also played an increasingly 
important role in stewarding Earth science data and information. 
Libraries seek to extend their expertise to manage new forms of digital 
publication, including data. Data centers seek to develop sustained, 
long-term archival systems. It is apparent; the two communities should 
collaborate to achieve their complementary objectives.

This session aims to bring together members of both the research 
libraries and the data center communities to survey and compare 
approaches, philosophies, and long-term strategies for dealing with the 
problems of managing digital scientific data collections, and invites 
submissions regarding issues and approaches for archiving, serving, and 
curating such collections. An emphasis on support of interdisciplinary 
science is encouraged.