LIBER 2021 Session #1: Dynamic Digital Collections

These are the slides from the LIBER 2021 Session Dynamic Digital Collections.

This session was chaired by Anna Lundén, National Library of Sweden.

• DOM project increases understanding between researchers and the National Library of Finland , Liisa Maria Näpärä, The National Library of Finland, Finland
• The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL): Overcoming and Pre-empting COVID Limitations, Constance Rinaldo, Biodiversity Heritage Library, US, Jane Smith, Natural History Museum London, David Iggulden, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, Elisa Herrmann, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, Colleen Funkhouser, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
• Resounding Libraries: The transformation of the Ton Koopman collection into an open, digital resource for artistic research, Bruno Forment, Orpheus Instituut, Belgium

The first presentation by Liisa Maria Näpärä will discuss the Digital Open Memory (DOM) project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and developed by the National Library of Finland (NLF). The project was developed to solve an existing gap in researchers’ knowledge regarding the contents of digital collections and their copyrights. This gap has caused interference in collaboration between researchers and the NLF. The project’s aim is, thus, to bridge this gap in understanding by allowing the NLF to take part in the distinct levels of research projects and to provide collections and support for researchers. With a focus on data-driven research services and user-driven information collection, the DOM project will serve to re-define the NLF’s role in the national research field and open lines of communication between researchers and libraries.
The second presentation by Constance Rinaldo and Jane Smith shares how the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) has overcome and pre-empted Covid-19 limitations within virtual library collections. BHL has operated in a virtual environment since its inception in 2007. As such, the pandemic highlighted some of their strengths, such as social distancing, collaborating virtually, and opening up science and interconnectivity. It also highlighted, however, a need to identify collection gaps and develop technical improvements to address inequalities for content access. The presentation discusses the BHL’s successes, possible future challenges, and relevance as a valuable resource beyond biodiversity.
Finally, the third presentation by Bruno Forment discusses the transformation of the Ton Koopman Collection into an open, digital resource for artistic research in music. The presentation will consist of two parts. First, a brief overview of the collection and its contents – which boasts nearly 5,000 early printed editions and 400 manuscripts, dated between 1486 and the early 1900s, in addition to well over 11,000 modern books and scores. Second, a description of the steps that have been taken in the past one and a half years to transform Koopman’s private collection into a (semi-)public research library within the Orpheus Instituut, in the heart of Ghent, Belgium.