The impact of digitization of scientific information on the scholarly communication of scientists

Abstract

The possibility of a freely accessible universal open archive containing all scholarly material is quickly becoming a reality. This is especially the case for scientific information where the increase in openly available scientific material, such as e-prints, e-journals, as well as genetic sequences, experimental results, and statistical analyses is beyond that believed imaginable a decade ago. Not only is an array of scientific information available on the Internet as soon as it is created, but older information, as well as less mainstream information, is also being mounted on the Internet for the benefit of the global scientific community. In order to be useful, however, electronically archived materials must first be digitized and then classified and indexed in order for scientists to retrieve the information quickly and easily. How this is accomplished has a direct impact on the ways in which scientists work and communicate. The panelists in this session will discuss current research on the challenges and solutions for the digitization of scientific information employing adaptations to XML. Also a project describing how a variety of digital scientific objects can be stored and retrieved using a single generic framework based on the Open Archives Initiative standards and Dublin Core metadata will be presented. Additionally the effects of digitization on the influence of a small state scientific association's proceedings upon the communication of scientific ideas to the wider scientific community will be discussed. Lastly, a panelist will describe a project exploring the use and usability of bioinformatics databases. The panelists' insights will provide both a behind the scenes and a front stage view of the creation, management, and use of freely available electronic scientific information.