November 27, 2005

Long-Lived Digital Data Collections: Enabling Research and Education for the 21st Century

In September 2005, the National Science Board published a report called Long-Lived Digital Data Collections: Enabling Research and Education in the 21st Century (NSB-05-40).

[Conclusions from Executive Summary]

The weakness of NSF strategies and policies governing long-lived data collections is that they have been developed incrementally and have not been considered collectively. Given the proliferation of these collections, the complexity of managing them, and their cost, action is imperative. The National Science Board is concerned about the current situation. Prompt and effective action will ensure that researchers and educators derive even higher value from these collections. The communities that create and use the collections will have to be fully engaged in this process. Consensus within the communities will have to inform Foundation policy, investment, and action. The need to address these issues is urgent. The opportunities are substantial.

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[About the National Science Board]
The National Science Board is the governing board of the National Science Foundation (NSF), an independent Federal agency established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to:

• promote the progress of science,
  
• advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare, and
  
• secure the national defense.

The Board is composed of 24 part-time members, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. They are selected on the basis of their eminence in basic, medical, or social sciences, engineering, agriculture, education, research management or public affairs. The NSF Director serves on the Board, ex officio.

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Libraries & Librarianship Open Access Science and Technology Scientific Publishing & Data