Reactor Panel: Supporting the Virtual Organization A Role for Libraries? Medha Devare Bioinformatics and Life Sciences Librarian Albert R. Mann Library, Cornell University ARL Fall Forum 2008 Reinventing Science Librarianship: Models for the Future ww.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf0728/cover.jpg

Virtual Organizations boundary crossing pooling of competencies participants or activities geographically separated fluid – changing participants, activities flatter structure, participant equality dependence on ICTs From Jaegers et al Proceedings of the VONet Workshop, 1998 Albert R. Mann Library

Library contributions? Technology choices, tools Technical support, guidance Subject expertise Understanding of research landscape Vision – user needs of the future? Albert R. Mann Library

Library Support for VOs Cornell University Library VIVO: University-wide research and expertise discovery tool DataStar: Supports data-sharing among researchers Albert R. Mann Library

VIVO ( VIVO Faculty updates + edits Directory (HR) News Service Events Grants, publications Courses Consumers: web pages Albert R. Mann Library

VIVO ( biosens*

VIVO (

“Harvard scientists span the range of the life, physical, medical, and engineering sciences. Their number and range represent both a strength and a weakness. In principle, there are almost limitless opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, but our size makes it hard for each investigator to find potential collaborators in the larger community of scholars, especially outside their fields. As a result, collaborations are often the result of chance encounters.” Enhancing Science and Engineering at Harvard Preliminary Report from the University Planning Committee for Science and Engineering Albert R. Mann Library

DataStaR: A Data Staging Repository Courtesy: Gail Steinhart, Mann Library …”support collaboration and data sharing among researchers during the research process, …promote publishing or archiving data and high-quality metadata to discipline-specific data centers, and/or to Cornell’s own digital repository.” Albert R. Mann Library

DataStaR Courtesy: Gail Steinhart, Mann Library Albert R. Mann Library

Reinventing the library? profiles of scientists and groups information feeds registry of instruments and centers registry of data sets data from instruments and sensors “Librarians as middle-ware…facilitating the process of connecting and creating coherence out of information generated within and across disciplines…” - Rick Luce Albert R. Mann Library

…your librarian is near… THANK YOU Albert R. Mann Library