RusDML – Digitization and Preservation of Russian Mathematical Journals (DFG/RFBR Project)

1. RusDML – Digitization and Preservation of Russian Mathematical Journals (DFG/RFBR Project) Evstigneeva, G. A. fo2@gpntb.ru Zemskov, A. I., zemskov@gpntb.ru  Russian National Public Library for Science and Technology (GPNTB), 12 Kuznetski Most, Moscow, Russia,  

2. The goal is: • To digitize the basic collection of Russian periodicals on mathematics which are available now as printed version only • To facilitate the world wide access to them. • To perform digitizing of all Russian mathematical publications, including monographs and USSR – periodical publications.

3. Novelty and actuality of the project • It is in accordance with • world tendencies of establishing digital collections (in particular in mathematics) • the provision of Internet access to distributed archives. • Improvements by • better access • storage in an electronic depositary • preservation of printed collections • The project provides reasonable conditions for the preservation for acid-paper publications in particular

4. Why mathematics • Longevity of mathematical results • Older publications don’t loose their importance • Time – independent value of mathematical studies.

5. Current digitisation projects • Publisher supported: Backfiles project by Elsevier • Joint ventures between publishers, libraries and learned societies (EMANI, ERAM, NUMDAM) • Independent (JSTOR project) establishing digital collections and caring about long lasting access systems

6. Projects in progress • American NSF supported Planning Goup for Digital Mathematics Library • European Mathematical Society applies for DML-EU in the FP6. • Government supported digitisation projects: • Chinese mathematics at Tsinghua University • Columbian mathematics in Bogotá

7. Final goal All these projects could serve as an initial steps for establishing the global digital library on mathematics (GDLM). Preliminary evaluations estimate total costs of 100 million USD for this project.

8. RusDML offers • Russian digital library on mathematics will • provide a part of the global system • be in compliance with international trends, standards and protocols. • World wide accessibility will be guaranteed. • Digital versions will be • Internet accessible • delivered at desktop with no extra difficulties • research tools of higher efficiency. • Digitising of printed versions will enlarge existing collections of full text electronic documents.

9. Russian – German cooperation • Russian partners • the Russian National Public library for Science and Technology (GPNTB) • Russian Academy of Sciences, Division on Mathematics • German partners • State and University Library, Göttingen (SUB, Göttingen) • Technical Information Library, Hannover (TIB/UB, Hannover) • Technical University Berlin (TU, Berlin).

10. All project participants are well prepared for collaboration because they have pretty good collections on mathematics and are experienced Qualification of the partners

11. Conditions at GPNTB • GPNTB is the major scitech library in Russia • Holdings of 8 million domestic and foreign publications • Comprehensive access to collections as the State Depositary and the recipient of mandatory copies of Russian publications • All journals selected for RusDML exist at GPNTB, starting from the first issue of the first publication year. • The library is experienced in library automation and information technologies. • OPAC enlists more than 300 000 records since 1990. • The Union Catalog of scitech publications of Former USSR countries enlists more than 500 000 records since 1987.

12. Conditions at GPNTB • 250 000 registered library users • annual circulation of 3.2 million documents • A total of 350 PCs, 135 are provided for users. • Library web server monitors ca. 20 000 visits daily. • The library is experienced partner in cooperative library – networking projects, e.g. LIBNET, LIBWEB. • Library specialists have developed library automated system IRBIS which is installed at more 170 libraries of Russia and CIS. • Approved good compatibility of IRBIS with foreign library automation systems

13. Russian Academy of Sciences • Russian Academy of Sciences clearly supports this initiative and renders assistance in negotiations with publishers on licensing of required materials for digitizing. • Besides, the Academy by itself publishes a set of high quality mathematical journals, which are of great value for the project.

14. Technical University Berlin- Zentralblatt Math • The Technical University Berlin represents the cooperation with the reference data base Zentralblatt MATH (prof. B. Wegner): • bibliographical data and abstracts or reviews in English • provides all necessary metadata • links to full text publications • Prof. Wegner is member of the Steering Committee for the Global Digital Mathematical Library.

15. SUB Göttingen • SUB Göttingen • provides a well equipped Digitisation Centre • experienced in digitisation projects like DIEPER (Digitised European Periodicals) and ERAM project • offers a comprehensive collection on theoretical mathematics • SUB has good experience in the installation of digital collections.

16. Technical Information Library, Hannover • TIB/UB Hannover • has strong collections on applied mathematics and technology • during many years TIB acquires the East European publications and supplied users either with copies of articles or with translations of articles from Russian. • has highly skilled specialists experienced in Russian publications’ processing.

17. Basic requirements • Easy world wide access • All three partner libraries should take care of reliable conservation and preservation of the digital collections and provide better access to the electronic archive. • All partners are supposed to mirror the whole RusDML. • Participating libraries should support international standards to be applied to RusDML. • The project should be open for cooperation with other initiatives, should be able for further expansion of the Russian publications’ list. • Full text search and links from abstracts to full texts should be offered as soon as technically manageable.

18. Project states • There are many Russian publications on mathematics. That is why several stages of the project should be planned. • First stage: processing of journals (ca. 120 titles) covered by Zentralblatt Math and the Mathematical Yearbook. • Basic list could be corrected and extended by GPNTB including titles not covered by Zentralblatt MATH. (see the list of additions) • A total list will be developed during the project period.

19. Additional factors • Take into account various publication types, periodicals etc. • Consider journals, which were published by USSR publishers and which for the time being are published outside Russia. • Take into account titles which experienced an interruption of publications and then have been renewed.

20. Volume of the project • Counting the content of the approximately 120 Russian journals currently covered by Zentralblatt Math (and previously be the Mathematical Yearbook), estimates by GPNTB and SUB talk of about 2 million pages to be processed.   • Approximately equal sharing of the scanning work between GPNTB and SUB is planned, assigning about 1 million pages to GPNTB. • Compliance to uniform formats and common protocols on technical and other solutions are absolutely necessary.

21. Further workflow • Search and access facilities – provision of metadata: • Generation of raw metadata by Technical University Berlin – Zentralblatt MATH, including abstracts at the convenience of or users which cannot read Russian. • Use these metadata for the steering of the scanning and the generation of links. • Addition of full metadata after this. • Here GPNTB is responsible for the Russian text of metadata and SUB, TIB – for the English versions of metadata. • All three participating libraries should agree on specification of metadata format and structure.

22. Further project milestones • Final list of journals for the digital archive by the end of 2003 . • A smaller list will be compiled after negotiations with publishers and editorial boards, securing rights and licenses for digitising and providing access. • In addition, at working sessions and discussions distribution of work among the partners will be decided. Technical equipment, staff training and collections of the partner libraries will be taken into account.

23. Further project milestones (ctd.) • A digitising plan will be elaborated for the next years. • Evaluations of the compatibility of the software will be made. • Technological details will be discussed for the • installation of a uniform processing technology • the formation of the electronic archive • the integrated access structure • user interfaces and services • and the provision of links. • Experimental digitising and experiments on access versions are also planned.

24. Thank You very much • Vielen Dank • Спасибо за внимание