| Director: |
Jennifer Lanman |
| Other Researchers: |
Nicholas Angelos,
Jose Luis Antinao,
Valerie Beckham-Feller,
Sara Clifford,
Kilauren Driscoll,
Casey Jones,
Will Knauth,
Henry Loope,
Garrett Marietta,
Robin Rupp,
Polly Sturgeon,
Don Tripp,
Kristen Wilkins
|
| Funding: |
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - National Geologic and Geophysical Data Preservation Program
|
| Issue: |
Portions of survey collections remain physically and digitally inaccessible. Multiple pilot activities conducted between 2017 and 2022 informed the need and timings for activities in this grant. Survey employees digitized field maps and field notebooks, geolocated the digitized maps to port data points into GIS layers, transcribed outcrop lithologies, and photographed and cataloged Education Collection specimens. Each activity advanced the public discoverability of IGWS holdings and supported concurrent STATEMAP efforts. Drawing on the success of these pilot programs and previous collections work, this project will continue enhancing access to analog legacy data and materials using the FAIR data principles framework. |
| Objective: |
Part A – purchase new flat file cabinets and archival cardboard, then inventory, scan, transcribe, catalog, and rehouse 350 legacy maps and 60 field notebooks; Part B – scan 4,400 gamma logs and transcribe interpreted data; and Part C – photograph and catalog 2,000 specimens from the Education Collection. |
| Approach: |
Archives and collections staff will catalog field maps and organize them by geographic location. They will move the maps into new flat file cabinets in the Record Center annex and separate map groups with sheets of acid-free archival cardboard. Each sheet of cardboard will have an attached label tab. Notebooks will be placed in acid-free cardboard slipcases and housed in the central record center.
Digital collections staff will scan field maps, field notebooks, and gamma logs with handwritten notes- create photographs of Education Collection specimens- and sort and organize existing digital files. They will move the digital files into an online resource system called CARST (CollectiveAccess-ResourceSpace Tandem) and create searchable records that are visible to the public.
Education and outreach staff will document activities and provide public updates through our survey newsletter and social media. |
| Products: |
350 legacy field maps cataloged in CARST and their data digitized in GIS.
60 legacy field notebooks transcribed and cataloged in CARST for digital searchability.
4,400 gamma log scans and approximately 400 transcriptions of interpreted data for digital searchability
2,000 specimens from the Education Collection photographed and cataloged in CARST. |
| Benefits: |
The on-site records center is a space safe for valuable geological records and comfortable for anyone who wants to use them. The new flat file cabinets and notebook covers will better preserve, organize, and extend the life of the records by protecting them from light, dust, and wear and tear, while slowing the natural ageing of the paper.
Transcribing the handwriting in notebooks or on field maps and gamma logs lets computers read the text. Adding records and photographs to CARST gives scientists and the public access to resources that were hard to find or not available before. Once in the system, the files can be easily searched for, managed, and protected from loss. This public data provides users of all ages and backgrounds with new gateways to explore earth science on a local, regional, or global scale. |
