The Research Library (STB-RL) at Technical Area 3 was recently named “the best science research digital library in the world” following a review by the library's External Advisory Board, a group of high-profile information experts who review library operations. The group said the library also has the potential to become America's national science library.
"The Research Library is globally recognized as a leader in information science and information management, especially regarding developments of digital libraries, [an arena in which it] is pre-eminent. The Research Library is world-class and the leader of digital library product and services," said Mike Keller, of Stanford University, chair of the library's external advisory board, which visited the Lab earlier this month.
"We believe a world-class library is an essential part of the enabling infrastructure required to support world-class science. The goal for over a decade has been to achieve a world-class level to improve the competitive position of our Laboratory scientists," said STB-RL Director Rick Luce.
The board was at the Lab to review library operations, and is currently in the process of finalizing a written report with their findings and recommendations.
Luce said some of the board comments that are likely to be in the upcoming report include the recognition that the Research Library greatly benefits from having an organizational position closely aligned with the Laboratory's science and would be unable to function as well if placed in a human resources or information technology division. However, the group believes that the library also is positioned too low on the organizational chart and they suggest a better situation would be one where Library management reported to the Laboratory's chief science officer, or a potentially revived deputy director for science position.
He said the software development work the library does to maximize commercially available library information technology products fulfills a chronic market failure and gives Laboratory scientists a continuous edge in research. Without the high level of customer focus and technical software development from the Research Library, and without continued investments by the Laboratory in the rapid-paced information world, Laboratory scientists would experience significant loss in research capability within two years.
The library continues to offer traditional library services and collections, but Luce added the Research Library is much more efficient and effective than other research libraries in large research universities. The External Advisory Board, he said, concluded that the Research Library has no peer among the other national laboratories, so far as the members of external review team could ascertain.
