Steps Toward a Globally Distributed Mathematics Library

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Steps Toward a Globally Distributed Mathematics
Library

• The University of Michigan Experience
• Sara Rutter
• March 18, 2002

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Overview

• Selecting and digitizing the books
• Linking the collection to an interoperable
  distributed digital library of mathematical
  monographs

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Background Digital Landscape (late 1998)

• Cornell Historic Math Book Collection
• Jahrbuch Project
• Linking from Mathscinet to journal articles
• Making of America Project at the University of
  Michigan

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Local Conditions

• Strong collection of 19th century mathematics
  monographs at UM
• Mathematicians, philosophy researchers, needed to
  use historical mathematics books
• Mass deacidification project, pizza box project

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Proposal

• Scan/digitize and OCR, crumbling books
• Focus on non-Euclidean geometry grow out from
  that center
• Capture important time in mathematics

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Bibliographies Used

• D.M. Y. Sommervilles Bibliography of
  Non-Euclidean Geometry, 2nd ed.
• George Halsteds Bibliography of Hyper-Space and
  Non-Euclidean Geometry, American Journal of
  Mathematics 1(1878)

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Grand Scheme

• Digitize as many of the core works in the
  bibliographies as possible
• Create/show intellectual links make connections
• Link to the Jahrbuch
• Link to the Catalogue of scientific papers (when
  digitized)

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Access and Preservation

• Provide access to content often difficult to
  access because of physical condition, location
• Preserve content in a way that will enhance
  scholarly productivity

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Selection Process

• File extracted from online catalog of mathematics
  monographs with publishing dates between
  1800-1925
• Selected works with connection to development of
  non-Euclidean geometry
• Shared list with faculty within UM and with other
  interested scholars

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Digitizing

• Find the books
• Communicate with remote storage facility
• Cataloging
• Inspect each book
• NSF-MATH reformatting staff

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Criteria

• Held by the University of Michigan Library
• Published between 1800 to 1923
• Brittle
• Not digitized by Cornell or Goettingen
• Works of mathematicians who contributed to
  development of non-Euclidean geometry

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University of Michigan Historical Mathematics
Collectionhttp//www.hti.umich.edu/u/umhistmath/