Global BHL visitors in Washington, Patricia Mergen and Abel Packer visit BHL Secretariat and Smithsonian Libraries

Dr. Patricia Mergen, Liaison Officer,  Legal Entity Appointed Representative (LEAR) at the European Commission, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium, visited the BHL Secretariat and Smithsonian Libraries on 31 May 2014.

Mergen was in Washington to attend the Catalogue of Life Workshop and  Symposium (2-4 June 2014). In discussions with Program Director Martin Kalfatovic and Program Manager Carolyn Sheffield, Mergen gave updates on activities of BHL Europe and upcoming European biodiversity initiatives, including the Horizon 2020 programme. There were also updates from Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) of which Mergen is the Secretary.

 


Dr. Abel Packer, head of BHL SciELO (Brazil) also stopped by between the Society for Scholarly Publishing 2014 meeting (in Boston) and other work in Philadelphia. Packer gave updates on the work being done to upload BHL SciELO content to the BHL portal. As planned host for the 2015 Global BHL meeting, Packer outlined some ideas that will be presented to the Global Steering Committee.

Avatar for Martin R. Kalfatovic

Martin R. Kalfatovic is BHL Program Director and Associate Director, Digital Programs and Initiatives Division, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. As the BHL Program Director, Mr. Kalfatovic functions as the executive director and manager of the international consortium of over 80 natural history, botanical garden, government, and university libraries engaged in the mass digitization of taxonomic literature. The position also serves as a key contact for government, NGO, and academic leaders at both the national and international level. Within his role at Smithsonian Libraries and Archives, Mr. Kalfatovic is responsible for the Libraries’ active Digital Library program. This program includes the creation of digital editions of library materials, online exhibitions, and new digital publications.