Dr. Tomoko Steen at the Easter Island Head, National Museum of Natural History

Two weeks ago, we announced that the Library of Congress has joined the Biodiversity Heritage Library, at the Steering Committee level, as our fifteenth member library. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to Dr. Tomoko Steen, the Library of Congress representative to BHL.

Dr. Steen currently serves as a Senior Research Specialist in the Science, Technology, and Business Division at the Library of Congress. Wearing her academic hat, Dr. Steen has lectured at Johns Hopkins University, the George Washington University, Harvard University (in our own Museum of Comparative Zoology), Emory University, and Cornell University on such topics as Evolutionary Biology, Population Genetics, Radiation Health, History of Life Sciences, Bioethics and History of Asian Diplomacy and Science Policy. Prior to entering the academic career, she also worked as a licensed clinical pharmacologist both in Japan and the US.

She is the author of numerous books and articles covering broad range of topics from molecular evolutionary clock, history of radiation health, biological and nuclear weapons history, women in science, and biographies of two pioneer Japanese geneticists (Tomoko Ohta and Motoo Kimura).

Dr. Steen has been working with BHL Director, Martin Kalfatovic, Program Manager, Grace Costantino, and Collections Coordinator, Bianca Crowley, to integrate LoC into the BHL workflow, and is particularly eager to digitize rare books from LoC’s collection. The Library of Congress has already contributed over one million pages to BHL to date. We are excited to welcome Dr. Steen and the Library of Congress into the BHL family, and look forward to the unique contribution they will make to the project.

Trochilidae from Haeckel’s Kunstformen der Natur.

The Library of Congress announced its membership to the Biodiversity Heritage Library today. The fifteenth partner of the BHL, the Library of Congress will contribute to the digitization of historical science literature in the collection. All material will be online, free and available to the public.

“The Biodiversity Heritage Library is the preeminent global repository for historic science literature,” said Martin Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Libraries Associate Director for Digital Services and BHL Program Director. “We are excited that the Library of Congress has joined us in this effort, which is a vast information center providing resources to researchers, students and the general public interested in biodiversity.”

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 151 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.

BHL is also pleased to note that Cornell University Library, a BHL member since January 2012, has expanded it’s role in the BHL by becoming a Steering Committee member in January 2013. “We feel being part of BHL this past year has been very positive for Cornell and look forward to participating at the Steering Committee level” said Mary Ochs, Director of the Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University.

BHL Steering Committee members contribute $10,000 in annual dues to the BHL project to support digitization, program administration, and technical development. Representatives from Steering Committee members vote on program budgets and strategic direction and have access to central funds for digitization.

We’re excited to welcome the Library of Congress to the BHL family, and look forward to Cornell’s expanded role in our consortium!

Browse titles contributed by Cornell University Libraries in BHL.