The US' National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that the nation's most extensive collection of digital learning resources for geoscience education is now based at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado. The move is designed to ensure that the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), developed with funding from the NSF, will continue to serve hundreds of thousands of K-12 educators and learners around the country.
DLESE had previously been funded through a five-year grant from NSF. During that grant period (2002-2007), the DLESE archive and programme centre office were located at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), which operates NCAR.
In determining where to move its collection, DLESE called on a group of experts in information science, geoscience education, and business as well as members of DLESE's former steering committee and advisory board. The group examined potential models of sponsorship and membership and looked carefully at which parts of the DLESE collection should be sustained in the absence of dedicated funding.
The move to NCAR is seen to enable DLESE and its users to benefit from NCAR's extensive cyber-infrastructure and expertise in information management. NCAR library staff will maintain the DLESE collections.
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