Working Group: Curating Knowledge

Curating Knowledge Under Digital Conditions

Transformations associated with digitization are causing significant shifts in the “scholarly ecosystem” of universities, book and journal publishers, and libraries that have historically served to set standards for the judgment of scholarly quality and impact.  In light of the increased access to knowledge that digitization allows, maintaining and enhancing standards of quality while democratizing access.

Key questions addressed by this working group include:

• What is the role of the traditional “gatekeepers” of scholarly knowledge in this context?
• When are more open forms of curation compelling, and when are more traditional and demanding approaches appropriate?
• How can core values and practices of scholarship (e.g. peer review) be preserved under changing conditions, and how should scholarly practices and institutions be modified and adapted in light of these transformations?
• By what criteria should libraries, archives, and other curatorial institutions make choices in regard to what they collect and preserve?

This working group brings together representatives from these different realms in order to discuss the principles, standards, and practices that should govern editorial curation.

Co-chairs:

Mary Lee Kennedy
Chief Library Officer, New York Public Library

Michael Schudson
Professor of Journalism and Sociology, Columbia University