The University Libraries and National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)听at the University of Colorado Boulder have听won the 2016 International Data Rescue Award. The award was "created to improve prospects for preservation and access of research data, particularly of dark data, and share the varied ways that these data are being processed, stored, and used."
The award was presented in a town hall on Dec.15, 2016, for their project "Revealing Our Melting Past: Rescuing Historical Snow and Ice Data."听This project is an effort to digitize the Roger G. Barry Archive at the NSIDC. The project was submitted for the award by University Libraries' own Jack Maness, associate professor and director of sciences.
"It is incredibly important librarians and archivists work with scientists to preserve, digitize听and provide access to data and materials that predate modern instrumentation and data-collection methods. This is particularly important when it comes to snow and ice. Glaciers are very sensitive to climate change, and they are often our best way of understanding it, but they are quickly disappearing,"听said Maness.
"Our project seeks to ensure records of these glaciers will exist if (and when) the glaciers themselves are long gone. The images are striking听and undeniable听in their portrayal of warming in the earth鈥檚 frozen regions. Our hope is this award helps us generate awareness not only of this project听but of other data rescue initiatives as well."
