The Association of Research Libraries and the Digital Library Federation have developed the E-Science Institute, a set of designed learning experiences that take small teams of individuals chosen by research libraries through a process that strengthens and advances their e-science support role.

In the context of the institute, e-science encompasses the breadth of e-research activities applied across all disciplines (and including all interdisciplinary teams), but with a particular focus on the sciences. Its scope is not limited to the types of scientific research requiring very large-scale computation (i.e, computational science or high-performance computing research) but includes all aspects and types of research that are performed digitally, such as data production and curation, social interaction, publishing and scholarly communication, and the use of physical space for specialized group activities. See more about the institute online.

At IU, we are approaching this exercise with the appointment of two groups. The "local team" will be responsible for doing the significant amount of work required by the institute, including readings, environmental scans, interviews, and planning exercises. It will be composed of the "core team" of Julie Bobay (Associate Dean for Collection Development and Scholarly Communications), Jian Liu (HPER Librarian and Head, IUB Science Libraries), Jon Dunn (Director of Library Technologies and Digital Libraries), Bob Noel (Head, Swain Hall Library), Roger Beckman (Head, Life Sciences Library and Chemistry Library), and Stacy Kowalczyk (Researcher, Data to Insight Center). This team will work through all of the learning activities and assignments with the goal of attending the capstone event to develop an e-science strategic agenda for the IU Libraries. In addition to this local team, we have a larger interest group of individuals who want to be involved at a higher level, with occasional briefings and opportunities to ask questions and offer guidance.