The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL) Program aims to establish a national digital library that will constitute an online network of learning environments and resources for science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) education at all levels. The program builds on work supported under the multiagency Digital Libraries Initiative; its first funding cycle was in FY00.
Proposals are accepted in four tracks: Core Integration System focuses on the coordination and management of the library’s core collections and services and development of the library’s central portal. Collections projects aggregate and manage a subset of the library’s content within a coherent theme or specialty. Services are expected to support users, collection providers, and the Core Integration System to enhance the impact, efficiency, and value of the library. Targeted Research explores specific topics that have immediate applicability to one of the other three tracks. (See www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/due/programs/nsdl for more information.)
Nearly 90 proposals were received in FY00 requesting approximately $59 million in total funding. Twenty-nine projects were supported with a cumulative budget of approximately $13.5 million. These included six pilot projects in the Core Integration track, 13 Collections track projects, nine Services track projects, and one in the Targeted Research track. Approximately $25 million will be available for support of new projects in FY01. (A copy of the program solicitation is available at www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin/getpub?nsf0155).
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