Transforming archival collections for research use : a case study with the Stanford Oceanographic Expeditions

The World Ocean Database (WOD) indicates that more oceanographic data has been collected since 2000 than in the previous century. The recent surge in data collection is vital for understanding our rapidly changing oceans. However, to accurately interpret changes in ocean conditions, it's essential to anchor these observations with historical baselines. How fast is the ocean changing, where and by how much? While the WOD offers records dating back to Captain Cook's 1772 voyage, significant spatial and temporal gaps remain, even for the 20th century. Marine laboratory libraries often hold invaluable historical archives documenting marine biodiversity and oceanographic conditions, but many of these collections are uncataloged and thus inaccessible to researchers. Even when discoverable, these collections are seldom available in digital formats that facilitate research use. Librarians can play a crucial role in bridging this gap by making historical observations more discoverable, accessible, and useful to the scientific community. In this presentation, I will share our experience creating the Stanford Oceanographic Expeditions Archive, a substantial collection from an ocean education and research initiative that spanned 1963 to 1972 across the Pacific and Indian Oceans. I will discuss our criteria for selecting collection materials suitable for data transformation (i.e., collections-as-data) and demonstrate tools we are using to expedite this process. My goal is to inspire ideas and conversations on activating other historical collections and to foster a community of practice around collections-as-data for marine science librarians.