Big Data is everywhere – from Computational Science to Digital Humanities, from Web Analytics to traditional libraries. While there do exist significant challenges in other areas, for many the biggest issue of all is a digital libraries one – How do we preserve big data collections? How do we provide access to big data collections? What new questions can we pose against our big data collections? These are all digital libraries questions. How can we, the digital libraries community, stand up in the face of these challenges and inform collection builders, curators, and interface developers how to best solve their challenges? What assumptions have we been working under that no longer hold in light of Big Data? These are some of the timely questions we hope to address at JCDL 2015.
Why Knoxville?
Knoxville provides a perfect balance for the JCDL community. The nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is home to the 2nd fastest supercomputer in the world. ORNL works with big data every day and has been for years. Meanwhile the University of Tennessee hosts a strong digital science and digital libraries community centered on the University Libraries and the School of Information Sciences. In addition there is a growing digital humanities presence with work being conducted in history, architecture, and information science. This combined with its proximity to Southwestern Virginia, Atlanta, and Research Triangle research communities make it an ideal location to bring people together. In addition to its opportunities in regards to scholarly benefits, Knoxville’s location just North of the Smokey Mountains provides ample opportunities for activities such as hiking and camping. There are numerous tourist attractions in the Sevierville-Pigeon Forge area. Downtown Knoxville itself is home to three vibrant sections. The Historic Old City contains several bars, clubs, and restaurants. Market Square also is a major dining area. Finally, Gay Street boasts theaters, clubs and dining options.