Wasu mutane suna ziyarta don karanta game da nau'ikan itace da masana'antun Victorian suke amfani da su don yin sandunan tafiya. Wasu kuma suna son ganin hoton damisar Tasmania ko kuma su yaba da littafin tarihin filin daya daga cikin masanan tsirrai na farko da aka sani da suka binciki Antarctica.
A cikin shekaru 20 da suka gabata, an samar da shafuka sama da miliyan 64 kyauta ta hanyar Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) – wani taska na dijital ga masu son yanayi. Gidajen tarihi, jami'o'i, dakunan karatu, da cibiyoyin kimiyya sama da 680 daga China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Turai, Afirka, Mexico, Canada, da Amurka sun ba da gudummawa ga ɗakin karatu.
A wannan makon, wani rahoto daga Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) a Kew ya nuna yadda dijital ke taka muhimmiyar rawa a "canza ikonmu na fahimta da amsa matsalolin yanayi da halittu." Amma ƙirƙirar BHL shekaru 20 da suka gabata ce ta fara nuna yadda kawo shekaru aru-aru na ilimin kimiyya a kan layi zai iya haifar da bincike mai canzawa da fahimta game da duniyar halitta.
David Iggulden, wanda ke shugabantar kwamitin zartarwa na BHL tare da matsayinsa na shugaban bayanai da dijital, ɗakin karatu da kayan tarihi a RBG Kew, ya bayyana ɗakin karatu a matsayin wani abu mai kima da "cikakken mahimmanci" ga masana kimiyya a fagen. Amma kuma masu binciken kimiyya, masana tarihin muhalli, malamai, masana tarihin fasaha, masu fasaha, masana kimiyyar jama'a, da membobin jama'a – kamar Iggulden – suna amfani da shi don jin daɗin bincika abubuwan da ke cikinsa a lokacin damina.
"Wani lokaci nakan ɓace a ciki, ina kallon tarin abubuwa daban-daban," in ji shi. "Ina ganin yana da ban mamaki cewa za mu iya bincika irin wannan tarin abubuwa daban-daban daga cibiyoyi daban-daban."
Tare da wallafe-wallafen kimiyyar halittu da mujallu, akwai wasiƙu, zane-zane, bayanan yanayi, littattafan tarihin filin, bayanan yanayin halittu, bayanan rarraba, da rubuce-rubucen hannu waɗanda ke ba da labarin asali na yadda aka tattara wani nau'in musamman ko kuma dalla-dalla na tafiye-tafiyen ganowa.
Littafin mafi tsufa shine ɗaya daga cikin farkon rubuce-rubucen likitanci na Yamma, wani littafin magunguna na zamanin da da ake kira Circa instans, wanda ya samo asali daga kusan 1190. Ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin muhimmin rubutu a ci gaban ilimin tsirrai na zamani kuma ya taimaka wajen kawo haske a ko'ina cikin Turai ta zamanin da ta hanyar daidaita sunayen tsirrai da amfaninsu. New York Botanical Garden ne ya mayar da shi dijital a bara.
Wani abin da Iggulden ya fi so shine kataloji na nunin zane na 1892 na Henry Howell & Co, wani kamfani na Victorian da ke London wanda ya yi tallar kansa a matsayin babban masana'antar sandunan tafiya a duniya.
Kataloji irin wannan suna da amfani ga masana kimiyya da ke nazarin tsirrai da ake amfani da su don dalilai na tattalin arziki, da kuma mahimmancin itace da halayensa da yadda aka yi amfani da shi a cikin tarihi, in ji shi. "Wannan wani abu ne mai ban sha'awa da aka gano – kuma ya bambanta da abin da kuke tsammani a cikin BHL."
Ɗaya daga cikin muhimman littattafai a cikin tarin shine littafin tarihin Antarctic na masanin tsirrai Sir Joseph Hooker wanda aka zana shi, wanda ya haɗa da zane-zanensa na ruwa na tsaunuka biyu masu aman wuta da aka fara gani a 1841 a lokacin balaguronsa zuwa nahiyar tare da Kyaftin James Clark Ross. "Labarin sirri ne na kasadar Hooker … zuwa Antarctic da abubuwan da ya gani a can," in ji Iggulden.
Ikon raba irin waɗannan rubuce-rubucen hannu na musamman da duniya yana cika ɗaya daga cikin manyan manufofin BHL, in ji Nicole Kearney, wacce ke jagorantar reshen Australiya na ɗakin karatu wanda ke a Museums Victoria. "Na taɓa loda wani littafin tarihin filin da aka rubuta da hannu game da tsuntsaye a Australia, kuma wani da ke nazarin ambaliyar kogi a yankin ya rubuta mini ya ce: 'Kun ba ni wannan babbar hanya. Yanzu zan iya faɗi duk lokacin da wannan kogi ya yi ambaliya tsakanin 1947 da 1957' – domin duk an rubuta shi a cikin wannan littafin tarihin daga tsakiyar karni na 20, wanda na yi tunanin game da tsuntsaye ne kawai."
Ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin farkon wallafe-wallafen launi da aka sani game da kifi, duk da haka kusan kashi 10% na nau'in suna cikin hasashe gaba ɗaya.
Nicole Kearney
A lokacin cutar annoba, littattafan tarihi da aka loda zuwa BHL sun taimaka wa masana kimiyya su nuna cewa an sami "babban canji" a rarraba da yawaitar orchids na Australia da ba kasafai ba a lokacin gobarar daji ta "black summer" a ƙarshen 2019 da farkon 2020. "Hakan ya sa aka sake tantance waɗannan nau'ikan orchids, kuma an canza matsayinsu na barazanar barin su," in ji Kearney.
Duba hoto a cikin cikakken allo
Shafukan da aka rubuta da hannu daga littattafan tarihin filin ornithological na Australia na 1947–1957 na A. Graham Brown. Hotuna: Museums Victoria/Biodiversity Heritage Library
Lokacin da ta yi magana game da rawar da BHL ke takawa ga masana kimiyya, sau da yawa tana ambaton Charles Darwin: "Noman kimiyyar halitta ba za a iya gudanar da shi yadda ya kamata ba tare da yin la'akari da babban ɗakin karatu ba."
Ta ce: "Na tabbata Darwin zai yarda cewa, a duniyar yau, yana da mahimmanci mu iya samun ilimin kimiyyar halittu na duniya a kan layi. Kuma cewa wannan ilimin yana kyauta ga kowa."
Ɗaya daga cikin littattafan da ta fi so a cikin tarin shine The Mammals of Australia na masanin halitta na Burtaniya John Gould, wanda aka buga a 1863. Yana da hoto mai ban sha'awa na damisar Tasmania, wani dabbar marsupial na Australia da aka farauta har ta ɓace bayan an zarge ta – watakila ba daidai ba – da kashe tumaki. "Na ƙarshe ya mutu a gidan zoo a Tasmania a 1936," in ji Kearney. "Wata halitta ce mai ban sha'awa. Tana da jaka amma tana kama da kare ko kerkeci mai ratsi. Babu wani abu makamancinta a Australia, kuma babu wani abu makamancinta a yau."
Duba hoto a cikin cikakken allo
Shigar da thylacine, ko damisar Tasmania, a cikin The Mammals of Australia (1863) na masanin halitta na Burtaniya John Gould. Hotuna: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives/Biodiversity Heritage Library
BHL Flickr album yana biye da dubban mutane kuma yana nuna wasu daga cikin zane-zane marasa haƙƙin mallaka na musamman a cikin tarinsa (wasu daga cikinsu an mayar da su wani app na jigsaw puzzle mai lambar yabo, The Art of Fauna).
Ɗaya daga cikin shahararrun albums shine littafin Louis Renard na karni na 18, Poissons, Ecrivisses et Crabes, wanda aka loda zuwa BHL a 2016. Yana da hoton wata mermaid da wasu halittu na hasashe da aka haɗa tare da wakilcin kimiyya na ainihin kifi, crayfish, da crabs.
Duba hoto a cikin cikakken allo
Mermaid da wata halitta ta hasashe da aka zana a cikin Poissons, Ecrevisses et Crabes na Louis Renard, 1754. Hoton: Ernst Mayr Library/Museum of Comparative Zoology/Harvard University/Biodiversity Heritage Library
"An fara buga shi a 1719 kuma ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin farkon wallafe-wallafen launi da aka sani game da kifi, duk da haka kusan kashi 10% na nau'in suna cikin hasashe gaba ɗaya," in ji Kearney. "Wani muhimmin ɓangare ne na wallafe-wallafen kimiyya daga zamanin Haskakawa, [lokacin da] mutane ke bincika sassan duniya waɗanda ba a taɓa ganin su ba. Masu zane za su fassara abin da aka gaya musu kuma su kwafi zane daga wasu masu zane waɗanda watakila ba su taɓa ganin nau'in da kansu ba," in ji Kearney. "Sun yi imani cewa duk na gaske ne."
An haifi BHL shekaru 20 da suka gabata bayan da ma'aikatan ɗakin karatu suka fito da wani ra'ayi mai tsauri don inganta bincike na duniya game da canjin yanayi da asarar halittu a wani lokaci mai canzawa a tarihin intanet. Lokacin ne farkon Web 2.0, lokacin da amfani da intanet don sadarwa da zamantakewa ya fara zama sananne, kuma akwai jin daɗin bege da dama. Idan manyan gidajen tarihi da cibiyoyi goma a Burtaniya da Amurka suka mayar da tarin littattafan tarihin halittu na su zuwa dijital don ƙirƙirar ɗakin karatu na kan layi guda ɗaya wanda kowane masanin kimiyya a duniya zai iya samun dama ga kyauta?
A lokacin, ra'ayin yin aiki a duniya kan wani babban aikin dijital ya kasance "mai juyin juya hali da gaske," in ji Iggulden.
[Hoto: Wani ɓangare da zane daga littafin tarihin Antarctic na Sir Joseph Hooker 1839-43. Hoton: Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Biodiversity Heritage Library]
Cambridge tana ba da kwas na botany wanda ya zaburar da Darwin bayan an gano wani littafin tarihi da ba kasafai ba
Kara karantawa
Yau, duk da haka, makomar babban ɗakin karatu na dijital mai buɗe ido a duniya don wallafe-wallafen halittu yana cikin haɗari. A farkon wannan shekara, Smithsonian Institution – wacce ta fuskanci matsananciyar yanke kudade a karkashin gwamnatin Trump – ta daina ɗaukar nauyin ayyukan gudanarwa na BHL, biyan wasu albashin ma'aikata, da tallafawa kayan aikin fasaha. "Wani 'kasafin kudin ci gaba,' don ci gaba da gudanar da shi kamar yadda yake, zai zama kusan dala miliyan ɗaya a shekara – kuma muna da kudade, muna tsammani, har zuwa ƙarshen 2027," in ji Iggulden.
"Zai zama muni – mai ɓarna, da gaske – a rasa shi bayan mun yi nisa sosai kuma mun buɗe abubuwa da yawa."
Har ma an dakatar da ƙara abubuwa zuwa shafin Flickr na ɗakin karatu saboda "ba mu da albarkatun da za mu ci gaba da ƙara masa," in ji Kearney. "Akwai ƙarin ayyuka da yawa da za mu iya shigar da su [a cikin BHL] idan muna da kuɗi don haɗa AI, ingantattun software na gane haruffa na gani, da kuma dandamali mai dacewa da wayar hannu da harsuna da yawa," in ji ta.
[Hoto: Zane-zane daga Poissons, Ecrevisses et Crabes na Louis Renard, 1754. Hoton: Ernst Mayr Library/Museum of Comparative Zoology/ Harvard University/Biodiversity Heritage Library]
Iggulden ya ce yuwuwar BHL ta yi amfani da AI don buɗe bayanai yana da yawa. "AI wani abu ne mai kyau ga BHL," in ji shi. "Ɗakin karatu yana ƙunshe da ɗimbin ilimin taxonomic, geographical, ecological, da specimen-level wanda har yanzu ba a iya samun dama ga ayyukan lissafi na zamani ba. Don haka, buɗe wannan a babban matsayi zai haifar da sabbin damammaki don haɗin kimiyyar halittu, haɗin tarin abubuwa, nazarin muhalli na tarihi, da binciken kimiyya da AI ke taimakawa."
Kearney ta ce tafiyar haskakawa da littattafan da ke cikin BHL ke bayarwa na iya tunatar da mu yadda har yanzu ba mu sani ba game da duniyar halitta, kuma ta taimaka mana mu sake gano jin daɗi da mamaki game da nau'ikan da suka ɓace – da waɗanda ba su ɓace ba.
"BHL yana da mahimmanci ga fahimtarmu game da dukan nau'ikan da muke raba wannan duniya da su, da ikonmu na ceton su," in ji Kearney. "Yanzu muna da shafuka miliyan 64 na ilimi a hannunmu, waɗanda muke buƙatar ƙara samun dama da isa ga su. Akwai abubuwa da yawa da za mu iya yi."
[Hoto: Zanen John Gould na thylacine, wanda kuma aka sani da damisar Tasmania ko kerkeci na Tasmania, a cikin littafinsa na 1863, The Mammals of Australia. Hoton: Smithsonian Libraries and Archives/Biodiversity Heritage Library]
Masu karatu za su iya taimakawa wajen tabbatar da makomar Biodiversity Heritage Library da kuma kiyaye tarin ta kyauta kuma a buɗe ga duniya ta hanyar danna maɓallin Donate a biodiversitylibrary.org.
Tambayoyin da Aka Yi Yawa
Anan akwai jerin tambayoyin da aka yi yawa game da ɗakin karatu na dijital wanda ke ba da shafuka miliyan 64 na ilimin kimiyya da aka rubuta cikin yanayi na halitta tare da amsoshi masu sauƙi
Tambayoyi na Matakin Farko
Tambaya: Menene ainihin wannan ɗakin karatu na dijital da kowa ke magana akai?
Amsa: Babban tarin kan layi ne na takardun kimiyya, littattafai, da bayanan bincike – jimlar shafuka miliyan 64 – wanda kowa zai iya samun dama ga kyauta. Ka yi tunanin ɗakin karatu na jama'a don kimiyya, amma ba ka buƙatar kati.
Tambaya: Shin da gaske kyauta ne? Babu wasu kudaden ɓoye ko biyan kuɗi?
Amsa: E, kyauta ne gaba ɗaya. Babu rajista, babu katin kiredit, babu biyan kuɗi. Manufar ita ce a samar da ilimin kimiyya ga kowa.
Tambaya: Ni ba masanin kimiyya ba ne. Shin zan iya fahimtar wani abu a ciki?
Amsa: Tabbas. Yayin da yawancin takardu na fasaha ne, akwai abubuwa da yawa ga masu son yanayi masu sha'awar, littattafan tarihin filin, rahotannin balaguro, bayanin nau'in, da littattafan botany da aka zana. Kana iya bincika batutuwa masu sauƙi kamar butterflies na Arewacin Amurka ko yadda bishiyoyi ke girma.
Tambaya: Ta yaya zan bincika wani abu, misali namomin kaza a yankin Pacific Northwest?
Amsa: Kawai rubuta waɗannan kalmomi a cikin mashin bincike. Ɗakin karatu zai nuna maka duk wani littafi, labari, ko hoto da ya dace daga shafukansa miliyan 64.
Tambaya: Zan iya sauke littattafai ko labarai don karantawa ba tare da layi ba?
Amsa: E, yawancin abubuwa ana iya sauke su azaman PDF ko wasu nau'ikan fayil na gama gari. Kana iya adana su a wayarka, kwamfutar hannu, ko kwamfuta don karantawa a ko'ina.
Tambayoyi na Ci gaba da Aiki
Tambaya: Wadanne kungiyoyi ne suka ba da gudummawa ga wannan tarin na shafuka miliyan 64?
Amsa: Haɗin gwiwa ne na manyan gidajen tarihi na halitta, lambunan botany, da dakunan karatu na bincike a duniya. Manyan abokan hulɗa sun haɗa da Smithsonian, New York Botanical Garden, da Missouri Botanical Garden.
Tambaya: Yaya wannan ya bambanta da Google Scholar ko Wikipedia?
Amsa: Google Scholar yana nemo ambato da hanyoyin haɗi zuwa labarai. Wikipedia yana taƙaita ilimi. Wannan ɗakin karatu yana ba ka cikakken rubutun ainihin littattafai na tarihi da ba kasafai ba da kuma ayyukan kimiyya waɗanda ba za ka iya samun su a wani wuri kyauta ba.
Tambaya: Na sami littafi mai shekaru 150 game da tsuntsaye. Shin bayanin har yanzu daidai ne?
