The Darwin Digital Library of Evolution is based at the American Museum of Natural History Library.
The goal of this undertaking is to make the full literature of evolution available online within a historically and topically coherent structure. The work of Charles Robert Darwin is our pivot, but our framework includes the 17th century to the present and encompasses the history of evolution as a scientific theory with deep roots and broad cultural consequences.
DDLE is a pilot project drawing on resources of members of the Biodiversity Heritage Library Consortium1 contributions are included from the Natural History Museum (London) and the Missouri Botanical Garden.
We have undertaken this effort believing that more broadly diffused knowledge of the scientific and cultural history of evolution will secure the place of evolutionary science in open societies.
The Library has four chronological sections:
Natural History Before Darwin
The antecedent literature of the life and earth sciences, from the late 17th century to the 19th century. Charles Darwin's Publications
The key editions of Darwin's works in English & in translation.
The Darwin Manuscript Project
A long-term scholarly project producing a comprehensive edition of Darwin's scientific manuscripts to the highest standards of textual editing. Evolutionary Science since the Origin of Species
The literature of evolutionary biology from 1859 to the present. The Cultural Wake of Evolution
The implications of evolution for belief systems, social policy, literature, and philosophy from 1859 to the present.
Declaration of Principles
We are commited to:
(1) the highest standards of bibliography
(2) the highest standards of textual editing
(3) logical synthesis and technical integration of content in all formats
(4) standards-based presentation
(5) collegial cooperation among libraries, scholarly projects, and independent scholars
(5) international and comparative perspectives on evolution
(7) informing and raising the level of public discourse on evolution
(8) open access and responsible use.
We welcome the collaborative contributions of other natural history libraries.
1The BHLC is a member of the Open Content Alliance and is comprised of: The American Museum of Natural History, New York; Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass.; Harvard University Botany Libraries, Cambridge, Mass.; Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis; The Natural History Museum, London; The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey;The Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.
