Building Policy, Building Community: An Example from the US National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Library (NSDL)

Developing a major national resource such as the US National Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education Digital Library (NSDL) requires policy and technical expertise. Policy issues are as much a challenge as infrastructure in the construction of such a major digital library. This paper focuses on the policy making structures that have developed since 2000 when the US National Science Foundation began its funding for NSDL. The authors are the Vice Chair and Chair of the NSDL Policy Committee and report here on issues of voice, authority, and central issues for policy construction as these have emerged in the NSDL context.