Developing a 21st Century Global Library for Mathematics Research

Mathematics is a cumulative discipline: new research is reliant on well-organized and well-curated literature. Webbased access to that literature is now mature and quite effective, allowing mathematicians to search individual items within the literature using attributes such as subjects, titles, authors, dates, and citations. Yet, while much information is contained in the individual items that comprise the mathematical literature, a greater amount of information is represented by the links between items. This is not just via references but in the interrelation of concepts, insights, and techniques as they are developed and spread between mathematical disciplines. For example, if mathematicians were able to search the literature for instances where a specific equation was used or solved, it would allow them to consider alternative approaches toward solving their own research questions.