Biodi e si y In o ma ion Science and S anda ds 9: e179190
doi: 10.3897/biss.9.179190
Con e ence Abs ac
A New Fu u e o he Biodi e si y He i age
Lib a y: F om Ins i u ional Reliance o Global
Resilience
Nicole Kea ney , Kelli T ei , Bianca C owley , JJ Dea bo n , Joseph deVee , Colleen Funkhouse ,
Elisa He mann , Richa d W agg , Da id Iggulden
‡ Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y, Melbou ne, Aus alia
§ Uni e si y o Illinois, U bana, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica
| Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y, Washing on, D.C., Uni ed S a es o Ame ica
¶ P e iously Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y, Washing on, D.C., Uni ed S a es o Ame ica
# Ha a d Uni e si y, Camb idge, Uni ed S a es o Ame ica
¤ Museum ü Na u kunde, Be lin, Ge many
« Na u al His o y Museum, London, Uni ed Kingdom
» Royal Bo anic Ga dens, Kew, Uni ed Kingdom
Co esponding au ho : Nicole Kea ney (nkea ney@museum. ic.go .au)
Recei ed: 20 No 2025 | Published: 24 No 2025
Ci a ion: Kea ney N, T ei K, C owley B, Dea bo n J, deVee J, Funkhouse C, He mann E, W agg R, Iggulden
D (2025) A New Fu u e o he Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y: F om Ins i u ional Reliance o Global Resilience.
Biodi e si y In o ma ion Science and S anda ds 9: e179190. h ps://doi.o g/10.3897/biss.9.179190
Abs ac
In Ap il 2025, he Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y (BHL) eleased a public s a emen
announcing ha he Smi hsonian Ins i u ion, BHL’s adminis a i e hos since 2006, would
cease o hos BHL on 1 Janua y 2026. This decision placed one o he wo ld’s la ges
and longes - unning open biodi e si y da a in as uc u es a a c i ical in lec ion poin .
BHL is a global conso ium o lib a ies, museums, and he ba ia digi izing and openly
sha ing biodi e si y li e a u e. I p o ides o e 63 million eely accessible pages
spanning i e cen u ies o publishing; connec ing axonomic da a, his o ical con ex , and
esea ch in as uc u es. The sudden wi hd awal o ins i u ional hos ing h ea ened BHL’s
con inui y and exposed he agili y o communi y-led ini ia i es elian on a single
ins i u ional ancho .
‡ § | ¶ # |
¤«»
This is an open access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he CC0 Public Domain Dedica ion.
The ansi ion om he Smi hsonian equi ed immedia e ac ion, ca e ul planning, and
in e na ional collabo a ion. Wi hin weeks, BHL con ened i s pa ne s and launched a Call
o Suppo o iden i y new adminis a i e, echnical, and inancial hos s. Open h ough
mid-2025 and so -closed on 31 Augus , he call yielded p omising o e s. To guide
decisions, BHL de eloped Guiding P inciples o he T ansi ion, ea i ming i s
commi men o open access, communi y-led go e nance, inclusi e collec ions,
mode nized in as uc u e, and FAIR P inciples (Findable, Accessible, In e ope able,
Reusable). A he ime o w i ing (Sep embe 2025), BHL’s u u e emains unce ain.
Hos ing and inancial commi men s ecei ed hus a will p o ide in e im s abili y o 1–3
yea s, secu ing much-needed b ea hing space o implemen a du able go e nance and
unding model, and o add ess c i ical ques ions: how o dis ibu e long- e m hos ing
ac oss mul iple o ganiza ions and coun ies; how o secu e sus ainable in-kind,
philan h opic, and g an -based suppo ; and how o adap BHL’s echnical a chi ec u e o
scalabili y, in e ope abili y, and con inui y beyond he ansi ion.
The Call o Suppo also aised awa eness o BHL’s enuous u u e among i s global use
base, spa king widesp ead ecogni ion o BHL’s alue o science and conse a ion, and
su acing he dep h o global commi men o BHL. Suppo has pou ed in om pa ne s
and he wide communi y o biodi e si y esea che s and en husias s, anging om i m
o e s o echnical hos ing o pledges o cookies. This solida i y demons a es ha BHL is
mo e han a eposi o y o li e a u e: i is a sha ed scien i ic esou ce, deeply embedded in
he global biodi e si y in o ma ics ecosys em.
This se he s age o a und aising campaign in i ing esea che s and he public o
suppo BHL’s sus ainabili y. Concu en ly, BHL is pu suing g an s o s eng hen i s
echnical ounda ion, upg ade co e sys ems, expand pe sis en iden i ie co e age, and
enhance in e ope abili y wi h ela ed in as uc u es. While hese e o s canno eplace
ins i u ional pa ne s, hey will di e si y e enue s eams and s eng hen he collec i e
s ewa dship o BHL.
In Augus 2025, he ansi ion ook a majo s ep o wa d wi h he es ablishmen o iscal
sponso ship wi h he Council on Lib a y and In o ma ion Resou ces (CLIR). This
pa ne ship p o ided BHL wi h an immedia e inancial and legal home, enabling he
conso ium o accep dona ions, pu sue g an s, and manage s a con ac s. I also
ma ked an impo an shi owa ds independence. No longe cons ained by he
equi emen s and shi ing p io i ies o a la ge U.S.-based, ede ally a ilia ed ins i u ion,
BHL now has he lexibili y o ope a e as a neu al, in e na ional, communi y-go e ned
in as uc u e.
The BHL ansi ion is an un olding case s udy in na iga ing in as uc u al p eca i y,
illus a ing he agili y and esilience o communi y-led in as uc u es, and he
impo ance o dis ibu ed go e nance, sa egua ded da a, anspa en alues, sus ainable
unding, and di e si ied suppo . Mos no ably, he shi o a mo e au onomous s uc u e
has in ensi ied he need o mode nize BHL’s pla o m o ensu e con inued ele ance as
bioin o ma ics ad ances. The ounda ion is al eady being laid o a mo e agile,
2Kea ney N e al
dis ibu ed, and globally esilien BHL, capable o con inuing i s mission o connec he
wo ld o eely accessible, disco e able, and in e ope able biodi e si y knowledge.
Secu ing his u u e equi es new pa ne s, sus ained in es men , and mode nized
echnical in as uc u e. Long- e m commi men s a e needed o sha e esponsibili y o
hos ing and unding his global esou ce. Ins i u ions, unde s, and indi iduals a e called
upon o sa egua d he wo ld’s collec i e biodi e si y knowledge. To ollow p og ess and
explo e ways o con ibu e, see ongoing #BHLT ansi ion upda es on he BHL blog.
Keywo ds
BHL, biodi e si y li e a u e, open access, open da a, open science, communi y,
in as uc u e, sus ainabili y, unding, ans o ma ion, global collabo a ion
P esen ing au ho
Nicole Kea ney
P esen ed a
Li ing Da a 2025
Con lic s o in e es
The au ho s ha e decla ed ha no compe ing in e es s exis .
A New Fu u e o he Biodi e si y He i age Lib a y: F om Ins i u ional ... 3
