The IRUG RAMAN Spectral WEB Database: objectives, progress and plans

The use of Raman spectroscopy in the study of cultural heritage has increased in recent years. However, its implementation has not been realized fully due in part to a lack of a readily-accessible Raman database of relevant, high-quality reference data. To address this need, the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) and the Infrared and Raman Users Group (IRUG) have partnered to create a centralized Raman spectral database, supported by an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant for Advancing Digital Resources. The database is being built with open source technologies on a re-structured IRUG website (www.irug.org). The project is the second of its type undertaken by IRUG, which previously developed and distributed several infrared spectral compilations online. This paper provides an introduction to the Raman database project, describes the customized JCAMP-DX (Joint Committee on Atomic and Molecular Physical Data Exchange) file format for the spectral data, and outlines the protocol for the collection, evaluation and distribution of the data. A summary of the status of the project is given.