Abstract Detail

Reznicek, Anton A. [1], Rabeler, Richard K. [1].

Curatorial Consequences of Databasing Herbaria.

The typical, simple herbarium label conceals a blizzard of complications in integrating databasing into curatorial activities. We would like to focus o­n two broad aspects of these factors. First, linking databasing to all curation activity within a herbarium requires care in barcoding of multiple sheet collections, mixed collections, etc. to allow correspondence of barcodes with loan counts, etc. In the absence of community standards, how are these now being handled? Second is data interchange between herbaria. Several data standards have been proposed and a number of software packages utilizing those standards to varying degrees are in use in specimen-focused databasing projects. However, integrating databasing across herbaria should offer numerous benefits especially exchanging data files in concert with specimen exchanges and gifts to minimize multiple data entry. This should be the goal of the herbarium community. In spite of this, exchange of data files continues to be o­ne of the more problematic elements. The intricate relational databases in some packages make joining files much more complex than merely appending to a flat field database. Is it time to adopt a data interchange standard as has been done in some of the animal disciplines?

1 - University of Michigan, Herbarium, 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48108, USA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Discussion
Session: D3-1
Location: Superior B (Cliff Lodge)
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004
Time: 4:00 PM
Abstract ID:1038