[Taxacom] virtual herbarium workshop at Bot2008 meeting

[Alexander Krings]

Dear colleagues,

My apologies for cross-posting.  For those attending the Botany 2008
meeting at the University of British Columbia, you may be interested to
know that the Systematics Collections Committee of the American Society of
Plant Taxonomists is coordinating a workshop entitled "Virtual herbaria:
Regional progress in organizing, fundraising, and delivering content". 
The workshop will be held Sunday, July 27 (time to be announced).  An
abstract and draft program follows.

Best wishes,

Alexander


Abstract
Over the past few years, herbaria have been increasingly organizing in
regional networks with the primary objective of making collections and
their data available online and thus facilitating basic research at
multiple scales in a variety of fields from systematics to ecology.  Some
networks have additional objectives that range from coordinating research
activities that help address human impacts on the environment, to
providing online taxonomic and floristic products to facilitate rapid
inventories and the discovery of new taxa, and to assisting K-12 teachers
in curriculum development.  Rapid increases in technology have facilitated
the creation of a number of outstanding resources.  Yet, a major
limitation continues to be funding.  That data from the vast majority of
specimens remain offline is a major stumbling block to fully realizing the
power of collections in addressing large-scale integrative questions,
especially relating to our changing biota.  Much work remains in order for
us to move forward.  This half-day workshop seeks to bring together
representatives from the various regional networks to share their progress
in organizing, fundraising, and delivering content.  In addition, select
speakers from various regions will focus specifically on their success in
raising funds from native plant societies, friends of herbaria
organizations, state agencies, and other non-NSF sources.  Workshop
participants will have an opportunity to participate in breakout groups
led by these speakers and focus on funding discussions and strategies in
greater detail.


Topics/Speakers:
Updates from networks: existing or incipient
Southeast (SERNEC): Dr. Zack Murrell
Central: Dr. Carolyn Ferguson
Great Lakes: Dr. Rich Rabeler/Dr. Anna Monfils
Texas-Oklahoma (TORCH): Dr. Wayne Elisens
Northeast: Dr. James Macklin
Southwest: Dr. Tim Lowrey
Northwest: Dr. Richard Olmstead
California: speaker TBA
Canada: Dr. Luc Brouillet

Tapping into non-NSF funds
Dr. Mary Barkworth: Update on the NIMSS WDC012 project
Dr. Linda Hardison: Oregon flora project/Digital field guide.
TBA

Break-out groups by region:
Developing strategies and working groups for coordinating regional and
state-level funding for network projects


_______________________
Alexander Krings, Ph.D.
Extension Assistant Professor & Director of the Herbarium
Department of Plant Biology
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7612

Tel:919.515.2700
Fax:919.515.3436
http://herbarium.ncsu.edu
http://vulpia.ncsu.edu