[Taxacom] Fwd: Community curation

[Mary Barkworth]

Over the last few years, I have been using Index herbariorum (IH) in connection with a survey on in US herbaria (see http://www.wiu.edu/USvirtualherbarium/files/Download/2012Survey.pdf). Yes, there are out of date US records. There are a lot fewer than in 2011 because I figured that if I found the resource useful, it was my job to help it be up to date. The actual updating is done by Barbara Thiers, but she has to have the information needed. So the survey now asks people to update the record for their institution. In the process, I have found that some of those given responsibility for a herbarium did not know that IH exists, nor that their herbarium had a unique code. Barbara has been great about entering the updates. The result is that herbarium data for the US are much better than before - and this makes them more useful. But it takes time and I welcome a system that makes it easier to make update existing records and allows (I hope - have not checked) downloads. So let's give the new system a chance. I am sure the updating issue will be addressed. If you think it useless, ignore it. If you think it useful, try to update it (I am sure the problems encountered will be addressed).  When someone wants the kind of information it provides, it will provide a starting point. I doubt that it will cost much to maintain going forward.
On a vaguely related note. We had some foreign students working in the herbarium once, supposedly learning about service projects. They had hoped to be working in a lab with a white lab coat and pipette; none of them had heard about herbaria. So we talked about plants, medicines, and herbaria which got some interest going. Then Barbara sent me a map of all the herbaria in the world. The impact was amazing. It really grabbed their interest - each students immediately wanted to know if his or her country had a herbarium and if so, where. So we taught them about collecting plants and sent specimens to the herbarium closest to their institution. Tiny, tiny impact (10 students) - but having that map made a huge difference and we had it because New York Botanical Garden, Barbara (and before her Pat Holmgren) have supported IH all these years. I hope the support continues but that the cost can be reduced, costs most of us have never thought about.  

>From another logorrheic.