Small Collections Grant
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Flora of the Black River, digitization of specimens for SERNEC
United States
Database, Curate specimens, Digitally image, Process backlog, Ship to another institution, Conserve, Other
Cost (USD):
3000
126144
The Citadel
Objective:
The Citadel Herbarium currently has no specimens digitized in their collection, which sits in coastal city Charleston, SC. This project is the first step to preserving the botanical heritage housed here. To address this gap in data accessibility, I plan to digitize my 2,100 specimens collected on the Black River in anticipation of publishing botanical surveys. I have been reviewing data and taxonomy from fieldwork conducted since 2017 for two years, and this data is ready for peer review. Coastal Carolina University Herbarium (CCUH) has offered to facilitate digitization at their location.
Timetable:
Trips from The Citadel to CCU Herbarium and return will occur in 2026, approximately spring, fall, and winter, moved directly between institutions. There is a backlog of 192 specimens at The Citadel that need processing, with the help of student staff that will be digitized by end of 2026. A collection of 110 duplicate Black River species, which should also be digitized, are on reserve for Butler Parklands, who are building an herbarium and library on their “Swampside Tract” conservation site. This is the final batch for digitization.
Scoring Rubric
Reviewer's name:
Collection Improvement (max. 120 points)
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Facilitating access to the physical collections by digitization (e.g., data entry, setting up database structure with an outline of the platform to be used, purchasing equipment, and imaging specimens) – up to 30 points.
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Enhancing physical collections by improving the conservation status of specimens in the herbarium (e.g., better folders, protecting covers, mounting paper, labeling, etc.) – up to 30 points.
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Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.
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Increasing our understanding of the flora or funga by making new herbarium specimens available, such as processing of backlog or collecting and mounting of new specimens from understudied sites – up to 20 points.
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Securing collections by distribution of duplicates (or orphan collections) to other regional or international herbaria or shipping endangered collections to another herbarium – up to 20 points.
This proposal scores:
/120
Methods & Funding (max. 40 points)
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Match between the proposed budget and methods for the aims described – up to 10 points.
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Perceived need, the extent to which the project will benefit from IAPT funding: e.g., due to active floristic work or contribution to poorly collected sites, due to threatened conditions of collections, and for the degree of involvement of others (outreach and education). We give more points for herbaria in low- and middle-income countries – up to 20 points.
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Sharing duplicate specimens with other herbaria – up to 10 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
Broader Impacts (max. 40 points)
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Degree of regional importance of the collection or the taxonomic importance of the targeted collection – up to 10 points.
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The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.
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The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.
This proposal scores:
/40
0
Year of last successful SCG application:
Has applicant applied for SCG before?:
No
Plan:
This grant proposal allows for 3 trips dedicated to digitization and 100 hours of labor. Coastal Carolina University Herbarium (CCUH) has offered their digitization equipment at no cost, and have a color correction system set up. Specimens are frozen before and after transportation at The Citadel, to avoid contamination. The process of pulling specimens and verifying spreadsheet data has already begun. Errors in labels are corrected as data and taxonomy are verified. Ongoing fieldwork on the Black River allows for cross-checking of species identifications.
The majority of my 2,400 specimens collections since 2017 are at The Citadel, about 2,100 specimens from the Black River. 288 specimens were contributed to USCH. 19 specimens were contributed to CCUH, which have been digitized and can be found on SERNEC. This collection from the Black River is historic, being the first extensive scholarly documentation of the flora produced of this under-surveyed river in rural South Carolina. Butler Parklands proposed budget includes review of species on their other Black River tracts and partial funding for this digitization project. The digitization project is comprehensive, and outside funding will allow the taxonomy review to be thorough, and ensure that this review can continue swiftly.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
Borrow herbarium specimens from The Citadel in Charleston, SC and digitize at CCU Herbarium in Conway, SC
"Other" target:
Cecelia N.
Dailey
Applicant Last Name/s: