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Small Collections Grant

This page is used to provide assessment scores for each  grant application assigned to you. Please use the rubric below the grant details to enter your assessment scores and any notes you wish to include.
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Digitalization, database support and maintenance of materials in the BOTU Herbarium

ana.fortuna@unesp.br

Brazil

Database, Digitally image, Process backlog, Ship

Cost (USD): 

2000

BOTU

São Paulo State University

Objective:

The objectives of this proposal are:
- to accelerate the digitization of the BOTU Herbarium collection – from 9,000 to 13,000 digitalized records;
- put the records available on an online platform (https://specieslink.net/);
- organize the collection for assembly and correct packaging of the exsiccates (nearly 3,000 numbers waiting to be mounted);
- train students in scientific collection and curation activities;
- return of loans.

Timetable:

1. Graduate student training to work in the collection – month 1
2. Acquire a computer – month 1
3. Inclusion of new specimens in the database – months 04-08
4. Checking exsiccates for scanning – months 1-12
5. Digitization of exsiccates (ca. 300 per month) – months 1-12
6. Mounting exsiccates and separating duplicates for donation – months 1-6
7. Organization of material information in the database – months 1-6
8. Return to loans – months 8-12
9. Report to IAPT – month 12

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.

  • 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.

  • Curating specimens (e.g., updating families, species identification, identifying types) – up to 20 points.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • The project will yield durable benefits (specimens, digitized metadata, databases, websites) – up to 15 points.

  • The project involves outreach/mentoring and broad dissemination – up to 15 points.

This proposal scores:

/40

2024

Year of last successful SCG application:

Has applicant applied for SCG before?:

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Plan:

The BOTU Herbarium of the São Paulo State University is located in Botucatu and it is the sixth-largest herbarium in the State of São Paulo. Its collection has around 40,000 plant specimens from different locations, mainly from the cerrado of São Paulo state. It is an important regional herbarium, saving plants from the cerrado of the state of São Paulo that are already extinct. The BOTU is included in the INCT- CNPq project and has collection data and images on the specieslink website. However, only about 20% of the collection is digitalized. For the type of collection, only 1% is online. For the year 2024 alone, more than 200 million data from the BOTU and about 85,000 images were used, showing the wide-reaching potential of information for the scientific community and others. In addition to serving scientists, a virtual collection has proven to be a valuable tool for teaching activities, public policies, and environmental managers, providing data and images of plants from the most varied vegetation types, including rare species and those threatened with extinction. For a herbarium to have its collection available in a virtual herbarium it is important to provide adequate maintenance of databases and images and training people to handle the collection. The work of digitization exsiccates from the BOTU is a very time-consuming process because there are few students and staff to speed up the digitization process and no adequate computers.

Institution:

IH Code:

Country:

Target areas:

Applicant First Name/s:

email:

training students in scientific collection and curation activities

"Other" target:

Ana Paula Fortuna Perez

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Applicant Last Name/s:

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