Small Collections Grant
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Conservation and digitization of the Auburn University at Montgomery Herbarium (AUM)
United States of America
Conserve, Other
Cost (USD):
3000
AUM
Auburn University at Montgomery
Objective:
The primary objective of this project is to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of the AUM herbarium collection through the purchase of professional herbarium storage cabinets. The AUM herbarium houses over 1,400 vascular plant specimens representing regional biodiversity of the southeastern United States. 1,224 of those specimens are already digitized and online available. The collection was started in the 1960’s. To date, 40% of specimens have been georeferenced and 47% include digital images in the SERNEC data portal. However, inadequate storage conditions are a problem.
Timetable:
Months 1-2: Purchase and install cabinets; freeze all specimens following standard pest-management; transfer specimen into cabinets & reorganize collection.
Months 3-6: Complete georeferencing & species imaging following common standards used for georeferencing herbarium collections (Bloom et al. 2018).
Months 6-12: Mount and incorporate backlog specimens.
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:
We will purchase and install two to three museum-standard, sealed herbarium cabinets. We do have a separate room with AC that will house our herbarium. All specimen will undergo a standard freezing protocol prior to transfer to eliminate potential pest infestations. Once secured, the collection will be reorganized according to current taxonomic standards.
We will complete georeferencing of the remaining specimens using established best practices (Bloom et al. 2017) as well as imaging all remaining specimens. During this process, specimen identification will be reviewed and updated to reflect current nomenclature and classification standards, ensuring scientific accuracy and improved discoverability in biodiversity databases.
Updated records and images will be uploaded to SERNEC and shared through GBIF. Undergraduate students in Ecology and Botany courses will assist with imaging, databasing, taxonomic verification, and georeferencing as part of structured course-based research experiences, ensuring both project completion and educational impact.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
Buy museum-quality herbarium cabinets to securely store our collection
"Other" target:
Claudia
Stein
Applicant Last Name/s: