Small Collections Grant
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Enhancing Belize’s National Herbarium by incorporating an orphaned collection and processing backlog for digitization
Belize
Curate specimens, Process backlog
Cost (USD):
2718
BRH
Belize National Herbarium / Caves Branch Botanical Garden
Objective:
a. Rescue and incorporate ~2000 historical specimens, many from the early 1900s, from a small collection not originally housed at the BRH.
b. Mount and incorporate ~2000 specimens from the current backlog housed within the BRH.
c. Build sustained local capacity for digitization by training students in best practices for herbarium curation.
Timetable:
Months 1-2: Purchase and receive archival supplies; train student volunteers/interns in best practices for specimen repair, mounting, and filing. Select ~2000 specimens from the backlog for processing.
Months 3-10: Commence post-quarantine cleaning and repair of orphaned and mounted but boxed specimens; Unbox and mount specimens from backlog using archival-quality material. Maintain a daily tracker of specimen processing and quality checks.
Months 11-12: Final count of specimens; preparation of end-of-project report.
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:
The BRH currently has a full-time curator and part-time collections manager who can lead this project. The Curator will work to order the archival materials requested under this grant and coordinate their import into the country, so they are available for processing. The Collections Manager will lead day-to-day specimen processing workflows, training, and quality control under the Curator's supervision. The Curator will continue to recruit volunteers and manage part-time herbarium assistants, who will work with the Collections Manager to process specimens with training. The herbarium already has a system for tracking volunteer time and the number of specimens processed (mounted/filed), which will be used to monitor monthly progress toward project targets.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
"Other" target:
Denver Cayetano
Denver Cayetano
Applicant Last Name/s: