Small Collections Grant
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The Digitization and Curation of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Carol Mortensen Herbarium
United States
Database, Curate specimens, Digitally image, Process backlog, Conserve
Cost (USD):
2990
LLBO
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Objective:
Our project will digitize over 2,500 herbarium specimens and host entries within the Bell Museum Biodiversity Atlas with high quality photos and accurate information, making our collection accessible to community members, land managers, and preserving historic data on rare and culturally significant plants within Leech Lake Reservation. Additionally, improve curation of specimens by obtaining protective covers, hand lenses, and processing the backlog of several hundred specimens. We will establish the foundation for future herbarium expansion by curating a database and digitization protocols.
Timetable:
One full time employee has spent the winter of 2025 – 2026 focused on mounting, correcting labels, and organizing the collection. We will undertake this digitization effort in the fall – winter of 2026. We estimate digitization would be completed in three weeks, spread out with their other duties.
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:
To digitize specimens and process backlog, Leech Lake will support staff time spent identifying plants, mounting them, and creating an accurate database entry with a high-quality photo. As part of this process, we will be verifying all specimens for up-to-date nomenclature and assigning catalog numbers to specimens in accordance with our internal herbarium organization system. We will also be verifying all current digital records hosted by the Bell Museum for accuracy of data and photo quality. The types of each specimen will be tracked and used to ensure that our Index Herbariorum is accurate and reflects the diversity found within the Reservation. To create a high-quality digital record, employees will identify the specimen or validate known identification, mount the specimen, if necessary, then use a digital camera and lights obtained from a previous grant to capture a high-resolution photo. From there, the photo will be uploaded to the Bell Museum database, and all data connected to the specimen will be manually entered to minimize error. Once the data is entered, the record will be available for public access, through the link provided below. We will also obtain high-quality herbarium sheet covers to be used with fragile specimens and illuminated hand lenses to identify specimens. To raise awareness of the collection, we incorporate the use of specimens during our seed collection training events.
Institution:
IH Code:
Country:
Target areas:
Applicant First Name/s:
email:
"Other" target:
Kate
Hagsten
Applicant Last Name/s: