Small Collections Grant

There have been previous efforts to database the ca. 33,000 specimens held at herbarium HUAA; however, those focused on specific projects, using different database programs, so there is a lack of a database that integrates and updates the information of the whole herbarium.
To accomplish the objectives of this project, we plan to have a computer dedicated solely to databasing activities. A databasing coordinator (a senior, undergraduate student) will oversee the databasing activities of three undergraduate students, who will be actively incorporating information into the database; a small financial support provided to the students is considered in the general budget. The herbarium specimen information will be entered into the database Elysia, developed by the GBIF Spanish node, which allows to export data in Darwin Core Archive format. The specimens will be databased according to the organization of the collection, which follows APG IV. Each databased specimen will have a seal that indicates that the information is already in the database. The herbarium HUAA specializes in representing the flora of the State of Aguascalientes, as well as the surrounding states of Jalisco and Zacatecas; therefore, priority will be given to the specimens collected in those States (corresponding to ca. 80% of the collection). New specimens added to the herbarium will have to be databased prior to their incorporation to the collection.