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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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Curating and databasing historic bryophyte collections from New Zealand

janice.lord@otago.ac.nz

New Zealand

Database, Curate specimens, Digitally image, Process backlog, Other

Cost (USD): 

3000

OTA

Botany Department, University of Otago

Objective:

NZ bryophytes are diverse and highly endemic. OTA is NZ's largest university herbarium with c.70,000 specimens, including >10,000 bryophytes, many collected in the early 1900s at a time of extensive landuse change. However, lack of curation makes it difficult to locate specimens including missing types, there is a large backlog of unaccessioned material and <10% of specimens are databased. We will thoroughly curate the collection, locate and safely store types, update names to match international nomenclature, database specimens and make records available online via AVH/GBIF.

Timetable:

By 1st July appoint fixed-term herbarium assistant. The grant amount would fund a suitable skilled senior undergraduate or postgraduate student for 70-80 hours of work under supervision.
By 1st August 2026: check accessioned specimens, update names, locate and image all type specimens among accessioned material and safely relocate them to the fire-proof types cabinet (Priorities 1 & 2 above) - 20 hours
By 1st September 2026: triage all unaccessioned material, locate, image and accession any type specimens and safely relocate them to the fire-proof types cabinet, accession specimens not requiring further work, contact experts regarding unidentified specimens (priority 3 above)- 30 hours
By 1st November 2026: database all rare and data-deficient species at least- 20-30 hours
By 1st February 2027: make all digital bryophyte records available online via Australian Virtual Herbarium (AVH https://avh.chah.org.au/) and GBIF (Janice Lord will be responsible for this step with assistance from MELB staff who have helped upload records to online portals previously)- cost covered internally

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

0

Year of last successful SCG application:

Has applicant applied for SCG before?:

No

Plan:

We will employ an fixed-term herbarium assistant to work through the following prioritized list:
(1) check all accessioned specimens and update classifications to match The Bryophyte Nomenclator (https://www.bryonames.org/);
(2) image all types located, add their details to our online types page (https://www.otago.ac.nz/botany/herbarium/herbarium_images) and move them to our fire-proof types cabinet;
(3) triage unaccessioned material into: (a) specimens ready to be accessioned, (b) specimens that require repackaging or relabelling, (c) specimens requiring expert identification; at the same time searching these boxes for missing types.
(4) create records for accessioned specimens in our Specify database, prioritizing rare or data-deficient species following the NZ Bryophyte Threatened species list (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0028825X.2011.561864 & updates);
(5) upload all digital bryophyte specimen records to Australian Virtual Herbarium (AVH https://avh.chah.org.au/) and GBIF
For item (3c) above, several expert bryologists are available to assist with specimen identification, including Dr Ray Tangney, retired Head of Cryptogamic Botany and Curator of Bryophytes at Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, and doctoral researcher Jessica Paul (https://bryology.org/jessica-paull/)

Institution:

IH Code:

Country:

Target areas:

Applicant First Name/s:

email:

locate missing types

"Other" target:

Janice

Lord

Applicant Last Name/s:

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