scholarly journals A strategy to digitise natural history collections with limited resources

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joaquim Santos ◽  
Paulo Rupino da Cunha ◽  
Fátima Sales
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Slow Process ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Stage Process ◽  
The University

The present work is a contribution towards accelerating the digitisation process of natural history collections, usually a slow process. A two-stage process was developed at the herbarium of the University of Coimbra: (i) a new workflow was established to automatically create records in the herbarium master database with minimum information, while capturing digital images; (ii) these records are then used to populate a web-based crowdsourcing platform where citizens are involved in the transcription of specimen labels from the digital images. This approach simplifies and accelerates databasing, reduces specimen manipulation and promotes the involvement of citizens in the scientific goals of the herbarium. The novel features of this process are: (i) the validation method of the crowdsourcing contribution that ensures quality control, enabling the data to integrate the master database directly and (ii) the field-by-field integration in the master database enables immediate corrections to any record in the catalogue.

Tracking changes in natural history collections utilization: A case study at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany L. Abrahamson
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
University Of New Mexico ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
History Of ◽  
Data Source ◽  
History Of Use ◽  
The University

AbstractNatural history collections (NHCs) are used in many fields of study, but general knowledge regarding their uses is poor. Because of this, funding and support for NHCs frequently fluctuate. One way in which collections professionals can illustrate a collection’s contribution to a variety of fields is based on the collection’s history of use. Tracking NHC utilization through time can increase NHC value to others outside of the collection, allow for the analysis of changes in specimen-based research trends, and assist in effective collection management. This case study focuses on NHC usage records held by the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), a currently growing university collection used in many research fields, and presents methods for quantifying collections utilization through time. Through an exploration of these data, this paper illustrates MSB’s growth and changes in research produced over time and offers explanations for the changes observed. Last, this study provides suggestions for how collections professionals can most greatly benefit from considering NHC records as a data source. Understanding NHC usage from “the collection’s perspective” provides a new way for NHC professionals to understand NHCs’ value in the context of the research it supports and demonstrates the importance of this key infrastructure to a broader audience.

150 years of changing attitudes towards zoological collections in a university museum: the case of the Thomas Bell tortoise collection in the Oxford University Museum

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgosia B. Nowak-kemp
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Oxford University ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
The Subject ◽  
University Museum ◽  
Changing Attitudes ◽  
The University ◽  
Personal Interests

Thomas Bell's collection of tortoises arrived in the Oxford University Museum in 1862 as part of the great benefaction of the Reverend F. W. Hope. The collection's fate, together with the fate of other zoological collections of the University, was closely linked with the research and personal interests of the Heads of Departments in the Museum. The whole collection was at first exhibited in the Museum's Main Court for over thirty years, followed by the removal of most of its specimens to stores, with only a small number left on display. In between, the specimens were the subject of furious custodianship claims, and only in 1956, after nearly a century in Oxford, were the tortoises finally entered in the accession catalogues of the Zoological Collections. The battles and controversies surrounding the collection reflected the changes in teaching and the approach to the natural history collections in the oldest university in the United Kingdom.

THE CATALOG OF THE MINERALOGICAL COLLECTION OF THE EMPEROR LEOPOLD II (1747–1792): COLLECTING AND LEARNING IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY EUROPE

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNARITA FRANZA ◽  
ROSANNA FABOZZI ◽  
LETIZIA VEZZOSI ◽  
LUCIANA FANTONI ◽  
GIOVANNI PRATESI
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Metal Content ◽  
Natural History Museum ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Historical Archive ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
The University

ABSTRACT The Collectio Mineralium (1765) currently preserved at the Historical Archive of the Natural History Museum of the University of Firenze, is the unpublished catalog of the mineralogical collection that belonged to Emperor Leopold II (1747–1792). The catalog is a 110-page register, with the golden emblem of the House of Habsburg at the center of the binding, containing information about 242 mineralogical samples. Each specimen is carefully described (i.e., habit, metal content, product value) and its locality given. The interpretation of the text has also returned information on most of the mining deposits in the Austro-Hungarian territories in the eighteenth century. Therefore, the interpretation of this catalog—that on the basis of the literature appears to be the first catalog of a collection belonged to a Habsburg emperor—represents an important step toward enhancing our understanding of Habsburg natural history collections and reflected the transition from wonder-rooms to commodity collecting. Leopold's private collection was no longer an ‘instrument of wonder’ but it became representative of scientific collecting characterized by the establishment of systematic mineralogy, and by a careful economic evaluation of the mineralogical samples collected as a symbol of the power of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

On some Type-specimens of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera in the Edinburgh Museum of Science and Art

1897 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 326-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Percy Hall Grimshaw
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
New Genus ◽  
British Museum ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Histoire Naturelle ◽  
Science And Art ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
The University

The paper dealt with fifty-two species of butterflies and nineteen of beetles, the type-specimens of which had been discovered by the author in a collection purchased by the University of Edinburgh from M. Dufresne of Paris in the year 1819, and afterwards transferred to the Museum of Science and Art. In the case of the butterflies, the species referred to were described by Godart in the Encyclopédie Méthodique, while the beetles belonged to species described by Olivier in the same work, and also in his Histoire Naturelle des Insectes—Coléoptères, published about the same time. By the comparison of these original specimens with others in the Natural History Collections at the British Museum the author has been enabled to clear up many points in synonymy, etc., which have for nearly eighty years remained doubtful and obscure. The most important results of the investigations may be summarised as follows:—One of the beetles has been found by Mr Gahan, of the British Museum, to be the type of a new genus, which is characterised in the present paper, while the specimen upon which it is founded is probably unique; it has been found necessary to rename one species of butterfly and one beetle; errors in synonymy have been corrected in the case of nineteen species; and eight species hitherto wrongly placed have been referred to their proper genera.

scholarly journals The development of a digitising service centre for natural history collections

ZooKeys ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 209 ◽  
pp. 75-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Tegelberg ◽  
Jaana Haapala ◽  
Tero Mononen ◽  
Mika Pajari ◽  
Hannu Saarenmaa
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Imaging Data ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Service Centre ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Darwin Core ◽  
The University

Digitarium is a joint initiative of the Finnish Museum of Natural History and the University of Eastern Finland. It was established in 2010 as a dedicated shop for the large-scale digitisation of natural history collections. Digitarium offers service packages based on the digitisation process, including tagging, imaging, data entry, georeferencing, filtering, and validation. During the process, all specimens are imaged, and distance workers take care of the data entry from the images. The customer receives the data in Darwin Core Archive format, as well as images of the specimens and their labels. Digitarium also offers the option of publishing images through Morphbank, sharing data through GBIF, and archiving data for long-term storage. Service packages can also be designed on demand to respond to the specific needs of the customer. The paper also discusses logistics, costs, and intellectual property rights (IPR) issues related to the work that Digitarium undertakes.

scholarly journals THE THE FIRST DOCUMENTED PREY ITEMS FOR Bothrops medusa (STERNFELD, 1920)

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Tristan David Schramer
Keyword(s):  
Endangered Species ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Museum Specimens ◽  
University Of Illinois ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
The University ◽  
Prey Items

The Venezuelan forest pitviper (Bothrops medusa) is an endangered viperid endemic to the central range of the Cordillera de la Costa in Venezuela. Little is known regarding its natural history. We examined the stomach contents of museum specimens housed in the University of Illinois Museum of Natural History Herpetology Collection and report the first prey items for the species. The arboreal habits of both prey items support the notion that B. medusa may be semi-arboreal. This exposes the need for further studies on this rare viperid and showcases the value of natural history collections for studying endangered species.

Hidden patterns

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina Collins ◽  
Nancy Steffen-Fluhr
Keyword(s):  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Meaning ◽  
Kaplan Meier ◽  
Product Limit ◽  
Survival Studies ◽  
Reported Data ◽  
The University

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe how one group of ADVANCE Project researchers investigated faculty co-authorship networks to identify relationships between women’s positions in these networks, their research productivity and their advancement at the university – and to make those relationships transparent.Design/methodology/approachMultiple methods for capturing faculty network data were evaluated, including collecting self-reported data and mining bibliometric data from various web-based sources. Faculty co-authorship networks were subsequently analyzed using several methodologies including social network analysis (SNA), network visualizations and the Kaplan–Meier product limit estimator.FindingsResults suggest that co-authorship provides an important way for faculty to signal the value of their work, meaning that co-authoring with many others may be beneficial to productivity and promotion. However, patterns of homophily indicate that male faculty tend to collaborate more with other men, reducing signaling opportunities for women. Visualizing these networks can assist faculty in finding and connecting with new collaborators and can provide administrators with unique views of the interactions within their organizations. Finally, Kaplan–Meier survival studies showed longitudinal differences in the retention and advancement of faculty based on gender.Originality/valueTogether, these findings begin to shed light on subtle differences that, over time, may account for the significant gender disparities at STEM institutions, patterns which should be investigated and addressed by administrators. Lessons learned, as well as the novel use of SNA and Kaplan–Meier in investigating gender differences in STEM faculty, provide important findings for other researchers seeking to conduct similar studies at their own institutions.

scholarly journals Nie tylko kurs historii naturalnej. Księżnej Anny Jabłonowskiej zbiór „wszystkich przedmiotów dociekań rozumu człowieka”

2021 ◽  
pp. 137-160
Author(s):  
Iwona Arabas ◽  
Larysa Bondar ◽  
Lidia Czechowicz
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
18Th Century ◽  
Human Reason ◽  
Russian Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
History Of ◽  
The University ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
The Way

Not Only a Natural History Course. Duchess Anna Jabłonowska’s “Collection of All Objects of Human Reason Inquiries” One of the richest natural history collections in Europe at the end of the 18th century was the Cabinet of Natural History of Duchess Anna Jabłonowska née Sapieha (1728–1800) in Siemiatycze. In 1802, the collection was purchased by Tsar Alexander I and handed over to the University in Moscow (where it burned down in 1812). It was only possible to recreate the richness of the collection and the way it was taken over after the sales documents had been found in 2008 in the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. However, some documents were illegible, and it was only in 2020 that the entire documentation was read. It revealed a completely different image of the collection than expected, as in one part the collection refers to cabinets of curiosities. The article is the first publication in Polish on Anna Jabłonowska’s “art cabinet”, with translations of the lists of exhibits by Count Stanisław Sołtyk (from French) and by V.M. Severgin and A.F. Sevastyanov (from Russian).

scholarly journals First report of the rare arboreal grasshopper Bactrophora dominans Westwood, 1842 (Insecta, Orthoptera, Caelifera, Romaleidae) from Brazil

Check List ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 895-903
Author(s):  
Daniela Santos Martins Silva ◽  
Gustavo Costa Tavares ◽  
Marcos Fianco ◽  
Jorge M. Gonzalez
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
South America ◽  
Central America ◽  
New Records ◽  
Web Based ◽  
First Report ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Northern South America ◽  
Amazonian Region

The genus Bactrophora Westwood, 1842 comprises only two species known from Central America and northern South America, with a notable scarcity of collected specimens. Herein, we provide the first records of the presence of this genus in Brazil. These new records, based on entomological collection data and photographic records, extend the known distribution of Bactrophora dominans Westwood, 1842 to include the Brazilian Amazonian region. Both records emphasize the importance of natural history collections and the significance of the iNaturalist web-based application as an instrumental tool in this discovery.

scholarly journals Profiling the context of natural history teacher candidate for the elementary school degree through web-based inquiry

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pramita Sylvia Dewi ◽  
Diana Rochintaniawati ◽  
Siahaan Parsaoran
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Initial Information ◽  
Data Collection Instrument ◽  
History Teacher ◽  
The University ◽  
Use Of Internet

Web-Based Inquiry is an important inquiry activity to be carried out in class, the inquiry becomes the basis for researchers to develop this research. The ability of ICT-based learning is an important part, as a basis for the use of Web-Based Inquiry, which is characterized by being able to operate the entire information of ICT-based learning inquiry. This study aims to describe the ability of ICT information and provide initial information for the needs of Web-Based Inquiry. Purposive sampling is used to determine the number of samples, thus involving 66 students in the 2019 Batch at the University of Lampung. The data collection instrument used was a questionnaire for inquiry (ICT-Based Learning), the data was then analyzed descriptively. The results showed that the largest data in the percentage of use of internet access devices, even though the score was in a low category (under 25%). The implications of this study indicate that prospective elementary school natural science teachers do not yet have the best awareness and innovation when combining learning and the use of ICT through ways that are more easily understood by students.

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