Abstract Detail

Colloquia: SERNEC: Four years of development of a herbarium Research Coordination Network

Zomlefer, W. B. [1].

Survey of the Herbaria of Georgia.

Herbaria are critically important resources for botanical research and teaching: the specimens voucher comparative material for identifying and classifying plants and are a source of DNA, and the label data comprise irreplaceable information about plants and their habitats through time. Ten vascular plant collections in Georgia are listed in Index Herbariorum, the official registry for the world’s herbaria. However, available information about most of these facilities is limited, which inspired on-site inventories of the nine other vascular plant herbaria in Georgia by the University of Georgia Herbarium staff, funded by the Georgia Botanical Society and the Georgia Native Plant Society. The survey comprised seven trips (11 days and ca. 3,000 miles) from October 2008 to February 2009 and included meetings with eight curators, four department heads, and one dean at the various institutions. As important follow-up, a summary of each collection, emphasizing its positive aspects along with some recommendations for improvement, were provided to appropriate administrators, as well as to the curator. A positive outcome of the survey was the initiation of personal contact and professional relationship between curators, which led to the formation of a consortium that met for the first time in March 2010. This state-wide network has mobilized efforts at these smaller collections to argue for more permanent staff and funds, upgrading facilities and promoting their value, becoming an umbrella of protection to ensure the survival of the plant archives of Georgia.

Broader Impacts:

1 - University of Georgia, Department of Plant Biology, 2052 Miller Plant Sciences Building, Athens, Georgia, 30602-7271, USA

Keywords:
Herbaria
Georgia
vouchers.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: C3
Location: Ballroom C/Convention Center
Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
Time: 3:30 PM
Number: C3010
Abstract ID:130