Abstract
The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium of The New York Botanical Garden has been digitizing specimens since 1995. At first, digitization included only specimen label data transcription, but specimen imaging was added in 1999. Over the years, computer technology has changed greatly, and consequently so have the hardware, software and workflow for accomplishing this work. Rapid digitization techniques developed mostly during the past five years have allowed a doubling in the rate at which specimens are digitized. Approximately 2.5 million specimens have been databased and 1.4 million have been digitally photographed. These data are served through the Garden’s C. V. Starr Virtual Herbarium and are shared through other data portals as well. Completion of the digitization of all American specimens (roughly five million) is projected by 2021.
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Acknowledgments
The success of the Steere Herbarium’s digitization program is due to the dedication of current and past staff members. We acknowledge current Information Management staff Joel Ramirez and Elizabeth Kiernan, Assistant Director of the Herbarium Nicole Tarnowsky, and former Information Managers Anthony Kirchgessner, Kevin Indoe, Heather Rolen, Néstor Perez-Molière, and Michael Bevans. Digitization Project Managers are also key to our success, and we thank current staff members Sarah Dutton, Lance Jones, Mari Roberts, Ana Maria Ruiz, Jonathan Toll, and Charles Zimmerman, as well as former Project Managers Shannon Asencio, Katherine DeWitt, Stephen Gottschalk, Christina Mozzicato, Nichole Tiernan, and Brandy Watts.
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Thiers, B.M., Tulig, M.C. & Watson, K.A. Digitization of The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium. Brittonia 68, 324–333 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-016-9423-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-016-9423-7