Abstract Detail

Biodiversity Informatics & Herbarium Digitization

Metzgar, Jordan [1].

Curation, research, and outreach at Virginia Tech's Massey Herbarium.

The Massey Herbarium is the largest herbarium collection in Virginia with 115,000 catalogued specimens. These holdings are dominated by vascular plants (108,000 specimens) and are also comprised of fungal, bryophytes, lichen, and algal specimens. We are a regional herbarium with over 60% of our material collected in Virginia. The southeastern and mid-Atlantic USA regions account for most of our remaining collections. We possess numerous new county and state records for the Virginian flora and our material has been cited in over 600 peer-reviewed publications that have received in excess of 12,000 citations. We are actively participating in digitization programs such as the SERNEC (Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections) Portal. We are developing a robust outreach program based on virtual and physical interactions with the community. Our website (masseyherbarium.org) and social media presence (@MasseyHerbarium) allow us to interact with the public and advance botanical knowledge. We have also begun working with school groups, undergraduate organizations, and amateur naturalist societies in the collection, field, and classroom. We are especially active with both our campus and national chapters of the Natural History Collections Club.

Related Links:
Massey Herbarium homepage

1 - Virginia Tech, Biological Sciences, 926 W. Campus Dr, MC 0406, Derring Hall 2119, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, United States

Keywords:
Herbaria
digitization
Outreach
SERNEC
curation.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Biodiversity Informatics & Herbarium Digitization
Location: Grand Ballroom - Exhibit Hall/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PBI004
Abstract ID:325
Candidate for Awards:None