Building Natural History Collections for the Twenty-First Century and beyond

Sara E. Miller, Lisa N. Barrow, Sean M. Ehlman, Jessica A. Goodheart, Stephen E. Greiman, Holly L. Lutz, Tracy M. Misiewicz, Stephanie M. Smith, Milton Tan, Christopher J. Thawley, Joseph A. Cook, Jessica E. Light

Research output: Contribution to journalSystematic reviewpeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Natural history collections (NHCs) are important resources for a diverse array of scientific fields. Recent digitization initiatives have broadened the user base of NHCs, and new technological innovations are using materials generated from collections to address novel scientific questions. Simultaneously, NHCs are increasingly imperiled by reductions in funding and resources. Ensuring that NHCs continue to serve as a valuable resource for future generations will require the scientific community to increase their contribution to and acknowledgement of collections. We provide recommendations and guidelines for scientists to support NHCs, focusing particularly on new users that may be unfamiliar with collections. We hope that this perspective will motivate debate on the future of NHCs and the role of the scientific community in maintaining and improving biological collections.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)674-687
Number of pages14
JournalBioScience
Volume70
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 1 2020

Scopus Subject Areas

  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Keywords

  • biodiversity
  • data archiving
  • extended specimen
  • herbaria
  • natural history collections
  • outreach

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