Mapping the Digitisation Workflow in a University Herbarium

Abstract

Specimens or objects in natural history collections hold substantial research and cultural value that is enhanced where these items are made digitally available. Benefits of digitisation include increasing open access to collection-based biodiversity data, increasing productivity of scientific research, enabling novel research applications of digitally accessible data, reducing preservation requirements through reduced object handling, and expanding potential for “remote curation” in collections. However, the time available for object and data digitisation is limited for most collections. Well documented digitisation workflows can ensure that curation time is efficiently applied to achieve digitisation outputs, and that digitisation standards are consistently applied within and among projects. While this case study focused on the generation of digitisation workflows in a medium-sized Australian university-based herbarium, the findings of this study are relevant to collections globally. The curation workflows comprise a set of modular steps required for the digitisation of herbarium specimen data and images. Steps are clearly identified as requiring human-mediation versus those that can be automated, those that require on-site versus remote-access, and those that require transfer or transformation of data or files. This clarity enables consideration of the opportunities and challenges for increasing efficiencies for collection-based digitisation, data and file management. The maps provide a contextual framework for herbarium-based digitisation pathways for those who work with specimen-derived biodiversity data, and an insight into these tools for those who are not familiar with herbarium protocols.