Online access to specimen images and associated literature: A productive partnership between the Oregon State University Herbarium and Library Aaron Liston Oregon State University
Why the Library? A central university resource. Long history with electronic catalogs. Established data standards. Strong commitment to the digital revolution.
Why Herbarium Type Specimens? Information rich images. Direct association with non-copyrighted literature. Metadata available.
W. Gardiner. 1848. Native plants of Forfarshire.
Commercial vs. open source software. Issues to consider: Commercial vs. open source software. Librarians vs. computer scientists. Local vs. national/international partnerships. 1. Cost, control,
CONTENTdm Advantages: Commercial product used by a large number of institutions. Powerful and flexible. Cost effective when development & support time considered. Compliant with established and emerging data sharing standards.
CONTENTdm Advantages: Commercial product used by a large number of institutions. Powerful and flexible. Cost effective when development & support time considered. Compliant with established and emerging data sharing standards. Disadvantage: Not a relational database
Library Advantages: Familiar with copyright, access control issues, and curation. Interested in expanding their mission.
Library Advantages: Familiar with copyright, access control issues, and curation. Interested in expanding their mission. Disadvantages: Inexperience with cross-disciplinary activities. Uneasy with off-site data curation.
Local vs. National / International Efforts Advantages: Complementary (eggs in separate baskets) Institutional identity. The local can have “added value”, e.g. associated literature, biographic information.
Local vs. National / International Efforts Advantages: Complementary (eggs in separate baskets) Institutional identity. The local can have “added value”, e.g. associated literature, biographic information. Disadvantage: Inefficiency.
Acknowledgements OSU Valley Library OSU Herbarium Michael Boock Katie Mitchell May Chau Terry Reese Philip Vu Diana Wageman Funding NSF BRC-0237459 Research Experience for Undergraduates Oregon State University Research Office