Biodiversity Commons^™

Expanding Access To Biodiversity Literature, Patrick Randall

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Expanding Access to Biodiversity Literature (EABL) is an IMLS-funded grant designed to enhance the collection of the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), a digital library providing open access to over 50 million pages of legacy biodiversity literature.

BHL's collection is built on the digitized holdings of its member libraries, typically large research universities, natural history museums, and other well-funded organizations. EABL, however, solicits content outside the BHL consortium; small organizations that often lack the resources for cataloging and digitization nevertheless have valuable and unique literature to contribute. This has created new challenges for BHL workflows, as well as opportunities for novel …

Museum Collections: Natural History Training Bridges Time, Space, And Digital Platforms., Anna Monfils, Karen Powers, Christopher J. Marshall, James F. Smith, Chris Martine, L. Alan Prather

Faculty Journal Articles

Natural history collections offer a number of unique physical and virtual opportunities to create formal and informal progressive learning environments. Collections provide direct interaction with biodiversity as it changes through time and space. Collections-based experiences lead to an increased understanding and substantive interaction with the living world. Recent studies demonstrate how nature and outdoor experiences can improve learning. We discuss how collections, and the data associated with collections, are a critical component linking nature and scientific inquiry. Partnerships that develop around collections and collections-based science can foster innovative educational and research experiences that are enhanced by access to museum specimens. …