Infrastructure Upgrades for the University of Georgia Herbarium

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Dr. W. Zomlefer at the University of Georgia to fund the following urgently needed improvements to the University of Georgia Herbarium [GA]: (1) upgrading the heavily used and aging compactor system; (2) acquiring herbarium cabinets for proper archival specimen storage; (3) mounting and accessioning backlog specimens to help attain projected growth for the next 15 years; (4) reorganizing the main collection folders for easier access; and (5) completing data entry for the Georgia Atlas pilot project and posting this database on the Web. GA Herbarium is a highly used facility with 230,000 accessioned vascular plant specimens (including over 250 types) and is nationally and internationally recognized for collections from Georgia and North America (especially the southeastern United States). Researchers at the University of Georgia and neighboring institutions, students, and personnel from various governmental agencies extensively utilize the collection, and GA Herbarium is also host to public tours and scores of visiting scientists who visit to examine specimens each year. Proper care of this valuable collection is imminently threatened by an aging and dangerous compactor system requiring constant repair, coupled with cabinets unsuitable for archival storage. Upgraded electronics and addition of standard herbarium cabinets will have the immediate and long-term impact of providing reliable safe storage and efficient entry to the GA Herbarium collection. Successful conclusion of the proposed project will also allow access to the complete Georgia Atlas of Vascular Plants database, and data from the currently unmounted backlog will be available to the scientific community as accessioned specimens. Broader Impacts (beyond scientific community use). Tangible benefits to society include conservation of an important element of Georgia's irreplaceable state heritage with improved storage and access of vouchered plant specimens. Lack of vouchers undermines the legitimacy of historical surveys and other studies, and these specimens are properly preserved only in well-supported herbaria. Completion of the Georgia Atlas database has many practical applications for society at large, such as defining under-collected areas, ranges of endangered or poisonous species, and locations of plant communities requiring management. This project will promote learning via direct incorporation of herbarium improvements into several University of Georgia museum technique courses, exposing undergraduate and graduate interns to one-on-one training with specimen preparation and care. The upgraded system would also allow storage of a larger plant archive for teaching.