Digitization of recorded sounds in the Florida Museum of Natural History archive

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

An award to the Borror Laboratory of Bioacoustics at The Ohio State University and the Florida Museum of Natural History (FLMNH) will fund the conversion of animal sound recordings in the latter institution's collection to digital format. These recordings are currently housed on analog magnetic tape, which has a finite lifespan, and degrades in quality with each use. Conversion to digital format will ensure the preservation of this important collection, and make it much easier for FLMNH staff to serve clients in the future. Collections of recorded animal sounds provide an important resource for scientists interested in the behavior and evolution of animals, for members of the public interested in natural history, and for various commercial enterprises. The FLMNH collection of animal sounds is one of the three largest in North America, and is very strong in birds from the New World tropics, a center of avian biodiversity. In digital format, users will be able to search the collection database and audition every recording in mp3 format. The collection database will also be linked to ORNIS, an NSF-funded consortium of ornithological collections. Finally, collections of bird sounds will be reissued in mp3 and CD format for use by birders and by biologists conducting population surveys.