Biology Professor Facilitates at Herbarium Digitization Workshop

VALDOSTA -- Digitization of plant collections provide scientists and academic researchers with easier access to information on a variety of plants. The process creates a botanical database that preserves vital records about the plants.

Valdosta State University biology professor Richard Carter will be one of the facilitators at the upcoming Herbarium Digitization Workshop, to be held from Sunday, Sept. 16 to Tuesday, Sept. 18 at VSU. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation funded organization, iDigBio, the workshop will focus on organizing, launching and maintaining a biological collections digitization program.

The workshop will allow plant collection managers, curators and herbarium directors to learn about digitization protocol and what to expect during the initial stages of implementing a program. Topics include information on launching digitization programs, configuration guidelines, imaging software packages and developing effective workflows.

Carter, who teaches botany and serves as the director of VSU’s herbarium, will lead the workshop, along with imaging experts, digitization specialists and specimen database specialists.

All events will be held in the University Center Rose Room, except the Monday afternoon session at the herbarium in Bailey Science Center, room 1040.

For more information about the workshop, visit iDigBio.org or email Gil Nelson at gnelson@bio.fsu.edu .