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Abstract Detail


Historical Section

Neill, Amanda K. [1], Rehman, Tiana Franklin [1], Kieschnick, Sam [1], Swadek, Rebecca [1], Markstiener, Patty [1], Norton, Kim [1].

A moving story: Workflows for relocation and expansion of the BRIT-SMU-VDB Herbarium at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas.

The combined BRIT-SMU-VDB Herbarium at the Botanical Research Institute ofTexas (BRIT) houses over one million plant specimens representing much of the Earth's plant diversity. These specimens are widely used by students and professionals as well as the general public. After many years of planning a permanent building, construction was completed in early 2011 on the new home for this independent non-profit research institution. The new, two-story herbarium space occupies over 20,000 square feet. The herbarium proper is fully compactorized, and the previously-owned 585 metal cabinets are supplemented by an additional 325 new metal cabinets. Of the new cabinets, nearly all are doublewides, so the expansion space more than doubles the herbarium's capacity. Compactorization of the collections with modern storage equipment allows the incorporation of a large backlog of boxed specimens of great scientific value and provides a safe environment for their preservation. Grants from the US National Science Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the purchase and installation of the mobile storage units and herbarium cabinets.
Readying the herbarium for the move took more than six months of labor by herbarium staff and a huge crew of volunteers. Since this was the second move in four years, this process has been twice-tested. Workflows of preparations for moving, including boxed backlog organization, cabinet labeling and mapping, and reorganization are described.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 1700 University Drive, Fort Worth, TX, 76107-3400, USA

Keywords:
best practices
herbarium
collections
museum.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Khorassan Ballroom/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PHS001
Abstract ID:666


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