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Collection Documentation

Collection Documentation. Madrid, 2 October 2007. Francisco Pando GBIF - Spain. 2nd SYNTHESYS Course in Management, Conservation and Care of Natural History Collections. Contents. Definitions & caveats General aspects Collection documentation Specimen documentation

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Collection Documentation

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  1. Collection Documentation Madrid, 2 October 2007 Francisco Pando GBIF - Spain 2nd SYNTHESYS Course in Management, Conservation and Care of Natural History Collections

  2. Contents • Definitions & caveats • General aspects • Collection documentation • Specimen documentation • Wrap-up: Check-list for good practices in documentation

  3. Definitions • Collection - a group of specimens or artifacts with like characteristics or a common base of association (e.g., geographic, donor, cultural); • Specimen – A natural object, part of a collection that is the basic unit of study and handling • Documentation - supporting evidence, recorded in a permanent manner using a variety of media (paper, photographic, etc.), of the identification, condition, history, or scientific value of a specimen, artifact, or collection. • This encompasses information that is inherent to the individual specimen and its associations in its natural environment as well as that which reflects processes and transactions affecting the specimen (e.g., accessioning, cataloging, loaning, sampling, analysis, treatment, etc.)..

  4. Caveats • Documentation is an integral aspect of the use, management, and preservation of a specimen, or collection • Inherent value of documentation and archival records: Evidence of the identification, condition, history, or scientific value of a specimen, artifact, or collection when recorded in a permanent manner enhances the value of the specimen. • These records may actually have to substitute for the specimen or artifact should the specimens themselves deteriorate or be destroyed. • Documentation is the responsibility of all individuals who use, prepare, manage, or care for specimens or artifacts. All techniques and materials used in collection management, care, and conservation must be fully documented. • Methods and approaches presented here are strongly based on those used at the Real Jardín Botánico- CSIC, Madrid

  5. The idea of the collection: vision and mission (purpose) • Documentation –as anything else in the collection– must be guided by what we want the collection to be (vision) and what we have to do to make the the vision a reality (mission) • Of course, collection’s conceptual framework exists within the context of the institution's mission and resources. General aspects

  6. Principles • Documentation is documented: metadata (authorship, time) • Documentation is never destroyed; amends are made by adding documentation; no by replacing it • Document everything (identification, condition, history, transactions, samplings,…) • Documentation is in everything (original labels, mounting materials, arrangement of specimens,…) • Precautionary principle General aspects

  7. Explicit and implicit knowledge • Knowledge –context, if you prefer-- is very elusive but vital for the best use of specimens and collections • Documentation provides context • IT tecnologies are bringing collection back to the front of science and societal matters, but in this process data gets decontextualized • That makes documentation more important now than ever • Go against the “everybody knows that” syndrome General aspects

  8. Collection (s.s.) documentation • Adquisitions • Collection Guide • Annual Reports • Visitors • Communication • Treatments & incidents

  9. Acquisitions • Exchange • Gift • Deposit • Purchase • Permanent loan • … • Who, when, special conditions • Record and acknowledge

  10. Example http://www.rjb.csic.es/colecciones_herbario_cripto.php

  11. The “Collection Guide" • Arrangement • Map • Codes • Catalogs, files, databases, publications • Facilities • Policy for handling specimens • Procedures (opening hours, safety, sampling, etc.) … of course this is now a web site

  12. References • Arrangement • E.g.: Family arrangement follows Engler-Prantl Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien

  13. Annual reports • Compilation of major collection events: • Holdings • Transactions (visitors, loans,..) • Treatments (e.g. fumigation) • New or changed procedures • New or improved facilities • Staff • Report problems … think of it as a tool for you --or your succesors-- rather that an annoying obligation

  14. Visitors Visitor´s book: Who, when, what … Computer application: Who, when, what

  15. Correspondence Record We have gone from paper communication to email in ten years. Archiving procedures have not gone in pace with this. Have they? http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4201645.html? What do we do with email?

  16. Treatments & incidents Treatments • Treatments • Fumigation • Climate control • Poisoning • Freezing • When • Supplier • Product / equipment incidents • Pests • Other disasters

  17. Specimen documentation • Labels • Cross-link specimens • Labile data (color, smell, etc.) • Destructive sampling and documentation • Identifications • Georeference • Paper documentation • Digital documentation

  18. Labels • people (...) • taxonomic • habitat / ecologic • locality / distribution • historic / phenologic • molecular studies

  19. Cross-link specimens

  20. Labile data (color, smell, etc.)

  21. Destructive sampling and documentation

  22. Destructive sampling and documentation

  23. Identifications: explicit and implicit knowledge name who when …

  24. Identifications: what we are talking about • Identifications, names, concepts (taxa) from Nozomi Ytow & al.

  25. Example: male fern Fl. iberica Dryopteris filix-mas Dryopteris affinis ssp. affinis ssp. borreri ssp. stilluppensis Dryopteris oreades Dryopteris submontana Dryopteris pallida ssp. pallida spp. balearica Dryopteris carthusana Dryopteris expansa Dryopteris dilatata Fl. Països Catalans Dryopteris austriaca ssp. assimilis ssp. dilatata ssp. spinulosa Dryopteris filix-mas ssp. borreri ssp. filix-mas ssp. oreades Dryopteris villarii ssp. submontana ssp. balearica

  26. Example: names and concepts D. filix-mas ssp. affinis Fl. Paisos Catalans Fl. iberica D. filix-mas D. affinis ssp. borreri ssp. borreri ssp. stilluppensis spp. filix-mas ssp. oreades D. oreades

  27. Where are we? • To establish the meaning of an identification is – at its best- an exercise of guesswork based upon implicit knowledge and assumptions • This is a huge obstacle for the potential use of the collection, and thus an issue not to be dismiss.

  28. We need to make explicit that information… • Who made the identification • when • Reliability • Precision (identification qualifiers) • Accuracy ( reference to a taxonomic framework)

  29. Identification reliability (1) From: Australian National Fish Collection (in use since 1993) Level 1:Highly reliable identification Specimen identified by (a) an internationally recognised authority of the group, or (b) a specialist that is presently studying or has reviewed the group in the Australian region. Level 2:Identification made with high degree of confidence at all levels Specimen identified by a trained identifier who had prior knowledge of the group in the Australian region or used available literature to identify the specimen. Level 3:Identification made with high confidence to genus but less so to species Specimen identified by (a) a trained identifier who was confident of its generic placement but did not substantiate their species identification using the literature, or (b) a trained identifier who used the literature but still could not make a positive identification to species, or (c) an untrained identifier who used most of the available literature to make the identification. Level 4:Identification made with limited confidence Specimen identified by (a) a trained identifier who was confident of its family placement but unsure of generic or species identifications (no literature used apart from illustrations), or (b) an untrained identifier who had/used limited literature to make the identification. Level 5:Identification superficial Specimen identified by (a) a trained identifier who is uncertain of the family placement of the species (cataloguing identification only), (b) an untrained identifier using, at best, figures in a guide, or (c) where the status & expertise of the identifier is unknown.

  30. Identification reliability (2) Suggestion: • identified by World expert in the taxa with high certainty • identified by World expert in the taxa with reasonable certainty • identified by World expert in the taxa with some doubts • identified by regional expert in the taxa with high certainty • identified by regional expert in the taxa with reasonable certainty • identified by regional expert in the taxa with some doubts • identified by non-expert in the taxa with high certainty • identified by non-expert in the taxa with reasonable certainty • identified by non-expert in the taxa with some doubt • identified by the collector with high certainty • identified by the collector with reasonable certainty • identified by the collector with some doubt. From: Chapman (2005) Principles of Data Quality. GBIF

  31. Identification qualifier Precision *based on ITF2, a TDWG standard (www.tdwg.org)”

  32. Accuracy (ref. to a taxonomy)

  33. Georeference data Example: • Locality: 2 nm NNE of North Head Light House off Sydney Heads • Lat/Long: -33.79916, 151.32054 • Datum: WGS84 • GPS Accuracy: 6 m • Extent: 50 m • Remarks: Garmin Etrex Summit GPS for coordinates and accuracy

  34. Coordinates formats

  35. Datums Traditional Horizontal Datums NAD 27 ED 50 (Clarke Ellipsoid ) (International Ellipsoid) From US Navy (n.dat.)

  36. Datum Shifts

  37. Datum Shifts

  38. http://www.gbif.org/prog/digit/Georeferencing Arthur D. Chapman et al. (2006)

  39. Paper documentation • Documentation is in everything: original materials, arrangemenent of materials

  40. Digital documentation • one database  multiple indexing  multiple uses • one (card) index • n-1 difficult tasks

  41. Digital documentation: more than just storing it

  42. Virtuality, reality and databases Open issue: To what extend shall the specimen bear physically all the information generated on it? e.g. Ref. to Genbank or specimen name vs. Collection name

  43. Virtuality, reality and databases

  44. Documentation & Data outlets in the digital era Collection website, GBIF, OBIS, REMIB,… • Conditions and provisos for use • Feedback • "how to cite"

  45. Conditions and provisos for use

  46. Feedback http://data.gbif.org/occurrences/76377384/ Proporcionar al usuario la posibilidad de reportar errores o comentarios

  47. "how to cite" http://data.gbif.org/datasets/resource/240

  48. Digital documentation: images http://www.gbif.es/imagenes_in.php http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/herbarium_imaging/ http://mcz-28168.oeb.harvard.edu/etypes/index.htm

  49. Some common recommendations (1) Store metadata on images What? • Technical data • Color data • Curatorial metadata (including IPR) • Content metadata Digital documentation: images

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