Specimen Digitization

Initiated in mid-1980 as a collaborative effort between the R.L. McGregor Herbarium (KANU) and Kansas Biological Survey, the staff of the herbarium has been digitizing plant specimen records in support of research, teaching, and service at the University of Kansas, as well as research projects outside KU.  Since the mid-2000s, KANU botanists have received funding for three digitization projects (Black Hills Vascular Plant database, Plants, Predators, and Parasitoids TCN, and TORCH TCN), and contributed records for the Lichen Consortium TCN.  At present, KANU serves records for nearly 350,000 of its 454,00 specimens through the major biodiversity data portals; 93% of its records are georeferenced and 40% of its specimens are imaged.  KANU has added roughly 10,000 records annually to its Specify databases during the past five years.