@conference {2515, title = {Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections 2016: a call to the AsiaPacific region to participate in the WeDigBio Global Transcription Event!}, booktitle = {23rd Pacific Science Congress}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, address = {Taipei, Taiwan}, abstract = {During its inaugural year, the Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections Event, WeDigBio 2015, involved thousands of citizen scientists from >50 countries in transcribing biodiversity specimen labels from a variety of taxonomic groups over four days. Participants at onsite events at museums, universities, and science classrooms, as well as those distributed individually throughout the world, used online platforms at DigiVol, Les Herbonautes, Notes from Nature, Smithsonian Institution{\textquoteright}s Transcription Center, and Symbiota to transcribe almost 30,000 specimen labels. During the event, participants learned about collections and biodiversity, interacted with researchers, played games, shared experiences via social media, and contributed to the growing database of digital biocollections information. In 2016, WeDigBio is aiming to double the number of onsite events, online participants, and completed transcriptions, and we encourage biodiversity institutions and citizen scientists within the Asia-Pacific region to take part in activities. Resources are being developed to help make the event even more fun, educational, and productive, such as: improvements to the dynamic dashboard at wedigbio.org (http://wedigbio.org/) and enhanced interoperability with transcription platforms, lesson plans for teachers, activities for participants at transcription events, and opportunities to interact with transcribers across events. Certain platforms, such as DigiVol.org, can host images of specimens from collections in the Asia-Pacific region needing assistance with transcription. WeDigBio 2016 can be a way to increase the visibility of your biological collection, engage with local citizen scientists, and expedite digitization, all while being a part of a well publicized global event. Consider being one of the many online participants helping to mobilize biodiversity collections data, or hosting a WeDigBio event at your collection, university, or classroom from October 2023, 2016. Learn more at wedigbio.org (http://wedigbio.org/). }, keywords = {poster, WeDigBio}, url = {http://www.idigbio.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/WeDigBio_Poster_PSC__final.pdf}, author = {James, Shelley A. and Ellwood, Elizabeth R. and Kimberly, Paul G. and Guralnick, Robert P. and Flemons, Paul K.J. and Love, Kevin J. and Mast, Austin R.} }