@conference {2521, title = {Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections 2016: a call to the Flora Malesiana community to participate in the WeDigBio Global Transcription Event!}, booktitle = {Flora Malesiana 10}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, address = {Edinburgh, UK}, abstract = {During its inaugural year, Worldwide Engagement for Digitizing Biocollections, WeDigBio 2015, involved 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, along with individuals across the globe, 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. 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. WeDigBio 2016 is aiming to double the number of onsite events, online participants, and completed transcriptions, and we encourage herbaria and citizen scientists of the Flora Malesiana community 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, enhanced interoperability with transcription platforms, lesson plans for teachers, activities for participants at transcription events, and interaction between transcribers across events. Certain platforms, such as DigiVol.org, can host images of specimens collections from the Malesian region needing transcription. WeDigBio 2016 can be a way to increase the visibility of your herbarium, engage with local citizen scientists, and expedite digitization of botanical specimens, 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 from October 20-23, 2016. Learn more at wedigbio.org. }, keywords = {poster}, url = {https://www.idigbio.org/sites/default/files/poster-files/WeDigBio_Poster_FlMal_small.pdf}, author = {Ellwood, Elizabeth R. and James, Shelley A. and Kimberly, Paul G. and Guralnick, Robert P. and Flemons, Paul K.J. and Love, Kevin J. and Mast, Austin R.} }