Public Participation in Digitization of Biodiversity Specimens Workshop
UPDATE: See Public Participation Workshop Wiki Page for links to the Agenda and how to Attend Remotely
iDigBio, the National Science Foundation’s national HUB for Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections (ADBC), is offering a workshop to identify ways to engage the public in the ongoing digitization of biodiversity specimens. The workshop will be held at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, on September 28–29, 2012. It is co-organized by iDigBio’s Public Participation in Digitization Working Group and iDigBio’s Education and Outreach Working Group. Project leaders, biodiversity informatics software developers, and informal education community members are especially encouraged to attend.
It is recognized that projects or workflows that are available for public involvement must be interesting and educational but also efficient and reliable for the facilities managing the digitization. To identify the best ways to achieve this, workshop participants will (1) identify steps in the digitization process that could involve the public, (2) establish one or more workflows for each of those steps, keeping the (sometimes dissimilar) motivations that drive public participants and digitizing institutions in mind, (3) identify existing tools, expertise, and communities that can be engaged in the workflows as well as gaps where new tools, expertise, or communities are needed, and (4) start individuals or small groups on the path to making those workflows a reality.
Space is limited, however, funding is available to support travel and per diem for five additional participants through a competitive application process. Those desiring to attend this workshop should submit their CV and a succinct paragraph (<200 words) explaining how their attendance will contribute to the successful completion of the four workshop goals. Applications should be submitted to Cathy Bester (cbester@flmnh.ufl.edu) by July 16, 2012. The committee anticipates that applicants will be notified of decisions by July 20.
What: Public Participation in Digitization of Biodiversity Specimens Workshop
Where: University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Who: Digitization project leaders, biodiversity informatics software developers, and informal education community members
When: September 28–29, 2012
Contact: For further information, contact Austin Mast (amast@bio.fsu.edu)