It is important for herbaria and museums to digitise their collections. Do you think iNaturalist would like this here or if iNaturalist makes a good host? Please have a free discussion.

I remember reading similar discussions before (at least about whether it’s allowed) and I think as long as the location and time of the observation correspond to where and when the sample was collected (rather than the coordinates of the museum and the time of digitisation), no one will have anythin…

[image] lvdt: re I think it may be more accurately said, that so long as the criteria you describe are met, and it is done in low numbers it is considered OK. The site management has been clear that iNaturalist is not the best option as a general data aggregator or storage place for large sc…

[image] cmcheatle: The site management has been clear that iNaturalist is not the best option as a general data aggregator or storage place for large scale collections. I agree 100%. There are much better options for digitizing and managing collections information, such as creating or joinin…

Yeah, there are many advantages to having museum/herbaria specimens accessioned as such and in databases specifically for those (which would typically have a lot more info than is present on iNat). Maybe if there were an small abandoned collection that would not be digitized if there were no other o…

I recently read a paper proposing just this. I thought it was a good idea but some of you have pointed out issues I (and apparently the authors) did not consider. Here it is iNaturalist as a tool to expand the research value of museum specimens

I wish they would all be posted here. Yes it is a bit different than how inat usually works. However… if added they become part of the community and people can discuss and annotate them and they will be on the interactive range maps and species lists. None of that is true of any of the other portals…

[image] Mack: I recently read a paper proposing just this. Yeah, I had seen that paper too, and for supplementing specimen data for new collections I think their protocol has merit. But as a primary platform for retrospectively digitizing an entire collection, iNaturalist is not the best too…

Yeah gbif can get displayed on the range maps as points but you can’t click through to the record or get any of the other data easily. And no comments or annotations

[image] charlie: you can’t click through to the record or get any of the other data easily. And no comments or annotations Ability to click through on GBIF points would definitely be a feature request I would support, but something sticks my mind that that was already brought up somewhere – I…

[image] jdmore: for supplementing specimen data for new collections I’d also be on board if it’s for new specimens

Museum/herbarium collection digitisation on iNaturalist, yes or no?

General

Topic		Replies	Views
Can I appropriately use iNat for supporting museum collection IDs? General question	9	768	July 18, 2025
Non-target observations in herbarium specimens - do they have a place on iNaturalist? General	32	1219	July 19, 2022
How to treat photos of herbarium records? General	9	1558	June 7, 2020
iNaturalist ID as herbarium reference? General	32	1737	June 21, 2023
Inherited specimens (labeled with date and location) General	10	477	October 23, 2024

Museum/herbarium collection digitisation on iNaturalist, yes or no?

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