Collection Descriptions in Natural History Institutions

Objective:  The aim of this project is to draft a standard for describing natural history collections for ratification by Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG).

Overview:  Representing the interests of RLG Programs' natural history partners, the Resources Available in the Natural Sciences (RAVNS) Working Group has drafted a standard for describing natural history collections. Collection-level records encoded as Natural Collection Descriptions (NCD) will allow natural history institutions to economically disclose their holding to researchers, and enables aggregation of these descriptions through nascent services such as Biodiversity Collections Index.

The RLG Programs group is coordinating its efforts with Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, both global organizations founded to standardize information in the natural sciences and make it available to researches. The NCD specification will be submitted for ratification by Biodiversity Information Standards in 2008.

• Günter Waibel (lead)

RAVNS working group participants

• Carol Butler, Co-Chair
  National Museum of Natural History
• Doug Holland
  Missouri Botanical Garden
• Barbara Mathe
  American Museum of Natural History
• Connie Rinaldo
  Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
• Susan Fraser
  New York Botanical Garden
• Neil Thomson, Co-Chair
  Natural History Museum (UK)
• Tim White
  Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University

Project lead: Günter Waibel