Physical and Curatorial Improvements to the Lichen Collection at the Michigan State University Herbarium

项目摘要 密歇根州立大学植物标本馆 (MSC) 地衣收藏有潜力成为地衣学家世界上最好的资源之一。藏品数量约为 145,000 件，其中包括许多非常重要的干标本组，总计超过 13,000 件标本和数十种模式标本。 然而，该系列的主要优势在于其广泛的地理覆盖范围，特别是南半球温带和亚南极地区、加勒比群岛以及北美温带和高山地区。南半球的收藏品包括许多很少被收藏的岛屿。直到最近，地衣界才广泛获得一般收藏品，并且许多最重要的植物收藏品仍然无法获得，因为它们尚未经过处理。密歇根州立大学植物标本馆工作人员缺乏足够的时间来处理这 55,000 个标本，也没有足够的空间将它们整合到馆藏中。 该项目将：安装压实系统，以缓解空间问题，促进藏品的管理，并最大限度地减少由于拥挤的存储条件造成的损坏； 处理当前积压的 55,000 个标本，并将其提供给地衣学家进行研究。

PROJECT SUMMARY The Michigan State University Herbarium (MSC) lichen collection has the potential to serve as one of the best resources in the world for lichenologists. The collections number approximately 145,000 and include many very important sets of exsiccatae totaling over 13,000 specimens and dozens of type specimen. However, the main strength of the collection is its extensive geographic coverage, especially areas of the temperate Southern Hemisphere and subantarctic regions, Caribbean Islands, and temperate and alpine regions of North America. The Southern Hemisphere collections include many islands that have rarely, if ever, been collected. Only recently have the general collections become widely available to the lichen community, and many of the most important fioristic collections are still unavailable because they have not yet been processed. The MSU herbarium staff lacks sufficient time to process these 55,000 specimens and there is not sufficient space to integrate them into the collections. This project will: install a compactor system to alleviate space problems, facilitate curation of the collection, and minimize damage due to crowded storage conditions; process current backlog of 55,000 specimens and make them available to lichenologists for study.