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)地衣收藏有可能成为世界上地衣学者最好的资源之一。藏品数量约为145,000件，其中包括许多非常重要的珍稀标本集，总计超过13,000件标本和数十个模式标本。然而，该藏品的主要优势是其广泛的地理覆盖面，特别是温带南半球和亚南极地区、加勒比海群岛以及北美温带和高山地区。南半球的收藏包括许多岛屿，这些岛屿很少被收集，如果曾经被收集的话。直到最近，地衣社区才能广泛获得普通标本，而许多最重要的植物群标本仍然无法获得，因为它们还没有经过处理。密歇根州立大学标本馆的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：安装一个压实机系统，以缓解空间问题，促进收藏的管理，并将拥挤的存储条件造成的损害降至最低；处理目前积压的55,000个标本，并将其提供给地衣专家进行研究。

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.