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

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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.