Renovation and Computerization of the Diatom Herbarium at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia

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An award has been made to the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (ANSP) to renovate ANSP Diatom Herbarium and to provide on-line access to its resources. This Herbarium is the largest in North America and second largest in the World collection of diatoms, microscopic algae that play key role in biosphere?s carbon and silica cycles and are important environmental indicators. The Herbarium houses approximately 210,000 diatom slides, 30,000 samples, and 5000 types of diatom species. This project will make the Herbarium easily accessible to researchers worldwide: the updated Herbarium database and images of type specimens will be available on-line, data for 25,000 samples will be digitized, and several important collections will be incorporated into Herbarium. Approximately 5,000 samples will be re-housed in new cabinets.Better access to the resources of the ANSP Diatom Herbarium will support research in taxonomy, systematics, biogeography, and ecology of diatoms and increase public awareness of environmental change and biodiversity conservation. Curatorial assistants and students involved in this project will be trained in collection management and diatom taxonomy. Diatom Herbarium website will serve educational purposes and will be useful for biology students, teachers, and general public as an information source on diatoms and ecology of aquatic systems.