Computerisation of the East African Herbarium: development of a regional plant information service

Abstract

The increased emphasis on the provision of botanical information to a wider audience of biodiversity researchers has led to increased demands on the already limited staff capacity at the East African Herbarium. Information is held in a variety of formats in a number of locations within the Herbarium and the key to accessing this information in an efficient and effective manner is the gradual compilation of this information into a computerised data management system. A pilot study has been undertaken to address the issues that will need to be reconciled in order to pursue this objective in the herbarium. A strategy for the continued accession of a variety of data types has been worked up and the opportunities that this process presents for the future of the Herbarium in both a regional and international context are discussed