The digitisation workflow of the herbarium of the State Museum of Natural History of the NAS of Ukraine (LWS)

Abstract

The digitisation workflow currently applied at the Herbarium of the State Museum of Natural History of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (LWS) differs from other similar by cascade (’object-to-data-to-image’) multilevel organisation. Its application is predicted by the need to preselect specimens by taxon and region, as well as by batched digitisation, which occurs with significant interruptions. Focusing on certain taxonomic groups from specific regions allows us to digitise specimens that could be more valuable for early scientific processing. At the same time, the herbarium benefits from such a digitisation model by revising the existing collection classification and keeping the initial ID system. The presented digitisation workflow can be easily reproduced in any herbarium with a limited budget. The purpose of this paper is to provide detailed description and schemas of the principal digitisation stages applied at the LWS Herbarium and to briefly discuss the steps crucial for a successful result. Provided information should help to maintain the digitisation and choose appropriate equipment and materials. We can conclude that, despite its general complexity, the described workflow demonstrated itself as viable and relevant due to its robust design and focus on data quality. Despite a focus on specialists’ involvement, it maintains flexibility that allows combining volunteers and, if needed, outsourced efforts. Moreover, its modularity promotes independence of principal digitisation stages and allows long interruptions between the digitisation batches.