Harvard University (Arnold Arboretum)

The Arnold Arboretum will begin a project to improve access to three sets of archival resources essential to the curation and management of the arboretum’s living collection. Approximately 55,000 archival accession cards and 53 archival accession books will be reviewed and entered into the plant records database. In addition, 1,784 historic maps documenting the living collections will be scanned, digitized, and georeferenced for access and analysis in the Arboretum’s geographic information system (GIS). Lastly, all of the historic accession records will be made publicly available through the Arboretum’s online, searchable database. Because of these improvements, the living collections and their documentation will be maintained at a higher standard, benefiting the scientists, professionals, students, and visitors around the world who use them.