Felix Sperling, Danny Shpeley, Gary Anweiler, and Jim Whittome

The Strickland Virtual Museum

The E.H. Strickland Museum of Entomology

Acorn (2007) Ladybugs of Alberta

Strickland Virtual Museum - origins

1. Strickland reference collection - VM is a modern version

2. University of Alberta Museums and Collections Services

3. UC Berkeley CityBugs project (1997 - Sperling)

Strickland Virtual Museum - implementation

Scope of VM:

1. Specimen records integrated with species pages (intended as “knowledge summaries”)

2. Regional scope that highlights the Strickland Museum and contributing private collections and naturalists(Troubridge collection - big expansion; CD Bird collection data)

3. Scalable to include other institutional collectionssee: “Unlocking the Legacy of Alberta’s Natural Science Collections” Sperling 2003 http://publicus.culture.hu-berlin.de/umac/2003/sperling.html

(currently includes NFRC records for Sessiidae etc and soon will have CNCI records for AB Larentiinae, N Amer. Panthea)

2,546 species pages110, 265 specimens databased894 collector records4,576 distinct species names

Species pages as: - living documents - publication drafts(esp. Moths of Alberta) - course termpapers

Strickland Virtual Museum - implementation

Funding sources: CFI New Investigator grant to Sperling (hardware)CFI New Initiatives Fund: Canadian University Biodiversity Consortium (hardware and databasing)Friends of the University of Alberta MuseumsNSERC Discovery Grant to Sperling (student support) NSERC NCE Sustainable Forest Management NetworkUniversity of Alberta Museums and Collections ServicesUniversity of Alberta Department of Biological SciencesYoung Canada Works (summer student databasing)

Plus thousands of hours of volunteer time to database and identify specimens in Strickland Museum and other collections (esp. GG Anweiler, CD Bird, Alberta Lepid. Guild grantees)

Strickland Virtual Museum - applications

Some key examples:

1. “Moths of Alberta” open source draft used almost daily

2. Grad student biodiversity surveys: e.g. EMEND ID’ing

3. Undergrad “termpapers” and ID’ing (Ent 427/527)

4. COSEWIC and other conservation-related searches

5. Historical analyses - both for climate change and collectors

Strickland Virtual Museum - usage rates

2004 2005 2006 2007

Uniquevisitors

3,257 5,110 15,929 27,244

Number ofvisits

10,007 14,175 88,760 451,376

Pages 70,980 1,464,074 16,197,856 16,461,674

Hits 174,450 1,616,525 1,703,569 1,770,157

Strickland Virtual Museum - operations

Software: MIMSY XG, Oracle, Crystal Report2 DiGIR sites, with data condensed to Darwin CoreExcel spreadsheets for initial data entry; template at: http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/old_site/uasm//database.htm

Felix Sperling- cheerleading

- funding

Danny Shpeley- maintenance

- content

Gary Anweiler- content

- maintenance

Jim Whittome- info management

- programming

Strickland Virtual Museum - challenges

Funding, training, updating

Keeping up with changes in database standards and network protocols

Keeping a good supply of well-ID’d specimens for students to database

Staying fresh and keeping interest

Engaging graduate students to leave species pages as a legacy of their work

Integration with DNA and other vouchers (e.g. contracts, theses, bioblitzes)

Convincing visiting researchers, consultants to contribute to our databases

Lessons learned that could apply elsewhere:Harnessing self interest for the greater good species pages

Relentless self promotion is essential

Explicit attention to community building

Strickland Virtual Museum - challenges

Parallels with “adaptive management” in conservation bio:

Latta 2008 Evol. Applications 1: 84-94

1) Need to act/ move forward

2) Need to maintain control

3) Need to provide clarity/ evince certitude

4) Need to sell/ convince

5) Need to compete for resources and status

6) Need to maintain existing institutions

7) Need to remain within a comfortable paradigm

Strickland Virtual Museum - future

1. Web-based entry for species pages

2. Better integration with other regional sites (e.g. RAM, InsectsofAlberta.com)

3. Better integration with national and international initiatives (e.g. EOL, CUBC)

4. Engaging K12 schools