9662288 Freeman Computerization of the Extant-plant Collections, KU Natural History Museum The R.L. McGregor Herbarium at the University of Kansas is the primary repository for specimens and information concerning the vascular plants of central North America. Since 1985, KANU has been computerizing label data for its more than 116,000 Kansas specimens. During this three-ear effort, staff will capture data for the estimated 247,000 specimens not yet computerized, and barcode and verify the records for all 363,000 KANU specimens. Data will be made available via the Internet at regular intervals. The immediate goal of this project is to make KANU collection data more widely available to scientists, resource managers, and the general public, and to enhance management of the collection. The project will also yield a robust data model and software application that other herbaria can use. Ultimately, it is hoped the KANU project will facilitate efforts to capture and integrate data from natural history collections across the U.S. and elsewhere.
