What is the best way to digitize entomological collections? As part of a CollectionsWeb Research Coordination Network (RCN) funded internship awarded to Babi Hammond, this question is addressed by surveying the entomological community using departmental, museum, and society list-serves to solicit response. Survey participants are asked to review and rate the utility of multiple online presentations of collection data; specimen information without images, GigaPan images (zoomable, mega-pixel images of entire drawers of specimens) and detailed images with specimen data. The results could help institutions with entomological collections and the Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections (ADBC) program participants better understand how to apply their resources and digitization efforts. We hope to illuminate the usefulness of online data is for the many sub-disciplines of entomologists (taxonomists, extension specialists, ecologists, educators, etc.), how accurate identifications are using only GigaPan imaging techniques, how often entomologists use collections, and what specific tasks are performed in these collections.  Preliminary results of the effort will be presented, including solicitation for continuing support of the survey, and a few thoughts about advancing the inclusion of the library science/information science discipline and skills in our exploration of the best methods for digitization of data.

URLs:
survey: https://uncodum.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cHHh7iSm1j7fCXG
NCSU Insect Museum: http://blog.insectmuseum.org            
CollectionsWeb: http://collectionsweb.org                                       
Gigapan: http://www.gigapan.org/profiles/23796