Exploring the Application of Collection Digitization in Natural History Museums: A Perspective of Biodiversity Informatics

• Main Authors: Yi-Fen Jan, 冉挹芬
• Other Authors: 周文豪
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/5jxhey

碩士 === 國立臺北藝術大學 === 博物館研究所碩士班 === 100 === Natural history collections which act as means for knowledge production define the discipline of natural history, alongside the emergence of natural history museums to serve as curation and research centres. The research values and importance of natural history collections are highlighted once again by the issues of biodiversity in the 21st century. Biodiversity informatics is an emerging field that devoted to advance the accessibility and interoperability of biodiversity data. It utilizes computer technologies to develop related information systems and tools and has transformed the meaning and practice of natural history collection digitization. This paper intends to explore the evolution of collection digitization in natural history museums and its application to biodiversity researches. It is composed of three parts. The first part deals with the evolution of natural history museums and their collections. It also discusses their new responsibilities and missions facing the issues of biodiversity. Second, it explores how natural history museums apply digital technology to theirs collections, from management purpose to the development of digital archives. The final part depicts the process of integration of global biodiversity resources with the aid of biodiversity informatics and analyses the interdisciplinary co-operation between natural history museums and the international scientific communities. We find that it’s possible for natural history museums in present day to fulfill the goal of integration and sharing information of collection. A huge but flexible research community can be created by this way, and it will bring new opportunities for us to deal with the biodiversity crisis.