Discovering the Artistry in Field Books: Intersection of Art and Science

National Museum of Natural History & Smithsonian Institution Archives

Mission: to create a Field Book Registry, one online location for field book content everywhere.

Why the Field Book Project?

• Field books are not co-located

• Access points are inconsistent

• Field Books are Hidden Collections!

What do we do?

+ CATALOG+ Conserve+ Digitize

Unpublished, original record of field events leading up to and including the collection of biological specimens.

What are field books?

What can these materials tell us?

+ Specimens+ Environment+ Collecting Event

SPECIMENS

ENVIRONMENT

+ paint a picture of a specific place at a specific time

+ what did the landscape look like? What species thrived?

COLLECTING EVENT

COLLECTING EVENT

Context

All about relationships

Linking :

• Collections

• Items

• People

• Organizations

• Expeditions

NCD CollectionCollectionId: NCDC78Title: Frederick Coville, field books, 1890-1924

Owner: EACO9

Creator: EACP173

Description: The collection consists of Coville's field notes from botanical collecting and observation efforts in …

MODS Item MODSid: MODSI1281Collection: NCDC78Title: Field notes, Death Valley Expedition, 1891Dates: 1891.05.10-1891.07.30

Creator: EACP173

Expedition: EACE 0017

Abstract: This item contains narrative notes and lists of botanical specimens collected or observed during Coville'sresearch in Death Valley . …

EAC PersonPersonId: EACP173Name: Coville, Frederick (Frederick Vernon), 1867-1937Dates: 1867-1937Biographical history: Frederick Vernon Coville, botanist and blueberry breeder, was born in New York and educated…

EAC ExpeditionExpId: EACE0017Name: Death Valley Expedition Dates: 1890-1891Description: The Death Valley Expedition was the first biological survey to …

EAC OrganizationOrgId: EACO9Name: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of Botany

Overview of Description

Challenges

What is it?

Crowdsourcing

Flickr:

http://tinyurl.com/fbpflickr

Blog:

http://nmnh.typepad.com/fieldbooks/

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/!/fieldbookproj

Website

http://mnh.si.edu/rc/fieldbooks/

Field Book Project Team

Rusty RussellCollections & Informatics, BotanyAnne Van CampDirector, SI Archives

Carolyn Sheffield, Project ManagerSonoe Nakasone, Cataloging CoordinatorLesley Parilla, Cataloger and Graphics DesignerEmily Hunter, Cataloger and Social Media Coordinator

Ricc Ferrante, Director of Digital Services, SIAKira Cherrix, Image and Video Digitization Specialist, SIATammy Peters, Supervisory Archivist, SIASarah Stauderman, Collections Care Manager, SIANora Lockshin, Paper Conservator, SIAJanelle Batkin-Hall, Conservation Technician, SIAKirsten Tyree, Conservation Technician, SIA