$30,000 Grant Enables Gardens to Collaborate with Area Universities
Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, Denver Botanic Gardens is now
developing a new, high-tech way of sharing information on plant life in the Rocky Mountain region. The project, entitled “
Denver Botanic Gardens and Partners: An On-line Herbarium for Rocky Mountain Flora”, includes collaboration partners Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, and the University of Wyoming in the development of an on-line herbarium of plants of the Rocky Mountain area.
"This project will ultimately contribute to the usability of the herbaria by both scientists and the general public, in the Rocky Mountain region and well beyond,” said Dr. Anna Sher, Director of Research at Denver Botanic Gardens. Literally anyone in the world will be able to look up our plant specimens using the internet. This is the direction herbaria across the nation are moving in, so it is exciting to be spearheading the effort for the Rocky Mountain region.”
This grant will pay for the planning to make this shared institutional information available to a wider audience.
"Cultural institutions energize their communities by not just preserving culture, heritage, and knowledge, but by supporting life-long learning and engagement,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, PhD, Director of the Institute. “National Leadership Grants harness the work of the best of these institutions. By promoting innovation and partnerships, they allow these institutions to create national models that address the challenges of the broader library and museum communities, and help strengthen their impact.”
The planned digital model will provide a blueprint for other institutions that wish to combine shared resources and physical specimens into an on-line tool. Once this on-line herbarium is created, users from all arenas, from scientists to hobbyists, will have an easy way to access information on desired specimens that are a part of the Rocky Mountain region.
About Denver Botanic Gardens:
Rooted a mile high, Denver Botanic Gardens has been a favorite Denver destination for over 55 years, and is considered to be one of the top botanic gardens in the American West. Art and science unite in the Gardens’ spectacular urban oasis, offering an unforgettable artistic garden experience for the whole family, as well as a living laboratory for education and plant conservation programs. Additional sites at Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield, a 750-acre wildlife and native plant refuge in Littleton; Mount Goliath, a high altitude trail and interpretive site on the Mount Evans Scenic Byway; and Centennial Gardens, a five-acre formal garden with a Colorado native plant palette in downtown Denver, extend this experience throughout the Front Range.
Denver Botanic Gardens is located at 1005 York Street in Denver, Colorado. Visit us at
www.botanicgardens.org or call 720-865-3500 for more information. Denver Botanic Gardens thanks the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.
About the Institute of Museum and Library Services:
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 15,000 museums. Its mission is to grow and sustain a “Nation of Learners” because life-long learning is essential to a democratic society and individual success. Through its grant making, convenings, research and publications, the Institute empowers museums and libraries nationwide to provide leadership and services to enhance learning in families and communities, sustain cultural heritage, build twenty-first-century skills, and increase civic participation. To learn more about the Institute, please visit:
http://www.imls.gov.