Greetings,
Here at the Snow Entomological Collection at the KUNHM we have begun (over
the past several years) to maintain a specimen-level database of our
insects, attaching a tiny barcode label to all new specimens and some
retroactively captured taxa. Each barcode has all of the data, including
georeferencing points attached to it via our database.  We hope that this
will enable researchers to be assemble records regarding biogography,
climate, and biodiversity by searching the database, speeding up what would
take a long time to do normally (we have 4.5 million insects in our
collection).
For more information regarding the use of barcodes here, as well as our
database program, Specify, I suggest seeing the webpage:
http://usobi.org/specify/
and: http://nhm.ku.edu/ksem/
As merely Interim Collection Manager and not much of an entomologist, I took
on this job partly for the experience of learning how to use this barcode
system for cataloging specimens in hope to bring it to vertebrate
paleontology (my true profession). In my limited experience I can say how
convenient it is to use a grocery-store style barcode reader to get all of
the data from a specimen rather than read the label, especially since
entomology labels are typically in such small print. And with this, we also
get a history of the identification and loan records of the specimen, it's
own personal history.
Hope this helps,
Brian L. Beatty
Interim Collection Manager
Snow Entomology Collection, KU Natural History Museum
1460 Jayhawk Blvd. - Snow Hall
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS 66045-7523 USA
[log in to unmask] * 785.864.3034

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