Chicago Botanic Garden
Plant Documentation Plan & Policy
Challenging the Future
Strategies for the Twenty-first Century
... the significance of a [plant] in the collection lies not in itself alone
but also in the information relating to it.Carl Guthe
February 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...................................................................................................................... 1
Key Attributes of the Present Documentation System...................................................... 2
Collection and Management of Data..................................................................... 3
Transportation....................................................................................................... 4
Maps...................................................................................................................... 4
Labels.................................................................................................................... 4
Plant Database...................................................................................................... 5
Herbarium Vouchers............................................................................................. 5
Digital Images....................................................................................................... 5
DNA..................................................................................................................... 6
Weather Station..................................................................................................... 6
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)................... 6
Carbon Sequestration............................................................................................ 6
IMLS National Leadership Grant.......................................................................... 6
Library .................................................................................................................. 6
Vision................................................................................................................................ 7
Collection, Maintenance, and Distribution of Information................................... 7
RFID (Radio Frequency ID) Tags......................................................................... 8
Maps...................................................................................................................... 8
Labels.................................................................................................................... 8
IMLS National Leadership Grant.......................................................................... 8
Funding................................................................................................................. 8
Future Technology Upgrades................................................................................ 9
Transportation....................................................................................................... 9
Database Upgrades................................................................................................ 9
Website Database Upgrade................................................................................. 10
Weather Station................................................................................................... 10
Library................................................................................................................. 10
Conclusion...................................................................................................................... 11
Appendices
1. Utilization of Living Plant Documentation Resources.................................. 12
2. Benchmarking with Major Botanic Gardens and Arboreta............................ 13
3. Chicago Botanic Garden Data....................................................................... 14
4. Permanent and Temporary Labels, Accession Tags...................................... 15
5. Plant Database.............................................................................................. 16
Glossary.......................................................................................................................... 17