This document provides an overview of an ongoing project to digitize botanical illustrations from books and make them accessible online. It lists the staff involved and equipment used to scan over 13,000 pages from 37 books. Metadata about the illustrations is input into an Access database and displayed on a website, allowing users to browse images in various ways. The site receives high traffic and is used for research and publications. Preservation efforts involve storing image files on CDs, DVDs, and a storage area network along with metadata tables.

1. Chris Freeland
- Application Development Manager
Doug Holland
- Administrative Librarian

2. Staff
• Imaging Technicians
– Leslie Miller
– Fred Keusenkothen
– Wendy Westmoreland
• Herbarium Assistant
– Tina Ruble
• Database Developer
– Joe Ditto
• Interface Design
– Chris Freeland
• Project Coordinator
– Doug Holland

3. Equipment
BetterLight Super 6K-2 Kaiser Scando
Epson Expression 1680

4. Progress to Date
• 37 books have been scanned
• 13,000 + pages scanned
• Added information:
– author biographies
– bibliographic descriptions
– translations into English
– links to current botanical
names in TROPICOS and
current names found at
USDA

5. Metadata Input
Screen shot of Access
table

6. Web Site
Linked from
MBG Library
web site

7. Web Display
• Many ways to
access:
– Turn pages
from cover to
cover
– Browse all
illustrations
– Search by
common or
scientific name

8. Thumbnails

9. Structure of book

10. List of illustrations by plant name

11. Page Turning

12. Zoom to
100%

13. • <META NAME="DC.Title" CONTENT="Image of Illustration
of EPILOBE VELU; <i>Epilobium hirsutum</i> L.; codlins and
cream"><LINK REL=SCHEMA.dc
HREF="http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core_elements#title">
• <META NAME="DC.Creator" CONTENT="Jaume Saint-
Hilaire, Jean Henri"><LINK REL=SCHEMA.dc
HREF="http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core_elements#creator">
• <META NAME="DC.Subject" CONTENT="(SCHEME=LCSH)
Botany -- France -- Pictorial works.|Horticulture -- France --
Pictorial works.|Flowers -- France -- Pictorial works.|"><LINK
REL=SCHEMA.dc
HREF="http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core_elements#subject"
>
• <META NAME="DC.Description" CONTENT="Illustration of
EPILOBE VELU; <i>Epilobium hirsutum</i> L.; codlins and
cream"><LINK REL=SCHEMA.dc
HREF="http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core_elements#descripti
on">

14. Web Statistics
• 3 million hits since April
1, 2002
• 77,000 unique users
• Average user spends 7
minutes 38 seconds on site
• Receive 2-5 requests per
week to use images in
publications or other for-
profit purposes

15. Preservation
• 3000 CDs
• Recently moved to DVD-R
• Moving toward SAN
(Storage Area Network)
• Copying Access metadata
tables onto image storage
media