The document summarizes recommendations from the GBIF GSAP-NHC Task Group on improving the publishing of natural history collections data. It recommends that GBIF facilitate access to information about non-digital collections, work to increase the efficiency of digitizing specimen data and enhance data quality, and improve the global infrastructure for publishing digitized collections data.

1. GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FACILITY Vishwas Chavan [email_address] WWW.GBIF.ORG Towards demand-driven publishing of Natural History Collections Data: Recommendations of the GBIF GSAP-NHC TG Building the Biodiversity Informatics Commons SPNHC-CBA 2010 Annual Conference June 1-5, 2010 Ottawa, CANADA

2. TG commissioned in 2008 Q3 Survey on challenges & concerns to digitisation Draft report submitted to GBIFS in April 2010; in process of endorsement by GBIF Science Committee Summary of recommendations The size of universe of collections data: elements for preliminary approach Results of survey on challenges & concerns Approaches to the prioritisation of digitisation Geographical & taxonomic metadata to set priorities in specimen digitisation GBIF GSAP-NHC Task Group

3. Discovery: facilitate access to information about non-digital collection resources Digitisation: increase the efficiency of data capture and to enhance data quality Publication: improve & promote global infrastructure to mobilise digitised collections data GSAP-NHC: 3 Recommendations

4. GBIF must facilitate access to information about non-digital collection resources Publicise research potential of collections through metadata Author & publish metadata Strengthen metadata publishing infrastructure Assessing the number of un-digitised specimens determine the size of the holdings of un-digitised specimens world-wide GSAP-NHC Recommendation 1: Discovery

5. GBIF must work with collections to continue to increase the efficiency of specimen data capture and to enhance data quality Technical measures: industrialise, technological innovations, QA/QC, fitness-for-use, data dictionaries Attribution, professional credit, institutional priorities Data publishing framework, metadata as data paper, institutional recognitions Funding GSAP-NHC Recommendation 2: Digitisation

6. GBIF must continue to improve and promote the global infrastructure used to mobilise digitised collections data Technical measures: hosting environment, persistent identifiers Outreach activities: southern hemisphere collections, small & medium sized collections Political measures: national & thematic demand-driven digitisation strategies GSAP-NHC Recommendation 3: Publication

7. Discussion session at SPNCH-CBA 2010 Release of Report: July 2010 Metadata as data paper: Sept/Oct 2010 Statement by GBIF Governing board on discovery & publishing of NHC data GSAP-NHC Recommendations: What’s Next?