LIB Digitalisation Strategy for the Scientific Collections
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The scientific collections of the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) constitute a core research infrastructure supporting collection management, biodiversity research, legal documentation, public access, and national and international data exchange. This strategy establishes an institutional framework for the digitisation, curation, integration, publication, and long-term stewardship of collection objects, associated media, and collection-based research data. Digitisation is understood as a staged and continuous process, beginning with stable identifiers and minimum metadata, progressing towards comprehensive inventories, and culminating in deep digitisation of scientifically, legally, or publicly significant material. Priorities are determined by factors including type status, research demand, legal relevance, vulnerability, collection coherence, and workflow feasibility. Over a five-year horizon, the LIB aims to broaden metadata coverage, reduce legacy backlogs, establish routine accession workflows, improve type documentation, and modernise Diversity Workbench through web-based, role-specific interfaces. Over ten years, the strategy envisages validated and openly accessible digital collections with expanded imaging, geo-referencing, semantic enrichment, and stronger links between specimens, media, research outputs, and external infrastructures. The long-term objective is the development of interoperable FAIR Digital Specimens and semantic digital twins integrated into the LIB Open Biodiversity Knowledge Space. Implementation requires sustained staffing, standards-based workflows, quality assurance, appropriate infrastructure, legal and ethical compliance, and coordinated responsibilities across collections, the Centre for Biodiversity Knowledge Science, IT, administration, and institutional leadership. Artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics are treated as selective enabling technologies that can improve efficiency but cannot replace expert curation and scientific stewardship. This Zenodo record provides a preserved and citable copy. Information about the current status of the policy and any subsequent amendments is maintained on the LIB institutional website.
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7196942123
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