It is our pleasure to announce that iDigBio, the National Science Foundation’s National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections (www.idigbio.org), is offering a workshop focused on engaging the public in the digitization of the US's ca. 1 billion biodiversity specimens in ways that are interesting and educational for the participants and efficient and reliable for the projects managing the digitization. The workshop is co-organized by iDigBio’s Public Participation in Digitization Working Group and iDigBio’s Education and Outreach Working Group. The target audience for the workshop includes digitization project leaders, biodiversity informatics software developers, and informal education community members. The workshop will (1) identify steps in the digitization process that could involve the public, (2) establish one or more workflows for each of those steps, keeping the motivations driving public participants and digitizing institutions in mind, (3) identify existing tools, expertise, and communities that can be engaged in the workflows and gaps where new tools, expertise, or communities are needed, and (4) start individuals or small groups on the path of making those workflows a reality. The workshop will be held at University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, September 28–29, 2012.

Funding is available to support travel and per diem for five additional participants through a competitive application process. Those desiring to attend this workshop should submit their CV and a succinct paragraph (<200 words) explaining how their attendance will contribute to the successful completion of the four workshop goals given above to Cathy Bester (cbester@flmnh.ufl.edu) by July 16, 2012 The committee anticipates notifying applicants of decisions by July 20.

Questions about the content of the workshop can be directed to Austin Mast (amast@bio.fsu.edu).

With best regards,

Austin Mast (on behalf of the iDigBio Public Participation in Digitization Working Group) and Betty Dunckel (on behalf of the iDigBio Education and Outreach Working Group)

Austin Mast Associate Professor Director of the Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium Member of the Steering Committee of iDigBio, The National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections

Department of Biological Science 319 Stadium Drive Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4295 U.S.A.

Office: King Life Science Building, room 4065 Lab: King Life Science Building, rooms 4068 and 4084 Herbarium: Biological Science Unit One, room 100

Voice: 1 (850) 645-1500 Fax: 1 (850) 645-8447

amast@bio.fsu.edu