Approved-By:  Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.pacs-l
Date:         Wed, 22 Jul 1992 08:05:21 CDT
From:         Jim Beach <JBEACH@HARVARDA.BITNET>
Subject:      MUSEUM COMPUTERIZATION WORKSHOP

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
             Second Workshop on the Computerization
                 of Natural History Collections

                       13-18 November 1992


A workshop on the computerization of natural history collections
is being sponsored by the Harvard University Herbaria, the MUSE
Project of Cornell University and the Museum Informatics Project
of the University of California at Berkeley.  Funding will be
provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

The workshop is intended to explore and define technical
approaches for community-wide support of the computerization of
natural history museum specimens.  Targeted participants include
museum personnel with database backgrounds, LTER data managers
with experience in community information systems, and academic or
library information specialists with experience in community-wide
database architectures or authority file management.  The
workshop will cover various institutional and technical aspects
of developing shared community information resources, community-
wide information and database models capable of supporting
autonomous institutional databases, data communication
architectures for community support, and discipline-wide virtual
networks over the Internet.  The workshop will also pursue
technical avenues for the integration of museum specimen
information within other academic and research information
communities, such as the NSF Long Term Ecological Research
Program, Campus-Wide Information Systems and the libraries.

Several network and database tutorials are planned utilizing
academic and commercial software.  Specific applications include:
WAIS, Gopher, Internet-bridged local-area-networks and various
client/server database systems.

Participants with a museum background will be expected to have a
working understanding of modern database management technology
and museum collection data types, and will have demonstrated
experience in the design and development of research information
systems or in the support of multi-user biological databases.
Museum applicants will be selected so as to ensure broad
taxonomic representation from both large and small institutions.

Academic candidates from non-biological fields with technical
expertise in community-wide information systems, community
authority file management, or with experience in the modelling,
design or implementation of partially-replicated database
architectures are also strongly encouraged to apply.

The workshop will be held at the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station
of Michigan State University on 13-18 November, 1992.
Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on September 4.
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance by September 29.
Travel, lodging and meal expenses will be covered, contingent on
funding.

For further information, contact Jim Beach, preferably by email
at: workshop@huh.harvard.edu, by fax: (617) 495-9484, or by mail
at the address below.

Individuals who applied, but who were not accepted, for the
workshop held at UC Berkeley in May, 1992, may reactivate their
existing application for this workshop by indicating their
interest to the organizers via mail or email by the application
deadline.

Applicants must submit a letter (2 page maximum) explaining their
interest and relevant background with a concise resume or vita.
Receipt of applications will be acknowledged.

Mail THREE copies of completed applications to:

     Dr. James H. Beach
     Harvard University Herbaria
     22 Divinity Avenue
     Cambridge, MA 02138  U. S. A.


or email one complete application by the deadline to:

     workshop@huh.harvard.edu

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