Producing labels for herbarium specimens
From Fieldwiki
Label production method
Labels for herbarium specimens can be generated by hand, can be type written, made in a word processor or generated from the electronic database in which all the records are housed (eg. BGBase, KEmu).
Labels are rarely hand written anymore. Poorly written labels are hard to understand and errors in transcription are easily made.
Labels are often generated from the database in use in the herbarium or museum or in a word processing proforma designed by the institute. The accuracy of the information on the label is dependent on accurate data entry from field book notes. Assuming the data is transcribed and entered correctly, these printed labels produce a clear, legible label in a standardised format. They can be generated and printed in bulk and onto archive quality label paper.
Typewritten labels are still useful and provide clear, understandable information. The format may be more variable than database or processor generated labels and need to be generated manually and individually. Considering most herbaria and museums are databasing their collections and labels are only generated for specimens after they have been added to the database, it is most likely that new labels will not be typewritten.
Label content
Irrespective of the production method, the aim of a label is to convey information about the specimen that is not attainable from the specimen itself. This usually includes date, name, location, habitat, habit, collector, collection number, originating herbarium, if the specimen is a component of a known Flora (i.e. collected in an expedition conducted to write the Flora of a region) or expedition. The label may also contain a map of the collecting area.
Generally the more available information the better, but it does need to be clear, concise and fit within a limited physical space (often about 10 x 10 cm) in a size 10 or 12 font. The label must fit easily onto the herbarium sheet without impeding the layout of the specimen.
Label format
Layout varies from organisation to organisation. Examples are provided below. Further examples can be found by searching international on-line specimen databases (e.g. Missouri Botanical Gardens website).
