OVERVIEW OF DIGITAL DATA IN THE CONTEXT OF PALEONTOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT (Invited Presentation)

Digital data has become increasingly important in the context of paleontological collections because it improves a collection’s accessibility and usability. Available digital data on paleontological resources preserves information of valuable specimens when they are no longer physically available, is central to ensuring collection and specimen value to the scientific community and to society, and can push forward paleoecological analyses, which represents a shift from traditional systematic fossil research. Digital data management and advancement should be a top priority for paleontological collections of any size and location. It enables specimen data to be accessible to researchers who cannot access and study a specimen physically, it supports scientific reproducibility, it facilitates cataloguing and organizing a collection, and it makes paleontological data and resources accessible to the general public for activities like outreach. In this research, we overview the digital data practices within the paleontological collections’ community, the relevance of digital data in collections management, and the different kinds of digital data related to paleontological collections. We aim to open a forum for discussion on the ways that digital data management can be made more accessible to all collecting institutions, regardless of financial status. Moreover, we provide suggested resources and recommendations that institutions can use to improve their digital data collections and management. Finally, we highlight current efforts to grow the corpus of paleontological digital data (databases) and the challenges in the acquisition and management of digital data. The current COVID-19 crisis has made paleontological digital data even more relevant than ever since most collections are physically inaccessible for the foreseeable future. Increasing accessibility of collections through digitization can help validate their value, allow all people take greater advantage of paleontological specimens, and serve as an advocacy tool for this irreplaceable resource that is in imminent peril.