Sample Greenfield Imaging Projects
The following is a sample of the imaging projects conducted through the Alfred M. Greenfield Imaging Center for Collections.
John Gould Collection of Australian Birds
In June 1849, the Academy acquired John Gould's collection of 1,848 specimens of Australian birds. This includes some 300 type specimens on which Gould erected scientific names, many of which are still in use. The Academy's Ornithology Department digitized approximately 300 specimens from the collection along with Gould's original descriptions. In addition, the Library has contributed scans of Gould's illustrations from his monograph Birds of Australia.
This web version is slated to be reformatted, but you can view the old version at www.ansp.org/research/biodiv/ornithology/Gould/list.html
Lewis and Clark Herbarium
In preparation for the bicentennial celebration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Botany Department at the Academy digitized over two hundred 4"x5" transparencies of specimens from the Lewis and Clark Herbarium. These images were made public with the release of the Lewis and Clark Herbarium CD-ROM in 2002 (Special Publications 19).
A Delight for the Eye and the Mind:
Books on Mollusks and Their Shells
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is one of the oldest and largest centers in the world for Malacology, the study of mollusks. This project imaged illustrations from rare books housed at the Library, including works from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
A Delight for the Eye and The Mind is currenly one of many online exhibits available on Digital Collections.
Titian R. Peale Butterfly and Moth Collection
The Titian R. Peale Collection is one of the oldest entomology collections in the Western Hemisphere and is one of the best documents collections of its age. Over 3,000 specimens are housed in 100 hermetically sealed "book boxes" of his own design.
As part of a conservation and research effort started in 1996, the collection was digitally imaged. This historically significant collection can now be accessed online at the Titian R. Peal Butterfly and Moth Collection.
Type and Historical Specimens
Type specimens are typically the most frequently consulted items in museum systematic collections. The ability to provide accurate images of this material will not only expedite scientific inquiry, but also helps to preserve these scientifically significant and often fragile specimens by reducing physical wear and tear.
The same benefits hold true for imaging the unique, historic material housed in our collections such as the Thomas Jefferson Fossil Collection.
The image on the top is a recent image of the ammonite Titanites giganteus from the Academy's Invertebrate Paleontology Collection. The image at the bottom is the original illustration of the ammonite from William Buckland's 1837 publication that is often referred to as the Bridgewater Treatise.