[NHCOLL-L:2022] Re: Lack of voucher numbers for sequences.

[Chris.Ecroyd at ForestResearch.co.nz]

Hi

I think that the issue of researchers lodging vouchers is an important
general one.  Why is it not being done more widely? Are they always that
confident of their identifications!!  It should be a very important role
for collections and yet it is often being ignored.  Perhaps someone should
give Genbank examples of why it should be done. Funding for collections
could be more forth coming if the collections are used more widely for
lodging vouchers.

Chris Ecroyd
Herbarium Curator
Forest Research, Private Bag 3020
Rotorua
New Zealand
phone 07 3435609, email chris.ecroyd at forestresearch.co.nz

Hi al

Here at the KU Natural History Museum we have a large fish tissue
collection that is extensively used.  Recently I came across an interesting
question with regard to sequences submitted to Genbank using material from
our collection.  I would like to link Genbank accession numbers to voucher
material in our collection database for future reference.  However it
appears that it is not common practice for researchers to lodge voucher
information with Genbank or the facility to do so does not exist in
Genbank.

I have asked a number of our users if there is any prerequisite for them to
submit museum voucher numbers along with sequences to Genbank and none of
them could answer my question (most didn't think so) - and none of them had
lodged voucher numbers with their sequences.  I also contacted Genbank with
the same query and got a similar answer.  Is there anyone out there who can
answer this question?  I would think that having a field in Genbank to
enter this information would be very useful and would be advantageous not
only to the collection concerned but also to Genbank in terms of the
validity of the material used to generate the sequences.

If anyone who has had dealings with this issue or with Genbank concerning
this issue I would be interested to hear from you off list.

Thanks

Andy



Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Natural History Museum & Biodiversity Research Center
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA

Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
Email: ABentley at ku.edu              :
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