Digitization of the Lichenotheca Veneta by Vittore Trevisan

The Lichenotheca Veneta, published in 1869 by Vittore Trevisan (1818–1897), is one of the most relevant historic collections of exsiccatae of lichens in Italy. It contains a total of 268 specimens from 74 genera, 197 species, and 119 varieties and forms, organized into eight files and four volumes, and was probably conceived as the first of a series, even if no further volumes were published. To our knowledge, it is probably preserved in its complete and original form at the Natural History Museum of Venice only. Given its historical, cultural, and scientific relevance, it has been digitized and the resulting images and metadata have been published in a web portal. The digitization workflow comprised an initial digital imaging phase, followed by the extraction of specimens’ metadata from the specimens’ labels, and by a further digital imaging phase to capture specimens’ relevant details. The mobilization of metadata and images by means of digitization is widely recognized as an effective approach for enhancing the accessibility and usability of natural history collections. At the same time, since several inferences can be made without physically accessing the specimens, which, being biological objects, are intrinsically fragile, digitization contributes to reducing the risk of their deterioration. This contribution details the collection and its features, discussing the digitization process and its results.