Living Collections Prioritization at Public Gardens
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LIVING COLLECTIONS PRIORITIZATION AT PUBLIC GARDENS by Anna V. Bower A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Plant and Soil Sciences Summer 2017 © 2017 Anna V. Bower All Rights Reserved LIVING COLLECTIONS PRIORITIZATION AT PUBLIC GARDENS by Anna V. Bower Approved: __________________________________________________________ John J. Frett, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ Robert E. Lyons, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Mark W. Rieger, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Approved: __________________________________________________________ Ann L. Ardis, Ph.D. Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my thanks to all who contributed to this thesis. To my committee members, Dr. John Frett, Dr. Susan Barton, and Mrs. Kristina Aguilar, thank you for your constructive comments and suggestions. To the public garden professionals who contributed to the surveys and participated in case study interviews, thank you for your support of graduate student research and enthusiasm for the subject matter. To the staff at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens, thank you for the opportunity to be selected as your curatorial graduate student. It was a pleasure to work with you for the past two years. Finally, to my friends and family, I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities you have provided me and your support during my time in graduate school. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 Disaster Planning ................................................................................................ 3 Living Collections Prioritization ........................................................................ 6 2 MATERIALS AND METHODS ..................................................................... 12 Human Subjects Review Board ........................................................................ 12 Online Surveys ................................................................................................. 12 Survey One ....................................................................................................... 12 Survey Two ...................................................................................................... 13 Case Studies ...................................................................................................... 13 Collection Policy Analysis ............................................................................... 15 3 RESULTS ......................................................................................................... 17 Survey One ....................................................................................................... 17 Survey Two ...................................................................................................... 24 Case Studies ...................................................................................................... 32 Collection Policy Analysis ............................................................................... 36 4 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 37 Survey One ....................................................................................................... 37 Survey Two ...................................................................................................... 38 Case Studies ...................................................................................................... 42 Theme 1: Institutional documents ........................................................ 42 Theme 2: Identification of core collections .......................................... 43 Theme 3: Benefits of collections prioritization .................................... 44 Theme 4: Assigning priority levels to collections ................................ 45 Theme 5: Communication of core collections ...................................... 46 Theme 6: Institutional accreditation ..................................................... 47 Collection Policy Analysis ............................................................................... 48 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 48 iv Recommendation 1: Know what your living collection contains ........ 48 Recommendation 2: Assemble a curation committee .......................... 49 Recommendation 3: Develop clear goals for the living collection ...... 49 Recommendation 4: Maintain up-to-date policies and procedures ...... 50 Recommendation 5: Consider applying for PCN or AAM accreditation ......................................................................................... 51 Recommendation 6: Publicize core collections .................................... 52 Recommendation 7: Ensure the long-term survival of core collections ............................................................................................. 52 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 54 Appendix A UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE IRB LETTERS ........................................... 60 Survey One Exemption Letter .............................................................. 60 Survey Two Exemption Letter ............................................................. 61 Case Study Approval Letter ................................................................. 62 B SURVEY ONE MATERIALS ......................................................................... 64 Invitation to Participate Email .............................................................. 64 Reminder to Participate Email .............................................................. 65 Final Reminder to Participate Email .................................................... 66 Living Collections Prioritization Survey One ...................................... 67 C SURVEY TWO MATERIALS ........................................................................ 73 Invitation to Participate Email .............................................................. 73 Reminder to Participate Email .............................................................. 74 Final Reminder to Participate Email .................................................... 75 Living Collections Prioritization Survey Two ..................................... 76 D CASE STUDY MATERIALS .......................................................................... 81 Invitation to Participate Email .............................................................. 81 Informed Consent Form ....................................................................... 82 Case Study Questions ........................................................................... 83 E CORE COLLECTIONS AS IDENTIFIED BY PARTICIPATING INSTITUTIONS IN SURVEY TWO .............................................................. 88 F COLLECTIONS PRIORITIZATION PROCESS RESPONSES .................... 96 v G RESPONSES TO CHANGES TO BE MADE IF COMPLETING THE COLLECTIONS PRIORITIZATION PROCESS AGAIN ............................ 102 H SELECTED TRANSCRIPTIONS FROM CASE STUDY INTERVIEWS .. 105 Denver Botanic Gardens ................................................................................. 105 Brooklyn Botanic Garden ............................................................................... 111 University of Washington Botanic Gardens ................................................... 117 Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania .................................... 127 The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University ............................................... 134 Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum .................................... 146 Wellfield Botanic Gardens ............................................................................. 153 Moore Farms Botanical Garden ..................................................................... 164 I CASE STUDY SUMMARIES ....................................................................... 172 Denver Botanic Gardens ................................................................................. 172 Background Information .......................................................................... 172 Living Collections Organization .............................................................. 173 Perceived Benefits and Importance of Collections Prioritization ............ 175 Brooklyn Botanic Garden ............................................................................... 176 Background ............................................................................................... 176 Living Collections Organization .............................................................