Protocol and survey data from: Building infrastructure for silica-preserved leaf tissue collections in herbaria

Herbaria are irreplaceable resources for plant research, containing
spatiotemporally and phylogenetically diverse specimens and data that can
be leveraged for a wide range of groundbreaking research. In addition to
pressed plants, many herbaria also maintain silica-preserved plant tissue
collections. Because these specimens preserve DNA and other compounds more
readily, silica-dried plant tissue collections are an exciting avenue for
herbaria to enable high quality, reproducible, and data-rich research
across plant biology. However, while many botanists already collect
voucher-associated silica-preserved tissue samples, there is a lack of
guidance around the best tools and practices for curating them. We
examined the scientific literature and solicited feedback from herbarium
professionals to explore major considerations for building and managing
silica-preserved tissue collections, especially in light
of resource limitations faced by small and regional herbaria. We
identify several considerations for establishing these collections,
including physical storage options, organization systems, digital curation
approaches, and terms-of-use agreements. While building the infrastructure
for curating and publicizing these collections will require additional
planning, coordination among institutions, and the frontloading of
resources, we see silica-preserved tissue collections as a critical
resource to both empower research and enhance the value of herbaria.