EMu Efficiency
Expectations
- Cataloguing rates will of course depend on what type of project you are working on.
- As a gauge, retrospectively cataloguing specimens from the vascular herbarium with complete records should generally be at least 30 specimens/hour or faster. For some projects it can be over 50 specimens/hour.
- Many factors speed up or slow down this rate. Type of data, data already in EMu, organization of specimens, curation, methods of data entry.
- EMu is highly versatile. You can get pretty creative on ways to organize both your specimens and the way you enter them into the database.
- Use the data that is already in EMu to help you. By copying parts of the data already in EMu you can save time as well as your wrists by cutting down on the amount typing.
Most importantly: Only use methods you are comfortable with. If you do not completely understand a shortcut please do not use it. We would still rather you take your time to enter something correctly and slowly, rather than quickly but full of mistakes.
Ways to speed up
Strategy to organize specimens and data
Sort your specimens as you pull them from the herbarium. Grouping specimens with similar information can take advantage of the ditto function as well as many other tools in EMu. Know your data set to best organize your specimens before you catalogue.
By taxon
- This can help save time in figuring out the correct taxon record to attach. As you work with a group you’ll become more familiar with the taxon, authors, determiners, etc.
- Use of the template tool.
By collector
- Sorting specimens by collector can help you take advantage of existing information in the database. The further along any project is, the more information there is available in EMu to ditto.
- Botanists tend to collect large blocks of numbers with all of the same collection event info. Often even if that collection number isn’t in EMu, there is another record with the same information you can ditto the site, collaborators, date, etc.
By site
- Different collectors can be on the same project, to collect in the same site. Even if there aren’t many specimen records of one collector, do you have some from the same project with the same site, or even a portion of that site? Don’t use the same site record for different collectors, but you can ditto the site into a new record.
Features in EMu
Organizing windows on your screen
It is easy to get lost in a sea of open modules in EMu. Always keep a particular module in the same spot on the screen. Organize the windows so that the ones you drag between are next to each other.
See keyboard shortcuts. Memorizing keystrokes instead of relying on your mouse will greatly speed up navigation.
Searching/Attaching
If you understand the way EMu is searching in specific fields, you can figure out ways to narrow your results faster.
Searching in attachment fields
EMu searches complete words of the Summary Data. (Matches text, no need for punctuation, and in no order.) If you can narrow it down to one record, EMu will automatically attach the record.
Examples: Taxonomy: Inga marginata; Parties: L.(Lyman) B. Smith; M. (Marcus) E. Jones; A. Amorim, Brazil; P. Delprete; M. (Michael) H. Nee; Coll. Events: Farney 1807
Searching in separate modules and dragging
Useful when: there will be many results; it is too complicated to type name/taxon correctly; you are not sure of the exact spelling.
Parties: Search in brief or full name fields. Not sure which collector, compare coll. events: J. Nascimento, 63, Brazil, Mato Grosso; I. M. Silva, Pernambuco.
Also, “View Attachments”
- Taxonomy: Using hierarchy and F12; Using the “!*” search to find genus-only records.
Sorting
Sorting your results can help you find your record within a list faster. It can also help you narrow down information to find the correct record faster. (i.e. “s.n.” records (Lems, March 1964 sort by date); or unsure of a collector, search both, sort by coll. no and compare site info (see above example, J. Nascimento)
List View
Other than summary data you can choose different fields to look at to compare records you have sorted.
Using Groups
If you have already spent the time to find a correct record you can save that work and easily find the record next time by putting it into a group.
Resources
Gazetteers, websites about collectors, TROPICOS, IPNI, etc. Maybe start a file in the public directly of these websites?
Re-identify tool
Mass update determinations on existing records. Helpful in processing. This requires additional privledges in EMu. See How to use the re-identify tool for instructions.
Template tool
Cataloguing fieldbooks, and in some of our current rapid digitization projects.
Ditto function
Use a combination of the above functions to find existing data in EMu and ditto it so that you don’t have to type it.
Collection Events – Search by Collector plus date and/or precise location. Choose coll. event record that is identical.
Then, Ctrl + F9; Ctrl + N; Shift + F9. Change the collection number, Ctrl +S.
Work habits
Time sitting at the computer
It is usually more efficient to catalogue larger batches of specimens rather than small ones. Keep in mind sensible stopping points in terms of the amount of material you pull from the herbarium to catalogue in one sitting.
That said, we don’t want you to into a zombie! You should of course take breaks and stretch your legs and clear your head during the day.
Distractions
Headphones. Headphones can help to drown out otherwise distracting stuff going on around us.
Data Cleanup
It’s easy to get sidetracked, looking for one thing and finding mistakes that needs fixing. Don’t spend too much time on it, send cleanup to an information manager.