Dear BID colleagues,

I know that some of you will have heard about this already, but I’d like to ask your help in alerting members of your networks about a virtual workshop and consultation that GBIF is coordinating in March and April.

This workshop, Advancing the Catalogue of the World's Natural History Collections, consists of two parts:

* A pair of two-hour preparatory webinars on 12-13 March, in which participants will discuss this draft ideas paperhttps://doi.org/10.15468/doc-wnsx-ep77 * An open, facilitated online consultation that will run between 17-29 April

Participants in these events will outline the scope, content and services included in a catalogue of the world's natural history collections and develop a shared road map for implementation across the biodiversity informatics community. You can find the details herehttps://www.gbif.org/news/6TvOkvpPlxRm5vHxljYNN5/, including times, dates and links to registration for both the March webinars and the April consultation.

The workshop is the first of three that GBIF will lead as part of the European Commission-funded SYNTHESYS+https://www.synthesys.info/ project, and it will also provide inputs into several intersecting initiatives, including the alliance for biodiversity knowledgehttps://www.allianceforbio.org/.

You’re most welcome to use your own materials and formats to promote the workshop, but I’ve provided the material below in the hope of making it easier for you to share.

Many thanks, Kyle =====

Sample social media posts:

* Join the upcoming @SynthesysEU virtual workshop and international consultation aimed at advancing the catalogue of the world's natural history collections: https://www.gbif.org/news/6TvOkvpPlxRm5vHxljYNN5/ * This just-released ideas paper prompts discussion for the upcoming @SynthesysEU workshop to define the scope, content and services for a catalogue of the world's natural history collections and develop a shared road map for community-wide implementation: https://doi.org/10.15468/doc-wnsx-ep77

Some of the relevant Twitter handles and hashtags for this (besides your own) include: @SynthesysEU @GBIF @catalogueoflife @iBOLConsortium @UnivofGhana @BGM_coll_res @iDigBio @tdwg @RBINSmuseum @eurotaxonomy @NYBG @SPNHC @NHM_Digitise @DiSSCoEU @allianceforbio

Finally, feel free to use this photohttps://flic.kr/p/2gphBMU from GBIF’s Flickr account, preferably with a credit line/caption like:

Specimen detail, Trinidad National Herbarium. Photohttps://flic.kr/p/2gphBMU 2019 by Maheva Bagard Laursen | GBIF, licensed under CC BY 2.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.

===== Kyle Copas Communications Manager ORCID: 0000-0002-6590-599Xhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6590-599X

GBIF Secretariat Universitetsparken 15 DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Denmark +45 35 32 14 75 | mobile +45 28 75 14 75 | Skype kylecopas https://www.gbif.org