In 2022, BHL uploaded its 60 millionth page of biodiversity literature. Thanks to our contributing partners around the world and to donors who support our work, BHL continues to inspire discovery through free access to biodiversity knowledge. On this Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to BHL so we can continue to support your research needs.

In November, the BHL Collections Committee released its new Collection Development Policy, which is written to provide recommendations and serve the collection management needs of BHL Partners. The policy is a comprehensive revision of the original policy written in 2010. Going forward, the policy will be reviewed on a yearly basis.

The story of a scientific name is part of the name itself. The need for better citation of authorities of taxonomic names is a complex issue with which the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) has been grappling for some time. In a joint paper authored with the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) and BHL, the CETAF e-publishing working group recommends best practices to make taxonomic citations universally consistent, discoverable, and comparable across publications and platforms.

For the first time, BHL held its annual meeting in conjunction with a major biodiversity/natural sciences organization. In June 2022, BHL joined the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) and the Natural Sciences Collections Society (NatSCA) to host our meetings in Edinburgh, Scotland. BHL coordinated two symposia on liberating collections data in biodiversity literature and the value of collections and collaborations across BHL.

BHL Program Director, Martin Kalfatovic, traveled to Belgium in October to participate in the 29th Governing Board meeting of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). While in Belgium, Martin also visited with colleagues at Plantentuin Meise and the AfricaMuseum to explore possible collaborations with BHL.