About us
Historic Workshops and Seminars
This section of the Archives contains details of, and documents arising from, workshops that aimed to address key issues within the biological recording infrastructure.
17th November 2016: Data Flows workshop, NBN Conference
The aim of the following workshop was to develop an assessment criteria to analyse the current data flows within the Network, to identify where the current blockages are occurring and which stages of the data flow pathway are working efficiently.
- NBN Conference 2016 – Data Flow Workshop report – [PDF, 2pp, 472kB]
25th May 2012: SBIF Inaugural Workshop
The following documents are all from the SBIF Inaugural Workshop on the 25th May 2012 held by SNH in Battleby, Perth.
- The data providers view – Presentation [PDF, 5pp, 567kB]
- SBIF inaugural workshop – Programme [PDF, 2pp, 189kB]
- SBIF inaugural workshop – Attendees list [PDF, 2pp, 128kB
- SBIF Inaugural Workshop – Minutes [PDF, 4pp, 163kB]
- SBIF inaugural workshop – Press Release [PDF, 1pp, 40kB]
18th May 2012: SBIF Sector Discussion: data collection, management & sharing
The following meeting was held in preparation for the SBIF workshop on the 25th May 2012. In the morning BRISC hosted discussions on data collection, with ALERC chairing a session on data management & sharing in the afternoon. The purpose of these discussions was to determine project proposals to be presented at the SBIF workshop, for partners to deliver.
- BRISC, ALERC, SBIF Sector Discussion – Invitation [PDF, 1pp, 43kB]
- BRISC, ALERC, SBIF Sector Discussion – Key Points Agreed [PDF, 2pp, 39kB]
- BRISC, ALERC, SBIF Sector Discussion – Minutes [PDF, 4pp, 50kB]
20th May 2002: Biological Recording in Scotland. NBN
Report of the Networking Naturalists seminar: Battleby, Perth, 20th May 2002. Twenty-seven delegates attended the seminar, aimed at exploring what was needed for enhancing the role of volunteers and others in their work of biological recording, specifically in Scotland.
- 2002 – Biological Recording in Scotland – Report of the Networking Naturalists seminar [PDF, 11pp, 395kB]
Reference: T.James (2002) Biological Recording in Scotland – Report of the Networking Naturalists seminar. NBN & BRC.
27th July 2000: Wildlife Information at your Fingertips: Generating data solutions through Local Record Centres
This report is the summary of the Wildlife Information at Your Fingertips conference, held on Thursday 27 July at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. The conference was organised as part of the National Biodiversity Network’s (NBN) Linking Local Record Centres project, and targeted at those who use biological information or work with or in a Local Record Centre (LRC). Through a series of presentations and open discussion, the conference provided an overview of the NBN and Linking LRCs project. This was followed by a more detailed look at the range of products and services an LRC can deliver to a wide range of users, and the process of setting up a Local Record Centre.
- 2000: Wildlife Information at your Fingertips: Generating data solutions through Local Record Centres – conference report [PDF, 16pp, 1594kB]
19th March 1998: Working Through Local Record Centres Seminar. NBN
This report is a summary of the seminar ‘Working through Local Record Centres’ held on 19 March 1998, at the Linnean Society, London. The day long seminar, arranged by the National Biodiversity Network’s, Local Advisory Group, was targeted at people running, contributing to or using Local Record Centres (LRCs). A series of presentations looked at the plans to develop the National Biodiversity Network, work already underway to establish a framework for LRCs, the role of LRCs in Biodiversity Planning and how recorders can get involved. The seminar was concluded with an open forum, which provided an opportunity for questions and comments about the proposals and future development of the NBN.
- 1998: Working Through Local Record Centres Seminar Report [PDF, 36pp, 2034kB]
29th – 30th January 1998: Marine species recording workshop. JNCC
The workshop included presentations on a range of existing recording schemes and record collections and also on currently used data management systems. Four working group sessions were held to start the decision-making process, to enable tangible progress to be made for developing the mechanisms for the collaborative supply of marine species information.
The workshop proceedings can be accessed on the JNCC website
Reference: Foster-Smith, J., ed. 1998. Proceedings of the marine species recording workshop 29 & 30 January 1998. (Contractor: The Dove Marine Laboratory, Newcastle University.) Peterborough, Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
13th March 1992: Biological recording of changes in British Wildlife. ITE Symposium 26
Proceedings of a Conference held on 13 March 1992 to celebrate the 25th Anniversaries of the Biological Records Centre and the Natural Environment Research Council
- Biological recording of changes in British Wildlife. ITE Symposium No. 26. Report [PDF, 88pp, 10,360kB, accessed from NERC Open Research Archive]
Reference: Harding, P.T. (1992) Biological recording of changes in British Wildlife. ITE Symposium No. 26. HMSO, London
11th May 1989: National Perspectives in Biological Recording in the UK. NFBR Conference
The 5th Annual Meeting of the National Federation for Biological Recording was held at the offices of the Central Electricity Generating Board at Sudbury House in London. The conference focused on some national perspectives in biological recording in the United Kingdom. The papers which follow present a timely account of developments and issues relating to biological recording in the UK.
- 1989 – National Perspectives in Biological Recording in the UK Report of the Annual NFBR Conference [ ] – PENDING SHARING PERMISSION
Reference: Stansfield & Harding (1990) National perspectives in biological recording in the UK – Report of NFBR Annual Conference – 11 May 1989
22nd -24th April 1987: Biological Recording: The products. Proceedings of NFBR conference
Proceedings of the annual conference of the National Federation for Biological Recording, held at Churchill Hall, Bristol, 22nd – 24th April 1987. The present conference focussing on ‘The Products’, with a selection of papers on the practical aspects of biological recording and discussions on how the products can be better tailored to the needs, was seen as a logical progression from the earlier conferences. The intention was to ensure that biological recording did not become a self-indulgent activity, but that it was organised in such a way as to meet defined needs. This was seen to be essential if the
community at large was to be persuaded that biological recording is a valuable public service.
- 1988 – Biological Recording: The products. Proceedings of NFBR conference [ ] – PENDING SHARING PERMISSION
15th – 16th April 1986: Biological Recording in a Changing Landscape. NFBR Conference.
This volume is a collection of four seminar papers and the reports of 10 workshops, from the Inaugural Conference of the National Federation for Biological Recording (NFBR). The Conference, held in Cambridge over two days in April 1986 and was the start of a determined attempt to set up a properly organised and financed system for biological recording at both the national and regional level.
The conference proceedings can be accessed on the NFBR website
Reference: Harding, P.T. and Roberts, D.A. (eds.) 1986. Biological Recording in a Changing Landscape. Cambridge, National Federation for Biological Recording.
21st September 1985: BioLink Conference. BRISC
This Conference was aimed at all those interested and involved in Biological Recording to provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and views and to discuss the future development of recording, in Scotland over the next decade. In addition to the “formal” lectures it was intended to stage a wide range ofdisplays and demonstrations covering the whole spectrum of data-handling technology – computers, card indexes, etc.
- BRISC Biolink ’85 Conference – Programme & delegate list [PDF, 3pp, 90kB]
17th – 18th April 1975: Biological Recording Forum
This Forum was a direct follow up to the seminar ‘Biological Recording and the use of site based biological Information’, organized by the Biology Curators Group (BCG), held on 15-14 September 1984 at Leicester Museum. The Forum took place under the joint auspices of the Biology Curators Group and the Biological
Records Centre at Chelsea College, London. There were 101 participants, the majority of whom, after a somewhat faltering start, made some contribution to the discussions during the two days
- Biological Recording Forum, 1985. BCG Special Report No 4 [PDF, 46pp, 1,669kB, accessed from NFBR website]
Reference: Copp, C.J.T and Harding, P.T. (eds.) (1985) Biological Recording Forum 1985 (Biological Curators’ Group Special Report No 4) Bolton: Biology Curators Group.
11th – 13th April 1975: Conference on Biological Recording in Scotland. Dundee Museum
This conference was simulated by similar successful conferences held at Cardiff in 1971 and at Leicester in 1973. Like them, it owed its origin to the realisation by a few individuals concerned about biological recording, with encouragement from the Biological Records Centre at Monks Wood, that it would be a valuable opportunity for an exchange of information about the many different kinds of recording schemes now in operation. It would also act as a medium through which it is hoped that there will be a spread of interest in the recording of biological information throughout Scotland.
- Biological Recording in Scotland – Conference Report [PDF, 79pp, 3812kB]
Reference: Ritchie, A. (1975) BIOREC-75 Conference Report. Dundee, Dundee Museum