iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Biodiversity Heritage Library

🌈 Dr Ross Brooks @rossbrooks.co.uk · 24/09/2026

Lovely plate showing two gynandromorph large yeoman butterflies (Cirrochroa aoris). One is shown from above (top) and beneath (centre). From an 1880 article by English entomologist J.O. Westwood in the Transactions of the Entomological Society of London. 🌈🦋🗃️ @biodivlibrary.bsky.social #histsci #sts

Colour plate depicting three images of large yeoman butterflies in a vertical row. They are all gynandromorphs, exhibiting different patterning in yellows, browns, and white on left and right sides. Source: Biodiversity Heritage Library.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Our #TDWG2026 Symposium continues at 4pm with "Transforming BHL: Data Extraction, Semantic Navigation & Future Interfaces". Join us as our next speakers take the stage: Christian Bölling @mfnberlin.bsky.social, Gerwin Kasperek @sgn.one, Jana Hoffman @sgn.one, and Rod Page. @rdmpage.bsky.social. 🧪 🌱

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Join us at #TDWG2026 2pm today for our BHL Symposium #1. Our amazing speakers include Joe Miller, Sydney Jordan, Amanda Boczar, Qianqian Gu & Nicky Nicolson @phylojoe.bsky.social @nickynicolson.bsky.social @tdwg.org @gbif.org @nhm-london.bsky.social @usflibraries.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social 🧪

The opening slide of a powerpoint presentation

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Join our Communications Director at #TDWG2026 as she shares the story of BHL's transition to independence thus far, and what it might still take to get to the other side. 🧪 🌏 🌱

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In our latest #BHLat20 post, Briana Giasullo explores how digitization, metadata and archival collections are helping uncover the life and work of entomologist Carrie B. Aaron: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/09/carr... #Academy ofNaturalSciences #ILoveBHL #WomenInScience #HerNaturalHistory 🧪

An historic notebook opened to the introduction.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🐦🐊 For #PloverAppreciationDay, a tale from BHL. This “Egyptian Plover & Crocodile” illustrates the ancient story that plovers entered crocodiles’ mouths to eat leeches & insects. The book called the tale “strictly true.” Modern evidence disagrees. 📚 🧪 www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography...

An historic illustration of a crocodile with a small bird in its mouth.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

We're getting very excited about #TDWG2026 in Oslo next week! We'll be sharing BHL’s next chapter and exploring new ways to unlock the value of biodiversity literature. Join us! 🌱 Mon 30 Sept: BHL Mini-keynote 🧪 Tues 1 Oct: BHL symposium 🔗 Thurs 3 Oct: BHL workshop #BiodiversityData @tdwg.org

An historic illustration of a man crossing a living bridge made of fig tree roots.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Those faces. 🥺 BHL made it through its transition to independence, but we only have secure funding only through 2027. Monthly donations help build the reliable support needed to keep BHL free and open beyond that. 🧪 📚️ 🌱 💚 Become a #BHLSustainer: ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLSust... #ILoveBHL

An historic illustration of three baby birds on a tree branch.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Happy #MountainChickenFrogDay! ⛰️ 🐔 🐸 Leptodactylus fallax is native to Dominica & Montserrat, yet it is now functionally extinct on Montserrat. The species is an emblem of Dominica, but is critically endangered, with few known individuals in the wild. www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/28195131 🧪 📚️

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

We LOVE this book cover inspired by Seba's "Rerum Naturalium Thesaurus" (1734), and that they credited BHL and #MuseumsVictoria as the source of the image. Scroll through the fabulous historic snake illustrations that inspired this magnificent artwork: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/127553#... 🧪

biodiversitylibrary.org

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Reposted by Biodiversity Heritage Library

University of Illinois News Bureau @news.illinois.edu · 31/08/2026

Kelli Trei of the University Library oversaw the relocation of the Biodiversity Heritage Library, the world’s largest digital library dedicated to biodiversity literature, from the Smithsonian Institution to other institutions across the U.S. Read more here: news.illinois.edu/what-is-the-...

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Dr Laura Sangha @lsangha.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Andrew Saier was a yeoman who referred to 'coming to sea' and being on a ship at the time of making his will. He referred to the 'Moluccas' - the Maluku islands in eastern Indonesia. Birds of paradise, Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Digitised by Smithsonian Libraries.

Engravings of six extraordinary looking birds. They lay on the page as if dead.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

On #ThreatenedSpeciesDay, our latest #BHLat20 post explores some of BHL’s most precious treasures: extinct species descriptions. BHL’s historic literature preserves information about what we’ve lost, and what we can still save: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/09/exti... 🧪 📖

An historic illustration of two thylacines (dog-like marsupials with black stripes across their backs)

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Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The results of the BHL @biodivlibrary.bsky.social user survey are outlined on the BHL forum, see forum.biodiversitylibrary.org/t/introducin.... BHL is modernising its website and services, so information like this can help guide that modernisation. The biggest signal is "better search".

forum.biodiversitylibrary.org

Introducing the BHL Platform Modernization Project — Survey Results & What's Next

Hi everyone, My name is Rahul Sharma, and I’m writing to formally introduce myself to the community as the Project Manager & Cloud Engineer for the BHL Platform Modernization initiative, authorized b...

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Rebecca @jeybecques.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

These are such cool illustrations!! I just want to make sure you also know this book is available with full text and scientific name searches @biodivlibrary.bsky.social www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/43188#p...

biodiversitylibrary.org

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

🦈 Happy #InternationalWhaleSharkDay! The whale shark, the world’s largest fish, feeds largely on the ocean’s tiniest creatures: plankton. This whale shark (aptly) appeared in the "Field Book of Giant Fishes" (1949). 🧪 Explore it in BHL: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/6279169 #ILoveBHL

An historic illustration of a Whale Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark & Spotted Eagle Ray, swimming in the sea.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

We ❤️ seeing BHL content used in unexpected ways! EcoSend features historic BHL illustrations across its website and newsletters, and importantly, provides credits, bibliographic context and links back to the original images in BHL. 🐦‍⬛ A lovely example of #OpenAccess in action: ecosend.io #ILoveBHL

Two red, black and white woodpeckers perched on a branch.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

🐐 Happy #WorldGoatDay! This 1832 account of the domestic goat (Capra hircus) describes them as lively and playful, but also quarrelsome, fond of climbing, and prone to getting into places they shouldn't. There's an entire section on “Schaden” (Damage)! 📚🧪 www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50885095

An historic illustration of a long-haired long-horned shaggy white and black goat.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

BHL needs ongoing support to grow, improve, and remain open to everyone. 🥚 Like the eggs in these historic plates, recurring gifts can be Swallow-sized, Puffin-sized, Falcon-sized, or anything in between. 🧪 📚️ What size BHL Sustainer will you be? ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLSust... #ILoveBHL

Two historic illustrations of different sized eggs.

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Reposted by Biodiversity Heritage Library

Kai Caspar @nomascus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

One of my favourite works in all of the primatological literature. The orangutan is great but my highlight will always be the iconic type illustration of the Javan gibbon, which was scientifically named in this book.

Detailed drawing of a Javan gibbon by Audebert walking upright (as they do) and facing the viewer. The artist drew a stuffed animal that is still in the collection of the Paris Natural History Museum and is considered the holotype specimen of this species.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

🦧 Today is #OrangutanDay! In 1797, Audebert depicted this beautiful great ape as “Le Jocko” (Simia satyrus): “Le Jocko habite Bornéo” (The Jocko inhabits Borneo), offering a glimpse into the changing taxonomy of great apes. 🧪 📚️ Explore: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/58948656 #ILoveBHL

An historic illustration of an orangutan standing on a branch, next to a page of French text

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Rejected in zoological nomenclature. Revised and accepted. Now in BHL. In our latest #BHLat20 post, we uncover the fascinating history of E.A.W. Zimmermann’s pioneering 18th-century work on animal geography, and its surprising Field Museum connection. blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/08/reje...

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We’re delighted to welcome Amanda Boczar & Leora Siegel to two new roles on the BHL Executive Committee! 🎉 Amanda is our inaugural Strategic Development Officer; Leora joins as BHL’s first Member-at-Large. 🧪 Meet them & learn more about the new roles: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/08/two-...

Announcement text, flanked by photographs of two women.

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Reposted by Biodiversity Heritage Library

Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Tool to display the use of a taxonomic name over time based on @biodivlibrary.bsky.social data is online at iphylo.org/bhl-name-tim..., the screenshot shows results for Physeter catodon versus Physeter macrocephalus (names for the sperm whale). This will be part of @tdwg.org workshop on BHL in Oslo.

Occurrences of scientific names across the Biodiversity Heritage Library, over time for Physeter catodon and Physeter macrocephalus

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Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Just finished adding articles to @biodivlibrary.bsky.social scans of Transactions of the Zoological Society of London @zslofficial.bsky.social, which include some stunning illustrations of mammal and bird skeletons, such as these chimp and gorilla skulls biostor.org/reference/32...

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Reposted by Biodiversity Heritage Library

Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Short answer is yes, OCR errors are a problem, long answer is that this is probably going to be a much smaller problem once @biodivlibrary.bsky.social starts using new LLM based OCR tools (see huggingface.co/blog/fineboo... for example). @nhm-london.bsky.social are doing some cool work on this.

huggingface.co

FineBooks: are open OCR models good enough to unlock historical knowledge?

A Blog post by FineBooks on Hugging Face

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Sebastian Majstorovic @storytracer.com · 10/08/2026

Are open OCR models good enough to unlock historical knowledge? @danielvanstrien.bsky.social and I built a leaderboard using six expert-transcribed volumes from the @biodivlibrary.bsky.social sky.social. Meet FineBooks, from @hf.co and @eleutherai.bsky.social! huggingface.co/blog/fineboo...

huggingface.co

FineBooks: are open OCR models good enough to unlock historical knowledge?

A Blog post by FineBooks on Hugging Face

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Two pioneers of Illinois natural history and two scientific legacies. 🐟🐝 Our latest #BHLat20 post explores Stephen A. Forbes, Charles Robertson and the publications & archivals that preserve their work for researchers today. 🧪 blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/08/pion... @illinoisfunk.bsky.social

An historic illustration of an orange, brown, and yellow striped fish.

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Stewed Pears.com 🍐 @stewedpearsdotcom.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

'Gertrude Stein once asked Henri Matisse if he looked at the tomato he was eating in a special, artistic way. Replied Matisse, "No, when I eat a tomato I look at it the way anyone else would. But when I paint a tomato, then I see it differently."' Source: pages.jh.edu/jhumag/996we... #food 🍜

Botanical illustration of a various varieties of tomatoes, small and large, green, yellow and red

Tomatoes, or Love-Apples from Album Benary (1876-1886) by Ernst Benary. Original public domain image from Biodiversity Heritage Library, sourced from Rawpixel

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Public Domain Image Archive @pdimagearchive.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Edible Mushrooms (1827) by A. Cornillon, from Atlas des Champignons. Source: Lloyd Library and Museum / Biodiversity Heritage Library pdimagearchive.org/images/f5faed1e-… #nature #food #botanical #mycology #mushrooms #bookillustration #lithography #art

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Rachel Deering @racheldeering.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Vögel und Vogelstimmen, Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Wren, firecrest, blue tit, marsh tit illustrated with their eggs.

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Drew @drewavery.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

From the @biodivlibrary.bsky.social

Beebe, W. et.al. A monograph of the pheasants New York Zoological Society (1918)

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Last year, the BHL community helped us take flight into a new independent future. Now we need reliable monthly support to sustain the people, systems & infrastructure that keep BHL’s 64+ million pages freely available to everyone. 🧪 Become a #BHLSustainer 🔗 ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLSust...

An historic illustration of an adult kingfisher, fish in beak, about to feed its chicks.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

🦉 It's #OwlAwarenessDay! These #owls are from Atlante Ornitologico (1902). Contributed to BHL by the Research Library of @amnh.org: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7879732... 📖

An historic illustration of nine species of owl perched on branches and rocks

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Raise Good Ruckus @raisegoodruckus.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Millions of biodiversity records—from historic field journals to botanical illustrations and preserved specimens—are freely available through the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Knowledge grows when it's shared. Explore: www.biodiversitylibrary.org #Biodiversity #OpenAccess #RaiseGoodRuckus

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Copy & Design @handle.invalid · 24/07/2026

Very cool. The Biodiversity Heritage Library gives free access to its digital archive of historic texts and illustrations of species living and lost, supplied by museums around the world. Check it out here: www.biodiversitylibrary.org

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Siobhan Leachman @siobhanleachman.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

I'm of the FIRM opinion that all New Zealand museum publications relating to biodiversity should be in the Biodiversity Heritage Library. BE LIKE AUCKLAND MUSEUM. www.biodiversitylibrary.org/bibliography... (I know, I know copyright)

biodiversitylibrary.org

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

What can a scientific journal reveal about a changing island? In our latest #BHLat20 story, Dr Sally Bryant explores 175+ years of Tasmania’s environments, cultures and politics through the "Papers and Proceedings of the #RoyalSocietyofTasmania": blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/07/rst-... 🧪 📖 🌱

An historic illustration of fossil plants and animals

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Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

New in @biodivlibrary.bsky.social are the chapters of "Vertebrate palaeontology of Australasia", including one of my favourite images, a giant goanna chasing a mihirung (Genyornis) www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/39941042

Figure 7. Reconstruction (by P. Trusler) of the dromomithid Genyornis newtoni being attacked by the giant goanna, Megalania prisca, both known from the Pleistocene of Australia.

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Last chance to help shape the future of BHL: the BHL User Survey closes today, July 27. Take 3–5 minutes to tell us what would make BHL more useful to you. Your feedback will directly inform our priorities and guide improvements as we modernize the BHL platform. bit.ly/4fpc75D

bit.ly

BHL User Experience

BHL is beginning a major modernization of its platform. We’d like users to help shape what comes next. This 3–5 minute survey asks about how you use BHL and the improvements you’d like to see. Your ...

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Welcome, Senckenberg! Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (@sgn.one) has joined BHL as our newest Member, contributing specialized library collections that will help strengthen global access to biodiversity literature. 🧪 🐞 🌱 Learn more: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/07/senc...

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🌿M.T.Botany @mtbotany.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Took the survey this morning. Short and to the point. BHL is probably my third most visited site for research after POWO and archive.org

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Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Tell us how we can improve BHL. As work begins to modernize the BHL platform, we’re inviting users to complete a 3–5-minute survey. Your responses will directly inform our priorities and shape a better BHL experience. 🌱 🧪 Take the survey: t.co/l30WX3u2yB

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Kelli Trei @treiceratops.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

If you ever use the @biodivlibrary.bsky.social /#BHL please take this survey to ensure at keep meeting your needs! 🧪

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NHM Library and Archives @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

We hold a copy in our Library collections, but our fabulous counterparts at @mobotgarden.bsky.social have digitised their copy and it is freely available via @biodivlibrary.bsky.social. ⬆️Use our bio link to explore this item on the Biodiversity Heritage Library. #NaturalHistoryMuseum #NatureInArt

The printed title page of 'Micrographia: or some physiological descriptions of minute bodies made by magnifying glasses with observations and inquiries thereupon'. Red and black ink is used.

Black and white illustrations on a page. They include ice crystal shapes.

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