Guest Post by Matthew Torrence, Research Platform Team Librarian for the Geosciences
In order to protect and improve our environmental future, it is important to preserve the past! The new Florida Environmental Interface (FEI) offers an excellent opportunity for researchers to access and share the unique and valuable information and collections of the USF Libraries. In addition to improving access to Florida-based collections and research in the USF Special and Digital Collections, the focus of this portal is to organize, categorize, and synthesize current and historical information related to the environments of Florida.
When most people think of Florida, sunny skies, blue waters, and white beaches come to mind. Florida’s ecosystem, however, is vastly more complex. There have been several efforts to manage land development in a responsible way, balancing the needs of the human population with Florida’s unique wildlife and fisheries, sound water management practices, and environmental conservation.
The USF Libraries will advance and disseminate this information and forward its mission by archiving and growing this portal in the coming years, using this portal and its focus on the Air, Land, and Water of our state.
September 2021: The FLENH Portal is now being used as the central hub for discovering the expansive environmental science and natural history collections available at USF Libraries.