The Biodiversity Heritage Library makes its archive accessible

The online library dedicated to biodiversity makes available on Flicker over 2 million images with scientific illustrations, photographs and drawings.

Cooley's Gardens; Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, 1964

In a world dominated by industrial farming and climate change, when human-caused extinction afflicts millions of species and wildlife accounts for only 3 percent of earth’s land animals, immersing ourselves in the tradition of naturalist writing, art, and photography can help us reconnect with the magical world we live in.

Recently, The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), an “open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives seeking to inspire discovery through free access to biodiversity knowledge” has uploaded over 2 million wondrous nature images to Flickr as part of the Art of Life project, offering a great opportunity for serendipitous discovery via browsing.

New York Botanical Garden, Addisonia, 1916
Addisonia, colored illustrations and popular descriptions of plants, 1916. New York Botanical Garden

With two carefully curated streams that count over 2 million images in total, Flickr has become a central component of BHL, providing it with an easy way to showcase its amazing images and allowing any user who’s interested in gorgeous natural history and botanical illustrations to go one place and quickly browse an almost infinite amount of images.

Ichthyologie; ou, Histoire naturelle des poissonsBloch, Marcus Elieser, 1723-1799
Ichthyologie; ou, Histoire naturelle des poissonsBloch, Marcus Elieser, 1723-1799

The BHL’s massive photo stream is a treasure including illustrations from nature, advertisements, and imaginative renderings, thus offering a huge potential for discovery: one can quickly feel the thrill of exploring the library’s archive and start aimlessly wandering, filled with wonder, scientific curiosity and deep appreciation for the earth’s biodiversity.

Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL):
Flickr – bookcollectionbiodiversity

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