Edit Your Collection

October 16, 2023

16 Oct Edit Your Collection

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HTML BlockResponses to the following questions (1-28) will be components of the USCCN online searchable database available to all users.
1. Name of Collection Point of ContactKirk Broders
2. Current PositionCurator
3. Collection phone number309-681-6397
5. Collection emailEmail hidden; Javascript is required.
6. Collection website (if applicable)usda.gov
7. Collection name and abbreviationUSDA-ARS Culture Collection (NRRL)
9. Number of staff that work with the collection (if applicable)5
10. Organizational structure of the Collection:
  • Government Agency
11. What type of organisms are included in the Collection?
  • Fungi
  • Bacteria
  • Yeast
  • Other
Type of organismOomycetes
15. Please choose one of the following categories that best describes your collection.Publicly available (qualified curator, collection management policies, microbial specimens, a database of collection information, an online strain catalog, and distributes strains to the scientific community)
16. What host associations, if any, does your microbial collection have?
  • Grain crops
  • Fruits
  • Vegetables
  • Mammals
  • Reptiles
  • Amphibians
  • Insects
  • Other Animals
  • Humans
  • Soil
  • Water
  • Built Environment
17. What institution/entity currently houses your collection? (For example, Kansas State University, ARS, private entity)USDA-ARS
18. Is the institution able to guarantee its support to the Collection for the next three to five years?Yes
19. Does your collection have the ability to accept orphan collections at this time? If yes, please describe your capacity to do so.Yes
Capacity

We have the capacity to accession 300 orphaned strains per year. This would be on top of our normal accession rate.

20. Does your collection contain strains that are currently used or could be used for reference strains such as to identify human, animal or plant pathogens? If yes, please explainYes
21. Do you utilize best practices guidelines for operation of your culture collection?
  • Other
Other

We have internally approved Standard Operating Procedures that are reviewed by fellow USDA scientists

22. What is/are the mechanism(s) of availability and distribution?
  • No charge for distribution (shipping may be charged)
23. What are the main subjects or fields of use relevant to your collection?
  • Agriculture
  • Fermentation
  • Food science
  • General microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Industrial microbiology
  • Molecular biology
  • Systematics and taxonomy
24. If applicable, what services does your Collection provide? Check all that apply
  • Patent deposits
25. Does your Collection provide training opportunities on the following? Check all that apply
  • Culture Collection management (e.g. quality control procedures, databases, etc.
  • Culturing and preservation methods (including cryopreservation)
26. If applicable, does your Collection provide consultation on the following? Check all that apply
  • Patent deposits
  • Preservation
  • Propagation
  • Shipment regulations
27. What institutions fund research that users perform using specimens from your collection? Check all that apply
  • Department of Energy (DOE)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
28. Is the Collection willing, within reasonable limits and to the extent that the collection is public, to engage in the exchange of cultures with other collections within the framework of the USCCN?Yes
29. Is the Collection willing to engage, within the limits of its capacity to do so, in collaborative programs with other culture collections for the general betterment of the USCCN?Yes
30. Do you wish to be contacted by researchers and collaborators about your Collection?Yes
31. Would you be interested in collaborating on a project with samples combined from different repositories?Yes
HTML BlockResponses to the following questions (29-36) will NOT be components of the USCCN online database. Information provided will be for internal use only to enhance USCCN service to participants.
32. Is the future of your collection dependent on a single individual in the institution?No
33. Is there a contingency plan to be able to guarantee the existence of the collection for at least five years, such as at another institution? Please provide as much detail as possible.No
No Contingency Plan

The NRRL is funded in 5-year increments. This funding has been consistent for the last 50 years. However, nothing in this world is certain and our funding come from the federal government.

34. Is your collection currently or in potential danger of becoming an orphan collection? If yes, what means do you have to save the collection? Please provide as much detail as possible.No
36. What are the greatest needs of your collection at this time? (For example: stable funding, personnel needs, quality control procedures, capacity & equipment, visibility, etc.)

Overall, we are in good shape. However, we have tremendous resources that are going unused and we lack taxonomic expertise. We currently have just one Senior scientist who has expertise in filamentous fungi. In the past the collection had 5 senior scientists with expertise in filamentous fungi, yeast, zygomycete, and bacteria. Increase in base funding from the USDA-ARS for additional staff is much needed.

37. Would you like your collection to be listed in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) https://www.gbif.org/Yes (you will be emailed information by USCCN separately detailing how to register your collection in GBIF)
38. Does the Collection support the USCCN mission, which is "to facilitate the safe and responsible utilization of microbial resources for research, education, industry, medicine, and agriculture for the betterment of humankind by providing opportunities for US culture collection workers to engage with each other and with the broader culture collection community."I agree to support the mission of the USCCN
39. How can USCCN best serve you?

Staying connected to the larger collections community.