We are thrilled to introduce the newest member of the Notes From Nature community: Natural History at ROM Revealed!
This exciting new project invites you to explore and transcribe specimens from the Royal Ontario Museum’s vast natural history collections—collections that bring together the worlds of biology, history, and nature in extraordinary ways.
Natural history collections hold thousands of untold stories. Each specimen label captures a snapshot of life: where a species lived, when it was collected, and what the environment looked like at that moment in time. These records are priceless tools for understanding how life on Earth has changed. Yet many of them remain hidden in old handwritten or typed labels that haven’t been read in decades. That’s where you come in.
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), one of North America’s leading cultural institutions, is home to an incredible 18 million objects, with natural history forming a vital part of its mission. Our first set of expeditions will shine a spotlight on insects and plants from across Canada—two incredibly diverse and ecologically important groups with so many specimens still waiting to be digitized.
By helping transcribe these labels, you’re doing more than converting labels into data—you’re unlocking scientific knowledge that fuels biodiversity research around the world. Your transcriptions will be shared through Canadensys and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), where they become part of global conservation action, scientific discovery, environmental policy, and education. These two open-access platforms can be used worldwide by anyone with an internet connection.
Whether you’re a returning Notes From Nature volunteer or joining us for the first time, we’d love to have you along for this journey. Every label you transcribe helps reveal a piece of our planet’s history—and helps protect its future.
Jump in and explore the new project today!
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