The US Culture Collection Network lays the foundation for progress in preservation of valuable microbial resources.

McCluskey K1, Alvarez A2, Bennett AR3, Bokati D4, Boundy-Mills K5, Brown D6, Bull CT7, Coffey M8, Dreaden T9, Duke C10, Dye G11, Ehmke E12, Eversole K13, Fenstermacher K14, Geiser DM15, Glaeser J16, Greene S17, Gribble L18, Griffith MP19, Hanser K20, Humber R21, Johnson BW22, Kermode A23, Krichevsky M24, Lauden M25, Leach J26, Leslie JF27, May M28, Melcher U29, Nobles DR30, Risso Fonseca N31,32, Robinson S33, Ryan M34, Scott J35, Silflow C36,Vidaver A37, Webb K38, Wertz J39, Yentsch S40, Zehr S41.

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Abstract

The United States Culture Collection Network was formed in 2012 by a group of culture collection scientists and stakeholders in order to continue the progress established previously through efforts of an ad hoc group. The network is supported by a Research Coordination Network grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and has the goals of promoting interaction among collections, encouraging the adoption of best practices, and protecting endangered or orphaned collections. After prior meetings to discuss best practices, shared data, and synergy with genome programs, the network held a meeting at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP) in Fort Collins, Colorado in October 2015 specifically to discuss collections that are vulnerable because of changes in funding programs, or are at risk of loss because of retirement or lack of funding. The meeting allowed collection curators who had already backed up their resources at the USDA NCGRP to visit the site, and brought collection owners, managers, and stakeholders together. Eight formal collections have established off-site backups with the USDA-ARS, ensuring that key material will be preserved for future research. All of the collections with backup at the NCGRP are public distributing collections including US NSF-supported genetic stock centers, USDA ARS collections, and university supported collections. Facing the retirement of several pioneering researchers, the community discussed the value of preserving personal research collections and agreed that a mechanism to preserve these valuable collections was essential to any future national culture collection system. Additional input from curators of plant and animal collections emphasized that collections of every kind face similar challenges in developing long-range plans for sustainability.