In the survey INSR launched a month ago, we asked about your experience with the Seed Information Database (SID), and how much its closure would impact your activities. We have received an overwhelming response with 233 submissions.
The majority of SID users work in academia (155 - 66.5%), followed by conservation seed banks (109 - 46.8%), native seed suppliers, such as collectors and producers (69 - 29.6%), seed users and ecological restoration practitioners (69 - 29.6%) and educators (57 - 24.5%). It is worth noting that this question allowed for multiple choices.
When asked about SID usage frequency, 84 people (36.1%) reported using it sporadically (a few times a year), 74 monthly (31.8%), 44 weekly (18.9%) and 17 on a daily basis (7.3%)
The most relevant result is the effect that SID closure would have on the respondents’ activities. The majority (126 - 54.1%) reported that SID closure would drastically affect the way they operate, 77 (33%) stated that it would cause some disruption but it will be manageable, 24 (10.3%) expressed that it would be a minor inconvenience, while only 6 (2.6%) wouldn’t be affected at all.
Another indication of how much SID is valued by the community is that almost two-thirds of respondents to the survey actually provided written responses to the optional request for further information at the end of the survey. Such responses (at times very substantial) mostly described users' experience with SID and voiced concerns over its planned closure.
Such information and feedback have been invaluable for us at SER and INSR to better understand how valuable this resource is, and how important it is to keep it freely and easily accessible.
This has helped us reach an agreement with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, for the transfer of the SID database to SER. Such transfer is now happening and in the coming weeks, we will be rebuilding the users' interface that will maintain the same structure and search functionality of the original SID.
In the process, Kew has been very helpful and collaborative. The planned closure of SID was postponed from the end of March to the 1st of May 2022.
Hopefully, this extra month will give us the chance to complete the new SID interface and cause minimum disruption to the many, and very engaged, SID users.
When the “new” SID is online it will be communicated on SER and INSR websites.