Records of the Institute of Economic Botany
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of correspondence and memoranda, publication manuscripts, photographs and illustrations. It contains documents relating to the founding of IEB, its ongoing activities and includes materials on the research projects with Pfizer, Merck, and AID. Includes Biosphere audio and video.
Dates
- 1981 - 2004
Biographical / Historical
The NYBG Institute of Economic Botany (IEB) was founded in 1981 in order to focus a portion of the Garden's research on applied botany. Economic botany and its related discipline ethno botany are concerned with the study of the relationship between plants and people. In addition to carrying out basic and applied research on useful and harmful plants, the IEB takes an active role in conservation activities and the preservation of biological diversity The Institute helps to develop and strengthen economic botany programs at institutions in various tropical countries and disseminates results to scientists and policymakers through its publications, workshops and lectures.
The IEB was founded and directed by Ian Prance until his departure from NYBG in 1988. Michael Balick was appointed as Prance's successor in 1988.
In 1993 Pfizer and NYBG entered a $2 million three year research collaboration to collect and study plants from the U.S. as potential sources of new medicines. Merck, NCI (National Cancer Institute) and AID (Agency for International Development) also contracted with IEB to conduct research projects.
Biographical / Historical
The name of the Society has been changed as of December 2023 to the Society for Ethnobotany.
Extent
29.3 Linear Feet (23 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Other Finding Aids
- Title
- Records of the Institute of Economic Botany
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Stephen Sinon in 2000, with further editing by Archives Volunteer in 2006.
- Date
- May 2000
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Originally processed by Stephen Sinon, Assistant Archivist, May 2000; revised December 2000; revised February 2006, Archives Volunteer; revised May 2006, Archives Volunteer. Converted to EAD in October 2006 by Kathleene Konkle under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH-PA 50678-04).
Revision Statements
- October 2006: Converted to EAD by Kathleene Konkle.
- May 2006: Revised by Archives Volunteer.
- February 2006: Revised by Archives Volunteer.
- December 2000: Revised by Stephen Sinon.
- December 2023: Revised by Stephen Sinon
Repository Details
Part of the New York Botanical Garden, Mertz Archives Repository
New York Botanical Garden, Mertz Library
2900 Southern Boulevard
Bronx NY 10458 United States
ssinon@nybg.org