Digitalization of herbarium collections as a tool for the commercialization of scientific knowledge

Digitalization of socio-economic processes is an inevitable phenomenon of the modern economy. Digitalization also applies to scientific knowledge. Herbaria are examples of large data sets that, thanks to the available technology, can be digitized and then digitalized. The question that this study answers is the following: can the digitalization of herbarium collections be perceived as a tool for the commercialization of scientific knowledge. The presented case study of Herbarium Pomeranicum gives a full picture of the digitalization of such specific scientific knowledge as collections of herbarium specimens. The case study shows that thanks to the use of specialist IT solutions about half a million of the most valuable specimens from Pomeranian collections will be made available to a wide audience of stakeholders, which constitutes the commercialization of scientific knowledge. The study advances the academic research on digitalization and commercialization of herbaria's specimens.