website redesign Bgen
© Remi Evjenth Løvik 2011
Contents Bgen website analyzed Similar solutions analyzed
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Research report 15 Website architecture
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Acute specifications
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Visitors site design Homepage 35 Consistent elements
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Navigation 39 Information elements
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Resources 45 Join 47 About 49 Contact 51
Members site design Home page 55 Navigation 57 Information elements
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Resource archive
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Resource article 65 Jobs & Careers
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Forum 69
Detail specifications Typography 73 Format 81
Bgen website redesign This Bgen web portal redesign brings together information design, webdesign, information architecture and professional research to create an ideal user experience. Bgen’s new portal is intended to engage members fully, to serve their needs, as well as to reach out beyond the site and engage new members. In this report we will explore and visualize the actions that need to be done to achieve the user experience needed to broaden Bgen’s audience. Redesign goals • Create a user friendly web solution for Bgen’s visitors and members • To take advantage of new technology to bring in new members • Create the opportunity for social interaction through Bgen • Utilize new ways to create engaging and updated content • Create a potential for new sponsors • Organize the great resources Bgen are holding
Functionality • Web based publishing • Multi media content • Updated news • Social media enabled • Social forum interaction • Archive functions
Users • Bgen members • Bgen personnel • Potential members • Donors and government officials • Visitors
Platform There will be several web based platforms to take advantage of: CMS (Content management system) content publishing, Twitter, Facebook and a forum platform for on site interaction.
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Similar solutions analyzed
The living rainforest and other ecosystems is connected to human lives and lifestyles. The site has a subtle design, the right feel and reflects the word they are trying to spread. Their articles are engaging and the pictures are a great feature. There are some faults in the navigation though. With this much information there is a tendency to get lost in the pages. This is the case on this site. There is no proper breadcrumb element to guide your way back to the original source page, which can lead to some confusion. The header image on top is also creating some confusion. When navigating the convention is often to change the image depending on which part of the site you have navigated to. This is not the case on this site. It seems the image changes every other time you load a new page. This can get confusing when content around changes and the header changes randomly. Good • Engaging images • Good articles about the charity • Great articles about and around the charity interests • High density of content • Easy to comprehend the site message
Bad • Unordered information on the front page • Missing breadcrumb navigation • Menu may disappear in all the other information presented • Calendar has little to no information and takes up a large amount of space • Accretive use of large arrows on all links
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Bristol Zoo Gardens The Bristol Zoo is actually one of Bgen’s members. The site is a colorful place to navigate and reflects the entertainment part of the zoo. In the same way as Living Rainforest they have a great menu and enganging articles about there facilities and animals. They also have a good variety of pictures they present in the articles and the writing style is apropriate for the site. One of the desig fetures I find intreguing is the colorful sliders and boxes with smal amounts of text. These are engaging and the combination of pictures and text get visitors to interact with the site and delve deeper in. One of the features I also notice is that there is allways the opportunity to either: join, donate or adopt an animal. One point that is not so good is that some article titles are set with images instead of text – this can hamper the site’s search engine.
Good • Engaging images • Engaging profile • Good image and aticle sliders • Great articles about charity interests • High density of content
Bad • A bitt strong and shouty profile • Some communication seemed internal • Images for text
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Botanic gardens conservation international BGCIs website may be the site that most closely relates to Bgen’s mission of being a professional network. The site design is simple and user friendly. The navigation structure is sound, with a intuitive drop down system which helps mental mapping. Their firs level of navigation indexes articles in each category. This is a interesting way to solve content overview and gives the users a nice way to navigate. One of the major drawbacks though is the article layout. The typography has some contrast problems within the hierarchy of text and the pictures are not always floating in a ideal way. But the simple design and good overview gives the site a simple and enjoyable user experience. Good • Engaging profile • High density of content • Good navigation • New indexing solutions
Bad • Some issues with typography. • There are some places where the graphical profile has been disregarded and non-appropriate colours have been used.Some use of heavy images and files make the site go slow.
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Research report
Flow associates research report Bgen has invested time and money to gain an understanding of what their organization members and visitors want to gain from visiting their website. Flow Associates has been working for Bgen to gain insight to the problem. Report conclusion Using different forms of research methods Flow Associates has gained insights to what bot potential members and current members feel Bgen’s website is missing. I will now present their findings and discuss how we have suggested to solve them.
Analysis of what Bgen members want Some digital resistance Flow gives the description of Bgen users as not being digital natives. This means that there is some resistance to using the website among members because they are not as tech savvy as most. This is a problem for Bgen but the solution could be to upgrade the content level. We have suggested giving the users an extra incentive to visit the site. Opening up for user interaction in the gallery and continuing to build out the resource centre gives the users something in return when visiting the site and makes them gain interest by gaining new knowledge and the opportunity to communicate with likeminded people. More interaction Flow informs that users want some place to engage with each other and share information. This could give the users the incentive they need to be a more frequent user of Bgen’s web pages. Through the forum and sharing opportunities we have suggested the users gain the opportunity to engage with other members online, to answer each other’s questions and promote their own offers on a peer-to-peer level. More news and updates In the report,’ the feedback Flow got from the members suggests that they feel there is not enough content being updated on the site to make them visit frequently. We have suggested different ways of solving this problem. The social feeds, mentions from the media, resource updates, event updates, forum updates, gallery updates, special mentions and new updates to what Bgen is up to at the moment. These are all ways to generate content so
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that the site is live and updated. If generating content is time consuming we have suggested how to implement an automated content changer. Better-organised resources Flow informs that the members also feel that the resources Bgen offers are not as organised as they wish. We have looked in to the web architecture and re-organised both the menu structure and suggested a way to organise the resources.
Analysis of what non-members want More attractors to join In the report Flow mentions that non-members feel that there is not enough incentive to join Bgen. We have found that this may not be the truth. With the implementation of the before mentioned feeds and social functions, I believe that if Bgen marked their resources, job listings, events, members listings and community in a better way, there is more than enough incentive to join Bgen. In the specifications and visualizations I have suggested some ways to do this. More presence across the wider web Flows report suggest that Bgen could make better use of the web overall to promote itself. This could involve encouraging members to refer and link to it on other online networks they are members of, including mass social media. I have looked in to this and have suggested using social mass media as a general feed and interest point for other users to share information. I have also suggested referencing from Bgen’s site, for example promoting users or websites on Bgen’s site to get mentions from them promoting Bgen as a sign of thanks. A better insight through sampling Flow mentions that one non-member commented that they would wish to sample resources before committing to membership. I have not created a visual of this but a suggestion is to have the feed of resources presented on the visitor’s page as an alternative. Nominationg three articles a week for everyone to have access to, members or not. Based on the quality of the articles users can use their judgement and reasoning to deem if the articles are of the quality they are looking for.
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Website architecture
22 Other organisations
Public Parks and Gardens
Zoos
Schools
Botanic Gardens & Arboreta
Museums, Learning and the environment - Free seminar and resource fair
BGEN 2011 Training Days and Annual Conference
BGEN Training Days and Conferences
Kate Measures - Exciting training opportunities
Opening All The Gates
Members
Training
Resources
Bgen old Structure
Join us Jobs
Who we are
Growing Schools Gardens
e-fronds
Resource reviews and suppliers
Research and evaluation
Policy and reference information
Planning learning and interpretation
Informal Learning
Formal learning
BGEN Conference Proceedings
Welcome
Contact
News
More Articles...
What is plant-based education
Some useful Botanical Garden education organisations include:
Partnerships and Initiatives
BGEN Member Directory
BGEN Committee
Old architecture Bgen has a great amount of information on the current website. The main problem is sorting the information in a good way. Navigation Though there is much content the content is not organized in a good way. The current architecture have some major issues and this generates problems when navigating around the website. This is no minor task to undertake but will give a major uplift to navigation and usability. Naming conventions Cutting down on navigation links, removing redundant information and creating a better naming convention for information are some of the first steps that need to be done to get a good site architecture.
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News archive
Supporting articles
Official learning policys
Reviews
Planing
Education
Research articles
Book resource discussions
Event discussions
General discussions
Article and image requests
Articles, resources and toolkits
Articles, resources and toolkits
External links (Twitter/facebook/etc.)
Forum
Articles, resources and toolkits
Jobs & Careers list
Forum
Advanced Search
Bgen galleries
Special mentions
New Resources
Social media feed
New forum threads
Events
Favorites
Home
Resources
Search
About
Contact
Not Logged in
Bgen Website
Logged in
Search
Contact
About
Resources
Join
Home
Join bgen
Membership form
Social media feed
Mentions
Join bgen
Image feed: Events
Resources
New architecture We have suggested some adjustments to the website and navigation. Undertaking a full restructure is a major task and we have given the top levels a thorough analysis. Navigation architecture One of the major issues is in the menu which is the top level of the architecture. We suggest a new shallow structure for non members and a deeper structure for members. The menu only changes at two points in the members section: the removal of the join section and the adding of a dropdown menu on the resources. This keeps the navigation similar but gives the members access to the resources when logged in. Deep architecture The deeper levels of the site architecture are managing the categories in the resources archive and forum. This is an important job since manual browsing by the users depends on good categorizing. It is also an important thing to have sorted when building a good search engine for the website. We have tried to cut down on some of the categories, merging some of them and suggested some renaming. The problem is that we are not educated in educational botany so we do not have a reference point to understand how the information should be sorted. This requires further work by a specialist who knows Bgen’s sector well Parting the content We have based our design on the idea that Bgen wants to keep the resources and perks exclusively for members. We believe that the resources and social community can be a major selling point for Bgen if you decide to keep the information for members only. But it needs to be done in a good way. The problem with the old site was that users thought they were getting access. But when the page loaded you got prompted asking for a username and password. In addition the old design seemed useless unless you were logged in because you did not know where you were allowed to go and often ended up in a blind alley. Our new architecture solves the information parting in a way that will offer non members a overview of what they are missing out on and the members get instant access.
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Immediate recommendations
Immediate recommentations Since Bgen may not be able to implement these specifications immediate future we have specified a list of issues we think are acute. These issues can be fixed without doing a complete redesign and are limited to restructuring of the content and articles. Bgen information and context One of the main issues with the existing design is that there is no proper information stating Bgen’s intent when accessing the home page. Stating what Bgen is gives the user context to understand the information given on the rest of the site. This problem can be solved simply by adding a small article at the top of the page stating this context information on what Bgen is and what you represent. To keep the same context information alive on all pages we also suggest that Bgen implements a footer solution similar to the one we have visualised. The footer informs the user who the owner is and explains the sites function. The extra information also helps users who access the site from external links set the information they access in the right context. The footer also helps to promote the relevance of the site to search engines. Navigation and architecture With the CMS (Content Management System) you are using (Joomla!) you are capable of doing some restructuring in the navigation and website architecture. Using our suggested architecture you should be able to rename and remove some menu elements and move around the information by copying and pasting the information in to new restructured articles. This will solve some major issues when navigting around the website. This is no minor task to undertake but will give a major uplift to navigation and usability of the site. We have based our design on the idea that Bgen wants to keep the resources and perks exclusively for members. One of the major drawbacks and annoyances for non-members navigating the site is that they get prompted to log inn almost all the time. Our new design deals with this in a good way and we believe that the resources and social community can be a major selling point for Bgen if you decide to keep the information for members only. But if Bgen decides to not implement the new design we suggest that you take away the content block for non-members. The way the site now prompt non-members to log or join is off-putting when navigating. This is stated in Flow’s report both by the Flow professional, and the users. We also stand by the Flow recommendation.
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website guidelines Bgen
Visitors site design
Join
Home
Resources
Join
About
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Training days:
Learning outside the classroom Advanced school garden award scheme training for youth. Take advantage our annual diploma certified courses. March 2011 - Parkway garden Reading
Events are open to both members and non-members; but members pay a reduced fee so join us to access this and other benefits.
The Botanic Gardens Education Network (bgen) specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants, botany and the natural world.
Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
Lates bgen events Resources
Bgen mentions
Play - useful resources
Reading Chronicle Sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
The Forestry Commission have produced, with the Woodland Trust, four excellent booklets full of family activitys
Research and curation Mauris sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus.
Spring is in the Air The Royal Horticultural Society have published their list of Top Ten Jobs to do in February.
Common sight Consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
Natural Play Phasellus congue porttitor elit, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
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Join bgen
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen There is a list of new images published in the forum! Thank you Sam, great pictures!
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Homepage The home page is the first page a potential member engages with. The information should be straightforward and calculated. The visitor should know the site’s intent and what opportunities they have to engage further. Furthermore the page should present Bgen in the best light possible. Key words: • Engaging • Bgen identity • Informative • Quality of information • Plays to strengths
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Join
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Login
1
Home
Resources
Join
About
Contact
Training days:
Learning outside the classroom Advanced school garden award scheme training for youth. Take advantage our annual diploma certified courses. March 2011 - Parkway garden Reading
Events are open to both members and non-members; but members pay a reduced fee so join us to access this and other benefits.
The Botanic Gardens Education Network (bgen) specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants, botany and the natural world.
Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
Lates bgen events Resources
Join bgen
Bgen mentions
Play - useful resources
Reading Chronicle Sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
The Forestry Commission have produced, with the Woodland Trust, four excellent booklets full of family activitys
Research and curation Mauris sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus.
Spring is in the Air The Royal Horticultural Society have published their list of Top Ten Jobs to do in February.
Common sight Consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
Natural Play Phasellus congue porttitor elit, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen There is a list of new images published in the forum! Thank you Sam, great pictures!
3 About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
36
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
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Consistent elements These elements stay with the user throughout the website and give fredom of navigation and reassurance of identity. 1
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Logo The logo state’s the pages identity and ownership. It is important that this element is constant on all pages. The consistency gives the user reassurance that they have not navigated away from the site and that the quality of the information is approved by Bgen. User menu This navigation tab is discreet and always shown. The user menu gives the opportunity to join, this reflects that there is more information to access. Share gives the possibility to share your findings and is a good way to engage the site in social networks and spread information. Log in gives the members a fast way to gain access to the full Bgen web experience. Footer In the same ways as the logo, the footer informs the user who is the owner and explains the sites function. The extra information helps users who access the site’s from external links set the information they access in the right context. The footer also gives the site advantages when deemed by search engines.
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Join
Home
Resources
Join
About
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Training days:
Learning outside the classroom Advanced school garden award scheme training for youth. Take advantage our annual diploma certified courses. March 2011 - Parkway garden Reading
Events are open to both members and non-members; but members pay a reduced fee so join us to access this and other benefits.
The Botanic Gardens Education Network (bgen) specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants, botany and the natural world.
Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
Lates bgen events Resources
Bgen mentions
Play - useful resources
Reading Chronicle Sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
The Forestry Commission have produced, with the Woodland Trust, four excellent booklets full of family activitys
Research and curation Mauris sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus.
Spring is in the Air The Royal Horticultural Society have published their list of Top Ten Jobs to do in February.
Common sight Consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
Natural Play Phasellus congue porttitor elit, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
38
Join bgen
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen There is a list of new images published in the forum! Thank you Sam, great pictures!
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Navigation The navigation bar is part of the constant elements. The navigation gives the user the opportunity to navigate at will through all available information and does not lock the user to a specific location. The menus layout is important for the user to generate a mental map of the site and to understand the site structure. Home Start point for all information and an anchor for the user to come back to and get a overview of the information available. Resources Link to a overview of the resources Bgen offers its registered members. Join A summary with information of the resources Bgen offers and the opportunity to sign up and become a full member. About Information about Bgen, advantages and history. Contact Contact information for central offices, personnel and postage. Search Opportunity to search for specific information. Re-design comment: The redesign suggests reorganization and restructuring of the menu and a deeper hierarchy. This is based on the research report from Flow. The naming of the links is based on conventional standards in web- navigation. Look in the chapter about website architecture. To learn about the new hierarchy and site structure.
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Join
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Training days:
Learning outside the classroom
1
Advanced school garden award scheme training for youth. Take advantage our annual diploma certified courses. March 2011 - Parkway garden Reading
Events are open to both members and non-members; but members pay a reduced fee so join us to access this and other benefits.
2
The Botanic Gardens Education Network (bgen) specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants, botany and the natural world.
Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading
3
4
Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
Lates bgen events Resources
Bgen mentions
Play - useful resources
Reading Chronicle Sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
The Forestry Commission have produced, with the Woodland Trust, four excellent booklets full of family activitys
Research and curation Mauris sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus.
Spring is in the Air The Royal Horticultural Society have published their list of Top Ten Jobs to do in February.
Common sight Consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
Natural Play Phasellus congue porttitor elit, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
40
Join bgen
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen There is a list of new images published in the forum! Thank you Sam, great pictures!
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Information elements These elements engage the user with information promoting Bgen. Keep potential users interested in available information and leave them wanting more. 1
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Information slider To make the website more welcomming and immediately relevant we suggest a slider with both images and text. The slides should contain engaging pictures and official information. Slide information could include: successful Bgen events, upcoming events and Bgen announcements. As with all information displayed on the home page, the information should present Bgen in the best light possible and the pictures and text should be of the highest quality. Bgen information One of the main issues with the existing design is that there is no proper information stating Bgen’s intent when accessing the home page. The information stating Bgen’s intent gives the user context to understand the information given on the rest of the site. Calendar One of Bgen’s strong points is its annual events programme. To actively promote this we suggest engageing users in a similar way as the information slider. Instead of having general events and news the calendar slider should promote the next three events and create anticipation, and always reminding and inviting members and non-members to take advantage of the events. Ads and Joining The opportunity to join should always be visible and encourage users to click the join button and take the time to join up. We suggest employing as many tactics as possible to make this happen and always have an option to get to the join section. The option should not be forcing the user by denying access, but instead presenting the advantages and then asking them to join. This is better than denying them access when it seemed like the advantages were free and accessible.
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Join
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Training days:
Learning outside the classroom Advanced school garden award scheme training for youth. Take advantage our annual diploma certified courses. March 2011 - Parkway garden Reading
Events are open to both members and non-members; but members pay a reduced fee so join us to access this and other benefits.
The Botanic Gardens Education Network (bgen) specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants, botany and the natural world.
Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
Lates bgen events 5
Resources
6
Bgen mentions
Play - useful resources
Research and curation Mauris sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus.
Spring is in the Air The Royal Horticultural Society have published their list of Top Ten Jobs to do in February.
Common sight Consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
Natural Play Phasellus congue porttitor elit, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
42
7
Reading Chronicle Sed consectetur diam. Mauris porta feugiat Justo, vitae placerat arcu laoreet vel. Contra nemus ceadde.
The Forestry Commission have produced, with the Woodland Trust, four excellent booklets full of family activitys
About bgen
Join bgen
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen There is a list of new images published in the forum! Thank you Sam, great pictures!
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
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Resources Display a list of the best resources with a taste of what they could get access to if they joined. The articles should, as always, be the best of the best to show Bgen in a good light. Bgen mentions To reassure the members, recommendations from others are always more reliable than direct from the seller. If Bgen is talked about in an article or on another site, a blog or a website of one of the members this is great! Use the information to show that Bgen is out there: “don’t take our word for it“ here, these people like what we are doing! Social media feed Social media is a good way to engage people and is a fast way to publish information. Without having to write long lines of text you can engage people and publish new information fast! Some information changing is better than none. But remember: content needs to be relevant and moderated for quality. Programming comment: If content changing is a worry and you don’t have a lot of time to generate new content, a automated content changing is easy to implement in any content management system. If you have three resources in a feed you want and all of them to change every week, the content management system will randomly selecting three new resources out of an approved list of ten or twenty. This can give the the illusion of updated content and be implemented in all the feeds, even in to your twitter accounts.
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SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
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Gain the benefits of our professional network. Join bgen to take part in our community of well connected and resourceful members. As a member you will get access to practical online articles, resources and toolkits. Members gains special rates in our annual conferences and training events.
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Unlimited access to practical online articles, resources and toolkits. With a membership you gain access to our extensive network ofresources which supply inspirationg and broaden knowledge.
Bgen arranges a number of events every year. As a member you get the opportunity to engage in these.
Our members represent more than 70 botanic gardens, zoos, arboreta, other environmental education institutions and consultants throughout the UK, Ireland and further afield.
Use our resources to develop your skills, supplie insiration and broden your knoledge. With a regular updated archive on developments within the field.
Members also come from public parks and gardens, schools and universities. Profiles of each of our member organisations are included in the sections below.
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Need images for your next pressentation or are you searching for a resource on a hard to get a hold of theme? Engage with other users to share resources, visuals and illustrations to strengten your pressentations.
Our network provides members with access to job listings in plant-based and environmental education. As a Bgen member, you will have access to regular job listing updates.
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Our comprehensive network gives us a unique opportunity to gather contacts and job opurtunities. Get ready to advance your career with bgen. Remember, as a private member Bgen is with you througout your careere.
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Resources Bgen has many of strong points: high grade resources, annual events, a strong members list, a network of contacts and potentially a thriving community. Bgen’s strong points Actively promoting these qualities is one of the things that could bring in new members and build a stronger and more resourceful Bgen. In the promotional area for nonmembers we suggest that Bgen invests time to define these qualities and bring them forth on the net. This will bring not only new members, it will give the members who are already a part of Bgen a renewed sense of commitment and awareness of the quality Bgen has to offer. What needs to be done is some good editing work on text and presentation. Here we suggest this layout but with a reworked text to promote Bgen in the best way possible.
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SUPPORTING INSPIRATIONAL LEARNING ABOUT PLANTS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE
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Bgen offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. We offer specialist support and training in the areas you are looking to develop. Be a part of our network of professionals!
Registration form Membership contract Bgen offers you and your organisation the opportunity to: sdtay up-to-date with free and unlimited access to: A national voice for botanical education and our members’ interests Partnerships with related organisations and initiatives, including Growing Schools, PlantNetwork, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International Voting rights at BGEN General MeetingsJoin BGEN for full access to our resources and for discounts on workshops and conferences. Over 60 practical online articles, resources and toolkits Accept terms and conditions Our extensive e-network for handy help and advice at your fingertips Our member directory of skills, suppliers and facilities Regular news updates Membership type on developments in the sector Be the first to hear about special rates for: Select Our essential annual conference At least four practical training events and seminars per year at gardens across the country There are three types of membership: Cost effective professional development opportunities for staff and volunteers Individual within an organisation (£28) Be represented with: Level 1 organisational membership – up to five named members (£100) Level 2 organisational membership – up to ten named members (£200)
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Please invoice me/my organisation I require a receip. Bgen has an email discussion list, please tick if you would prefer NOT to be included on the list. Organisational information will be included on the Bgen website for networking purposes. Please tick if you DO NOT want this data to be made public. Contact information may be made available for non-commercial networking purposes only to related organisations such as PlantNetwork and BGCI. Please tick if you DO NOT want your details to be used in this way
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About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Join At the moment Bgen does not have a online registration form. This could easily hamper new members joining. Online form For the online form, we suggest a simple layout based on the paper version. An online form is an important addition to the upgraded website. Members who want access to Bgen’s site should not have to wait for the registration process to access to the online resources. As it is now the registration process takes a long time and is quite a lot of paperwork for both new members and the Bgen team. The registration and billing proses should be automated and user name and password for the members section should be sent as soon as payment is reserved. Visitors who come to Bgen’s site may want instant access to the resources. Without online registration these members may chosoe to not register at all. Register events online A suggestion would also be, to have a form where members and non-members register for events online. When non-members fill out the registration form for the event you could prompt them to become a member in the same process. Informing them of the benefits of joining Bgen as well as the membership discount on upcoming events should be very relevant to encourage new members to join at this time.
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Bgen Member Directory
Botanic Gardens Education Network (Bgen) promotes and advances the delivery of education in member organisations. We are a specialist support and training network for professionals working in education related to plants and the natural world.
Bgen members represent more than 70 botanic gardens, zoos, arboreta, and other environmental education institutions throughout the UK, Ireland, and other countries around the world. Browse our member institution directory and find out more about the places where Bgen members work.
The network has more than 200 members, most of whom are educators in botanic gardens and other centres of environmental education in the UK and Ireland. Anyone is welcome to join Bgen, though as a support network, those likely to gain the most benefit are professional biodiversity educators within the UK.
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Bgen registry: BGEN is a Registered Charity, number: 1103482. Botanic Gardens Education Network is a Company Limited by Guarantee, number 5002731.
Bgen is led by a governing Committee made up of members who serve three-year terms. The BGEN Committee oversees BGEN's programmes and operations, and leads the delivery of member communications, training days, and conferences. Each Committee member serves on one or more specialised subcommittee: training, finance, or communication.
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
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Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
About The About section represents the official statement of what Bgen is, who Bgen associates with and what Bgen stands for. Official information On this page the user should find a summery of what Bgen is, whom Bgen associates with and what Bgen stands for. It is important to have the opportunity to reference back to this page. This should be a well-written text with no room for misunderstanding and misrepresentation. This should be a static site with few updates and all non-essential information about Bgen such as who is on the committe this year should be linked away on other pages of the website.
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Contact bgen We would love to hear from you with any questions, comments or ideas you may have. Email info@bgen.org.uk Phone us at +44 (0)20 8332 3823
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
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By post, please address to: Botanic Gardens Education Network c/o Museum 1 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3AB United Kingdom
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
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Contact Contact information easily accessible is crucial. Both members and external organizations may need to contact the Bgen team for information not found online. Individual contact The information should be structured in a easily manageable way and it is often also the go to page for other essential contact information for the point of first contact or to be directed to specific individuals working for Bgen.
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Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
New forum threads Do anyone have a picture of...
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading
Pleased to inform of the summer... Excellent planing resource Free infograph for planlife?
Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
New resources
Newest events, plans of the future...
Your favorites Image feed for education porpoises
Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation. It originated from the Low Cost Interpretation training day.
Beatles and the grass they live in Understanding teaching outdoores Bgen news feed
Every Child Outdoors The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment. They have released a report summarising the evidence to support this. The report is free to download. Somewhereto Livity and Legacy Trust UK are partnering with Channel 4 to launch a ground-breaking new project called somewhereto. Somewhereto helps young people find the spaces they need to do the things they love. Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr.
Special mentions Plant Biology For informative factsheets on the basics of studying botany, the Royal Botanical Gardens have produced four PDFs.
Kew at Castle Howard have produced a brilliant cut-out dial to identify seeds and how they are dispersed.
The Plants Cafe is an online learning resource from Kew and the Institute of Education, with contributions from European partners. It offers a host of downloadable experiments on plant growth: modules 1-5 introduce children to the idea that “air” consists of different gases, plants role as oxygen producers and their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
Bgen galleries
Interpretation Planning Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experiences’.
Art in the garden 2010
That’s the scary part. On the plus side though – done correctly it can bring huge benefits – from enabling understanding and winning support for an organisation to aiding management and raising revenue.
Learning outside
About bgen Bgen is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. bgen promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
54
Join the bgen network Bgen offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Home page This is the home page for logged in members. The design is focused on efficiency and overview. The design gives the user a page with all the newest and most relevant information. Key words: • Navigational overview • Information density • Efficient design • Personalized
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Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
Jobs & careers
New forum threads Do anyone have a picture of...
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading
Pleased to inform of the summer... Exelent planing resource Free infograph for planlife?
Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
New resources
Newest events, plans of the future...
Your favorites Image feed for education porpoises
Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation. It originated from the Low Cost Interpretation training day.
Beatles and the grass they live in Understanding teaching outdoores Bgen news weel
Every Child Outdoors The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment. They have released a report summerising the evidence to support this. The report is free to download.
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking!
Somewhereto Livity and Legacy Trust UK are partnering with Channel 4 to launch a ground-breaking new project called somewhereto. Somewhereto helps young people find the spaces they need to do the things they love. Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr. Find the link on our site or at http://bit.ly/bgen
Special mentions Plant Biology For informative factsheets on the basics of studying botany, the Royal Botanical Gardens have produced four PDFs.
Kew at Castle Howard have produced a brilliant cut-out dial to identify seeds and how they are dispersed.
The Plants Cafe is an online learning resource from Kew and the Institute of Education, with contributions from European partners. It offers a host of downloadable experiments on plant growth: modules 1-5 introduce children to the idea that “air” consists of different gases, plants role as oxygen producers and their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
Interpretation Planning
Bgen galleries
Art in the garden 2010
Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experiences’. That’s the scary part. On the plus side though – done correctly it can bring huge benefits – from enabling understanding and winning support for an organisation to aiding management and raising revenue.
About bgen Bgen is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. bgen promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
56
Join the bgen network Bgen offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Learning outside
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Navigation The menu for logged in members has the same navigation elements with some added links to the resources. We have chosen to keep the menu as similar as possible. The reason for this is to not introduce a new environment the user needs to understand and re-explore. Home Start point for all information and an anchor for the user to come back to and get a overview of the information available. As discussed earlier, home screen for members has some layout differences from the one for visitors. Resources Link to the resources Bgen offers its members. In the drop-down menu, users will find links to navigate to the Resource archive, Forum and Jobs & careers. The arrow point is a reference to folder structuring and indicates that there is more content in the tab. When you hover the resources tab the drop-down menu appears. Join In contrast to the visitors section this element is removed since members have logged in and don’t need prompting for membership status. About Information about Bgen, members and history. Contact Contact information for central offices, personnel and postage. Search Opportunity to search for specified information. Re-design comment: The naming of the links is based on conventional standards in web- navigation. Go to the chapter about website architecture. To learn about the new hierarchy and site structure.
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Education articles (40) Research are important foundations of any learning and interpretation programme. This section includes research findings, examples of evaluation techniques, recommended reading and lots more. Planning (16) Lesson plans, activity ideas, articles and resources to help you develop informal learning . Reviews and supporting articles (30) Resource reviews, book reviews and reviewed educational articles for use in educational work. Independent articles from: books, CDs, websites, events, training, sessions, interpretation and useful lists of suppliers.
Image feed for education porpoises Beatles and the grass they live in Understanding teaching outdoores Bgen news weel
New resources Research and evaluation Every Child Outdoors Somewhereto
Official learning policies (11) Official English policys for learning in schools and educational institutes.
Infograph for planlife Plants of the future...
News archive (78) Official bgen information and published: email newsletters, events, member news and coments on exciting new resources.
New forum threads Do anyone have a picture of... Pleased to inform of the summer... Exelent planing resource Free infograph for planlife? Newest events, plans of the future...
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
58
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Breadcrum The breadcrumb path is the bar right under the main navigation. Every page, navigating away from the highest level in the hierarchy gives an extra navigational element. The “bread crumb“ element supports the users mental mapping, creates overview and helps the user track back where the article stems from. In the visual here,
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Art in the Garden 15th September 2011, University of Durham
New forum threads Do anyone have a picture of...
Learning Outside the Classroom 12 March 2011 Parkway garden Reading
Pleased to inform of the summer...
3
Excellent planing resource Free infograph for planlife?
Reaching your full potential 23 - 25 November 2010, Annual Conference
1
New resources
Newest events, plans of the future...
Your favorites Image feed for education porpoises
Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation. It originated from the Low Cost Interpretation training day.
4
Beatles and the grass they live in Understanding teaching outdoores Bgen news feed
Every Child Outdoors The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment. They have released a report summarising the evidence to support this. The report is free to download. Somewhereto Livity and Legacy Trust UK are partnering with Channel 4 to launch a ground-breaking new project called somewhereto. Somewhereto helps young people find the spaces they need to do the things they love. Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games.
2
Social media feed Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance now we have over ten professionlas speaking! Please confirm your attendance if you are joining the next conferance. Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr.
Special mentions Plant Biology For informative factsheets on the basics of studying botany, the Royal Botanical Gardens have produced four PDFs.
Kew at Castle Howard have produced a brilliant cut-out dial to identify seeds and how they are dispersed.
The Plants Cafe is an online learning resource from Kew and the Institute of Education, with contributions from European partners. It offers a host of downloadable experiments on plant growth: modules 1-5 introduce children to the idea that “air” consists of different gases, plants role as oxygen producers and their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide.
Bgen galleries
Interpretation Planning Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experiences’.
Art in the garden 2010
That’s the scary part. On the plus side though – done correctly it can bring huge benefits – from enabling understanding and winning support for an organisation to aiding management and raising revenue.
Learning outside
About bgen Bgen is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. bgen promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
60
Join the bgen network Bgen offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
5
Information elements This is the home page for logged in members. The design is focused on efficiency and overview. The design gives the user a page with all the newest and most relevant information. 1
2
3
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New resources In contrast to the non-member view the new resources section contains actual new resources to keep members updated on the newest content on the site. The visitor section only displays a section of the best articles in its roll. Special mentions This section is suggested to give an extra mention on resources or people who have contributed to the Bgen community. This gives them a extra mention so they will keep up the good work. New forum threads New forum threads are feed here to get users engaged and keep members updated. Your favorites Signed-in members can customize their own content and keep track of the articles they use and find interesting. This section remains a useful library of resources and links, even if members change jobs.
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Bgen gallery User generated approved galleries. The galleries engage the users and engage the community. Suggested images are banks of pictures gathered to use for educational purposes and photos from events. Publishing pictures from events may engage users to search the site to find pictures of themselves and colleagues. Image feeds can be plugged in from Flicr for members or uploaded privately on Bgen’s site by Bgen personnel. We suggest that the gallery is part of the forum to engage users to take part in sharing images, information and articles.
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Resource archive
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Education articles (40) Research are important foundations of any learning and interpretation programme. This section includes research findings, examples of evaluation techniques, recommended reading and lots more. Planning (16) Lesson plans, activity ideas, articles and resources to help you develop informal learning . Reviews and supporting articles (30) Resource reviews, book reviews and reviewed educational articles for use in educational work. Independent articles from: books, CDs, websites, events, training, sessions, interpretation and useful lists of suppliers.
Image feed for education porpoises Beatles and the grass they live in Understanding teaching outdoores Bgen news weel
New resources Research and evaluation Every Child Outdoors Somewhereto
Official learning policies (11) Official English policys for learning in schools and educational institutes.
Infograph for planlife Plants of the future...
News archive (78) Official bgen information and published: email newsletters, events, member news and coments on exciting new resources.
New forum threads Do anyone have a picture of... Pleased to inform of the summer... Exelent planing resource Free infograph for planlife? Newest events, plans of the future...
About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
62
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Resource archive Bgen has through the years built up a great resource archive. This is a great benefit for members. We suggest a new structuring of the content to give a more intuitive category system. Resource sorting Every category is named to structure the content that is already in the Bgen archive. After sorting the content into category’s based on Bgen’s basis in education we suggest indexing the articles alphabetically. The themes inside each subject are quite varied and therefor a logical choise to go for alphabetical sorting. Tagging More work needs to be done in tagging articles with metadata, after which resources could additionally be structured by, for example, publication date and article contents. The search function allows at all times querying by key words to find particular publications.
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Resourses > Resources archive > Planing > Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum
Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National ArboretumShare
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Jhon Sans Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experiences’. It is a big subject. Worse still it is subjective – invariably there are a handful or more ways to deliver a message – and notorious for its cost.
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That’s the scary part. On the plus side though – done Resourses Resources archive– >from Planing > Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum correctly it can>bring huge benefits enabling We use a variety of interunderstanding and winning support for an organisation to aiding management and raising revenue.
“
„
pretative media to deliver
messages . . . Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum
Two Examples
Jhon Sans
1. Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire – a good example of interpretation This sign was located at the start and end of atopublic footpath across anrelationarmy Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed reveal meanings and range at intervals its length). The message is clear and unambiguous. colour ships(and of our cultural along and natural heritage, to the public, through first handThe involvement
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makes it stand out. It is a big subject. Worse still it is subjective – invariably there are a and experiences’.
handful or more ways to deliver a message – and notorious for its cost. 2. Mount Keen, Scotland – a bad example of interpretation That’s thewas scary part. On thethe plus side – done This sign located ¾ of way up though Mount Keen on a clear path – it was not located at a junc-
“
„
correctly can location bring huge – fromsuperfluous enabling – yet it would have cost both money and tion. Givenitthis the benefits sign is largely We use a variety of interunderstanding and winning support for an organisation time. pretative media to deliver to aiding management and raising revenue. messages . . . At Westonbirt we use a variety of interpretative media to deliver messages – but regardless of Twomedia Examples the used we try to always follow a clear Interpretative Planning process, based on
1. Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire – a good example Brochu’s 5-M model (this is one of several models aroundof– see book list). This helps to ensure interpretation signapproach was located andfixed end of footpath across an solution army that we take a This holistic and at dothe notstart become onaapublic particular interpretative range (and at intervals along its length). The message is clear and unambiguous. The colour before considering all the variables. makes it stand out. The 5-M Model 2. Mount Keen, Scotland – aand badaexample interpretation This involves both a model four-stepofprocess. These steps are: This sign was located ¾ of the way up Mount Keen on a clear path – it was not located at a junction. Given thisgathering… location the sign is largely superfluous – yet it would have cost both money and 1. Information time. 2. Analysis of information to come up with…. 3. Options to allow…. AtAction Westonbirt we use a variety of interpretative media to deliver messages – but regardless of 4. the media used we try to always follow a clear Interpretative Planning process, based on 5-M model that: (this is one of several models around – see book list). This helps to ensure ItBrochu’s should be realised take a is holistic approach and do not become fixed onthe a particular interpretative solution •that Thewe process not linear – for example when you analyse information you may find that before considering all theinformation variables. before you can come up with a range of options you need to gather more • Options may include ‘non interpretation’ solutions – for example change in management The 5-M Model regimes. This involves both a model and a four-step process. These steps are: At each stage of the process we consider the inter-relationship of 5 key issue areas: Information gathering… •1.Management issues – what overarching policies do we have, what are the staff / volunteer 2. Analysisdo ofwe information to come up with…. resources have, budget…. Options to allow…. •3.Message issues – what are the key messages (for example we do not do pond dipping as it 4. Action does not fit with our tree collection), are they seasonal, where are they best told… • Market (audience) issues – who are the audiences, what are their needs, why are they It shouldwhen be realised that: visiting, are they visiting… The process is not–linear forthe example when you information •• Mechanics issues nature– of site, facilities, siteanalyse layout the for example the you may find that you need to gather more information before you can come up with a range of options Visitor Experience Options may include ‘non interpretation’ •• Model allows us to consider the stages ofsolutions a visit… – for example change in management •regimes. Media issues – in relation to the other areas.
The secret to getting interpretation right is good planning.
Related resources Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation.
Every Child Outdoors The secret to getting interpretation right is good planning. The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment.
Related resources Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation.
Every Child Outdoors The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment.
• By getting ‘the full picture’ before we start we can reduce interpretation costs by At each stage of the process we mistakes. consider the inter-relationship reducing the chances of making Mistakes such as: of 5 key issue areas: • Management issues – what overarching policies do we have, what are the staff / volunteer resources doprint we have, budget…. Over-the-top quantities Messagetrails issues – whatwill arefollow the key messages (for example we do not do pond dipping as it •• Creating no-one not fit with ourpoorly tree collection), areimpact they seasonal, where are they best told… •does Positioning signs so that they site management • Market – who are the audiences, what are their needs, why are they (e.g. grass(audience) cutting) orissues increase wear when are theythat visiting… •visiting, Creating resources do not fit with our message Mechanics issues –without nature of the site, facilities, site layout maintenance for example the •• Creating resources putting in place the necessary Experience •Visitor Unforeseen knock-on effects – for example, if we encourage more • Modeltoallows us to consider the stages ofcope? a visit… visitors a certain area can the footpaths issues us – intorelation to with the other areas. •• ItMedia also allows come up full briefs – these can be provided to • By getting full picture’ we is start can reduce interpretation designers and‘the consultants sobefore that time notwe wasted discussing what the costs by reducing chances of making mistakes. Mistakes such as: project is the trying to achieve (with external designers/consultants time is money). Over-the-top print quantities • Creating trails no-one will follow • Positioning signs poorly so that they impact site management Join the bgen network About bgen (e.g. grass cutting) or increase wear BGEN offers you and your organisation BGEN is a specialist support network for • Creating resources that donatural not fit world with our message the opportunity to share and improve professional plant and educators. skills, knowledge and resources. We help our members to connect people • Creating resources without putting in place the necessary maintenance and plants in innovative and engaging ways. Join more now • Unforeseen knock-on effects – for example, if we encourage BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of visitorseducation to a certain can the footpaths cope? andarea interpretation in the sector. • It also allows us to come up with full briefs – these can be provided to designers and consultants so that time is not wasted discussing what the project is trying to achieve (with external designers/consultants time is money).
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
64 About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
Resource article Bgen has through the years built up a great collection of resources. This is a great benefit for members. We suggest a new structuring of the content to give a more intuitive category system. Resource sorting To keep pages clean and simple and consistent, we suggest structuring the content rigidly. There should be no opportunity for creative editing on layout. To keep the design as clean and functional as possible we suggest that all images get a separate space in the right column. All images uploaded get placed in the column and are cropped down based on the width. We also suggest that when the image is uploaded the person publishing the image should also get a prompt about what image text is to be added. To give the image context there should always be a text to the image. These functions are all possible to implement using most content management systems. Additional sources Related articles are always a welcome addition when searching within a specific subject. So we suggest adding this in the right column as well, after the article image. Additional thoughts It could also be a idea to implement a related forum post selection coming after the related articles section. This gives the community the opportunity to give comments and share additional thoughts they may have about the article, whilst maintaining the distinction between Bgen’s official documents and interactive user comments on the forum pages. Share it We have also added a share function that allows the user to share the link by mail, download the document or print it. To get access to it by mail the user who receives the link needs to log in to Bgen’s site to get access to the document.
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Jobs & Careers Museums and Botanic Garden Education and Outreach Trainee
School
We need a keen horticulturalist with enthusiasm and genuine ability as a propagator to become part of our skilled and committed team. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to setting the standards of a developing national botanic garden, and help it achieve world-class standards.
Job testimonys Daniel Pretlove I saw the ad for the traineeship at Bgens website. At a later this time i applied, praying to get the job. After a successful interview . . .
Trainee horticulturalist
Arboreta
An opportunity has arisen for a trainee horticulturist to join the skilled and enthusiastic team at the national botanic garden of wales. This traineeship presents an excellent chance for someone who has decided on a career in horticulture more.
Sarah Sanshuman Thank to the job listings and for the advice from the forum i have a great new job. Having spoken to many recruitment consultants . . .
Modern apprenticeship in horticulture
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The royal botanic garden edinburgh (rbge) is currently looking to recruit four modern apprentices to work and train within the garden in edinburgh. Most Botanic Garden Education programs are taught by volunteers. The team of Botanic Garden volunteers includes Docents and Heritage Farm Guides.
Botanic Garden Education Specialist
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The Albuquerque BioPark is now advertising for a “Botanic Garden Education Specialist� at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. Botanic Garden Education Programs include on- and off-site programs for students, conservation education events.
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This is an opportunity for you to become part of a lively and innovative team, working to promote the profile and achievements of one of the most iconic destinations in wales. The national botanic garden of wales is making a real difference to conservation, education and sustainability.
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Jhon Sans Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experiences’. It is a big subject. Worse still it is subjective – invariably there are a handful or more ways to deliver a message – and notorious for its cost.
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That’s the scary part. On the plus side though – done Resourses Resources archive– >from Planing > Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum correctly it can>bring huge benefits enabling We use a variety of interunderstanding and winning support for an organisation to aiding management and raising revenue.
“
„
pretative media to deliver
messages . . . Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum
Two Examples
Jhon Sans
1. Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire – a good example of interpretation This sign was located at the start and end of atopublic footpath across anrelationarmy Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed reveal meanings and range at intervals its length). The message is clear and unambiguous. colour ships(and of our cultural along and natural heritage, to the public, through first handThe involvement
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makes it stand out. It is a big subject. Worse still it is subjective – invariably there are a and experiences’.
handful or more ways to deliver a message – and notorious for its cost. 2. Mount Keen, Scotland – a bad example of interpretation That’s thewas scary part. On thethe plus side – done This sign located ¾ of way up though Mount Keen on a clear path – it was not located at a junc-
“
„
correctly can location bring huge – fromsuperfluous enabling – yet it would have cost both money and tion. Givenitthis the benefits sign is largely We use a variety of interunderstanding and winning support for an organisation time. pretative media to deliver to aiding management and raising revenue. messages . . . At Westonbirt we use a variety of interpretative media to deliver messages – but regardless of Twomedia Examples the used we try to always follow a clear Interpretative Planning process, based on
1. Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire – a good example Brochu’s 5-M model (this is one of several models aroundof– see book list). This helps to ensure interpretation signapproach was located andfixed end of footpath across an solution army that we take a This holistic and at dothe notstart become onaapublic particular interpretative range (and at intervals along its length). The message is clear and unambiguous. The colour before considering all the variables. makes it stand out. The 5-M Model 2. Mount Keen, Scotland – aand badaexample interpretation This involves both a model four-stepofprocess. These steps are: This sign was located ¾ of the way up Mount Keen on a clear path – it was not located at a junction. Given thisgathering… location the sign is largely superfluous – yet it would have cost both money and 1. Information time. 2. Analysis of information to come up with…. 3. Options to allow…. AtAction Westonbirt we use a variety of interpretative media to deliver messages – but regardless of 4. the media used we try to always follow a clear Interpretative Planning process, based on 5-M model that: (this is one of several models around – see book list). This helps to ensure ItBrochu’s should be realised take a is holistic approach and do not become fixed onthe a particular interpretative solution •that Thewe process not linear – for example when you analyse information you may find that before considering all theinformation variables. before you can come up with a range of options you need to gather more • Options may include ‘non interpretation’ solutions – for example change in management The 5-M Model regimes. This involves both a model and a four-step process. These steps are: At each stage of the process we consider the inter-relationship of 5 key issue areas: Information gathering… •1.Management issues – what overarching policies do we have, what are the staff / volunteer 2. Analysisdo ofwe information to come up with…. resources have, budget…. Options to allow…. •3.Message issues – what are the key messages (for example we do not do pond dipping as it 4. Action does not fit with our tree collection), are they seasonal, where are they best told… • Market (audience) issues – who are the audiences, what are their needs, why are they It shouldwhen be realised that: visiting, are they visiting… The process is not–linear forthe example when you information •• Mechanics issues nature– of site, facilities, siteanalyse layout the for example the you may find that you need to gather more information before you can come up with a range of options Visitor Experience Options may include ‘non interpretation’ •• Model allows us to consider the stages ofsolutions a visit… – for example change in management •regimes. Media issues – in relation to the other areas.
The secret to getting interpretation right is good planning.
Related resources Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation.
Every Child Outdoors The secret to getting interpretation right is good planning. The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment.
Related resources Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation.
Every Child Outdoors The RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular contact with the natural environment.
• By getting ‘the full picture’ before we start we can reduce interpretation costs by At each stage of the process we mistakes. consider the inter-relationship reducing the chances of making Mistakes such as: of 5 key issue areas: • Management issues – what overarching policies do we have, what are the staff / volunteer resources doprint we have, budget…. Over-the-top quantities Messagetrails issues – whatwill arefollow the key messages (for example we do not do pond dipping as it •• Creating no-one not fit with ourpoorly tree collection), areimpact they seasonal, where are they best told… •does Positioning signs so that they site management • Market – who are the audiences, what are their needs, why are they (e.g. grass(audience) cutting) orissues increase wear when are theythat visiting… •visiting, Creating resources do not fit with our message Mechanics issues –without nature of the site, facilities, site layout maintenance for example the •• Creating resources putting in place the necessary Experience •Visitor Unforeseen knock-on effects – for example, if we encourage more • Modeltoallows us to consider the stages ofcope? a visit… visitors a certain area can the footpaths issues us – intorelation to with the other areas. •• ItMedia also allows come up full briefs – these can be provided to • By getting full picture’ we is start can reduce interpretation designers and‘the consultants sobefore that time notwe wasted discussing what the costs by reducing chances of making mistakes. Mistakes such as: project is the trying to achieve (with external designers/consultants time is money). Over-the-top print quantities • Creating trails no-one will follow • Positioning signs poorly so that they impact site management Join the bgen network About bgen (e.g. grass cutting) or increase wear BGEN offers you and your organisation BGEN is a specialist support network for • Creating resources that donatural not fit world with our message the opportunity to share and improve professional plant and educators. skills, knowledge and resources. We help our members to connect people • Creating resources without putting in place the necessary maintenance and plants in innovative and engaging ways. Join more now • Unforeseen knock-on effects – for example, if we encourage BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of visitorseducation to a certain can the footpaths cope? andarea interpretation in the sector. • It also allows us to come up with full briefs – these can be provided to designers and consultants so that time is not wasted discussing what the project is trying to achieve (with external designers/consultants time is money).
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
76 About bgen BGEN is a specialist support network for professional plant and natural world educators. We help our members to connect people and plants in innovative and engaging ways. BGEN promotes and advances the delivery of education and interpretation in the sector.
Join the bgen network BGEN offers you and your organisation the opportunity to share and improve skills, knowledge and resources. Join now
Contact information Botanic gardens Education network c/o museum 1 Royal botanic gardens, richmond Surrey tw9 3ab United kingdom
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Research and evaluation This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and evaluation. It originated from the Low Cost Interpretation training day.
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Interpretation Planning at Westonbirt National Arboretum Understanding teaching outdoores Home Jhon Sans
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Resources > Resource archive Interpretation is ‘a communication process designed to reveal meanings and relationEvery Child Outdoors ships of our culturalThe and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement RSPB believes that every child should be entitled to regular and experiences’. Itcontact is a big subject. Worse still it is They subjective – invariably there are a with the natural environment. have released a report the evidence to support this. for The its report is handful or more ways to summarising deliver a message – and notorious cost. free to download.
Imagethe Requests (12)On the plus side though – done That’s scary part. Need images yourhuge next benefits pressentation? Ask other users to share Somewhereto correctly it canfor bring – from enabling their visuals and illustrations. We use4 atovariety of interLivity and Legacyfor Trust UK are partnering with Channel understanding and winning support an organisation pretative media to deliver launch a ground-breaking to aiding management and raising revenue. new project called somewhereto. Requested articles (12) Somewhereto helps young people find the spaces they need.to messages . . do Threads concerning articles for help in education. Help other members the things they love. Inspired by the London 2012 Olympic Games. Two Examples to find the resources they need. 1. Ministry of Defence, Pembrokeshire – a good example of Research threads (12) interpretation This sign was located at the start and end of a public footpath across an army Research are important foundations of any learning this section range (and at intervals alongexamples its length). message is clear and unambiguous. The colour includes research findings, of The evaluation techniques, recom-
“
„
Special mentions makes stand out. mendedit and reading
Plant Biology
the Institute of Education, with contributions from European Share and discuss lesson plans, activity ideas, articles and resources to help partners. It offers a host of downloadable experiments on plant youWestonbirt develop informal At we uselearning. a variety of interpretative media to deliver messages – but regardless of growth: modules 1-5 introduce children to the idea that “air” Kewmedia at Castleused Howard the wehave try to alwaysconsists follow of a clear Interpretative process, based on different gases, plantsPlanning role as oxygen producers and produced a brilliant cut-out dial to Discussing official learning policys (11) Brochu’s 5-M (this of several around – see book list). This helps to ensure capacitymodels to absorb carbon dioxide. identify seeds andmodel how they are is onetheir
Discuss official english policies for learning in schools dispersed. that we take a holistic approach and do not become fixed on a particular interpretative solution and educational institutes. before considering all the variables.
Interpretation Planning The 5-M Model is ‘a communication This involves both a model and Interpretation a four-step process. These stepsprocess are: designed to reveal meanings and relationships of our cultural and natural heritage, to the public, through first hand involvement and experi1. Information gathering… Join the bgen network About bgen ences’. 2. Analysis of information to comenetwork up with…. BGEN you– and organisation BGEN is a specialist support for part. On the plus That’s the scary sideoffers though doneyour correctly it the opportunity to share and improve 3. Options to allow….plant and natural professional worldhuge educators. can bring benefits – fromskills, enabling understanding and knowledge and resources. We help our members to connect people 4. Action winning support for an organisation to aiding management and and plants in innovative and engaging ways. Join now raising BGEN promotes and advances therevenue. delivery of education and interpretation in the sector. It should be realised that:
• The process is not linear – for example when you analyse the information you may find that you need to gather more information before you can come up with a range of options • Options may include ‘non interpretation’ solutions – for example change in management
Your favorites Social media feed Image feed for education porpoises
Just confirmed the speakers for the next conferance nowthey welive have Beatles and the grass in over ten professionlas speaking! Understanding teaching outdoores
Please confirm your attendance if Bgen news weel the next conferance. you are joining Also remember to spread the word! New pictures of art in the garden are now published on flicr.
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Do anyone have a picture of... Pleased to inform of the summer... Exelent planing resource Free infograph for planlife?
The secret to getting interpretation right is good planning. Newest events, plans of the future...
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Art in
This booklist includes publications that focus on interpretation and learning research and the evaluation. garden 2010
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Botanic gardens The RSPB believes that every Education network c/o museum 1 should be entitled to Royal botanicchild gardens, richmond regular contact with the Surrey tw9 3ab natural environment. United kingdom
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Education threads (15)– a badFor 2. Mount Keen, Scotland example of interpretation informative factsheets on the basics of studying botany, Share curricula and other related that support your work in the resources Royal Botanical havepath produced This sign was located ¾ of the way up Mount KeenGardens on a clear – it was not located at a juncplant-based education. four PDFs. tion. Given this location the sign is largely superfluous – yet it would have cost both money and The Plants Cafe is an online learning resource from Kew and time. Discussing Education Planing (16)
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