About the Digital Library of Fast Plants Resources
Metavus, the Fast Plants digital library platform, allows our Fast Plants Program team to share and make easily searchable all kinds of digital resources. We primarily share resources developed by our Program; though, we also catalog published research and well-reviewed resources made for Fast Plants by others. Criteria for what can be shared in our digital library includes that resources must be:
- Relevant to teaching, learning, and/or research that uses Fast Plants as a model organism.
- Scientifically accurate to the best of our knowledge.
- Fully accessible at no charge to all library users.
Every resource added to our library is cataloged with metadata that works both generally (so our library can share with other digital libraries) and specifically to Fast Plants (to best serve our users). You’ll find it possible to structure advanced searches or browse by many different fields, including resource type, grade level, NGSS standards, and more.
Registering for an account with the Fast Plants digital library makes it possible to rate and save resources. In addition, registered users can make folders to contain selected resources that can then be shared. Further, Metavus allows us to make and share "Collections" of resources that are relevant for a particular grade level or topic. On our Digital Library Homepage, you’ll also find useful snippets from past Fast Plants Newsletters (but, be sure to sign up to receive Fast Plants newsletters, so you don’t miss a thing!).
We are grateful for the whole Internet Scout Team and their wonderful, Open Source Metavus collection platform that makes the Fast Plants Digital Library possible. For over a decade the folks at Internet Scout have worked with us to build and refine our digital library. We highly recommend the Metavus collection platform if you are looking to launch a browser-based digital resource collection!
We’re also grateful for Merlot, the Open Educational Resource (OER) Commons, Curriki, Creative Commons and other pioneering OER projects that inspired and continue to inspire educators to share resources openly with teachers and learners around the world . In support of OER, all Fast Plants resources in our digital library (and our website) are Creative Commons Licensed as Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
In other words, you are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
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Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
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NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
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ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Please attribute any and all Fast Plants resources used as follows:
“Title of the work used” “url for the work used” by the Wisconsin Fast Plants® Program (https://fastplants.org/) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
Note that “Wisconsin Fast Plants” and “Fast Plants” are registered trademarks licensed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, WARF, and must be designated with the registered trademark symbol at a minimum in the first instance of use on every web or hard copy page where the name appears.