Digitization is an increasingly important part of collection management and collections-based research. Imaging and digitizing specimens allows access to collections without in-person visitation, limits risk of loss or damage caused in shipping and transport, and increases efficiency by allowing the collections user community to better focus inquiries or loan requests. Having publicly accessible digital records, that are populated with high quality, standardized data and images, opens up a collection for new and innovative uses. In lichen collections, where specimens can be small, cryptic, and require different workflows than vascular plants, there is an urgent need for digitization best practices and standards to maximize the usability of specimens both now and in the future. These practices include standards for all aspects of the digitization process including georeferencing, accurate data capture and transcription, and high-quality images. Given the amount of resources (time, effort, support and expertise) required to digitize lichen specimens, establishing and implementing standardized best practices is particularly urgent to avoid the additional resources of reimaging or retranscribing the majority of collections in the future. This talk will present guidelines aimed at maximizing the usefulness of digitized specimens during lichen digitization based on experience gained from a large-scale project on Appalachian lichens.