[NHCOLL-L:2326] RE: (no subject)

[Demouthe, Jean]

Dear Mark:

While I agree that it is wonderful to know exactly where each specimen is, it
is difficult to maintain the accuracy of this level of information in an
active collection unless you have the staff to stay on top of every move and
transaction.

I suggest you evaluate your available staff time and decide how it will best
be spent, based on how your collections are used.  

good luck.

Jean DeMouthe
Cal. Academy of Sciences
San Francisco



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On
Behalf Of Mark McNamara
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2004 7:39 AM
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:2322] (no subject)

We have a multidiscplinary collection consisting of 44,000 catologed
specimens divided into Herbarium, Malacology, Geology, Paleontology,
Ornithology, Herpetology, Entomology, Mammalogy, etc.  

We have traditionally recorded the location of the specimens in the
database down to the drawer or shelf in most cases.  This is both
wonderful when you are looking for a specific item and tediuos when
things are disorganized.

I feel that it is essential to know the exact location down to the
drawer, but a co-worker disagrees.

Should we continue this level of organization or would it be acceptable
to just know what cabinet specimens are located in?

What is the most common/best practice?  Any thoughts?



Your Friend,

Mark McNamara
Natural History Collection Manager
Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History
1900 N. Chaparral Street
Corpus Christi, Texas 78401
Email: MarkM at CCTexas.com
Web Page: www.CCMuseum.com