[Nhcoll-l] no data specimens

Thu Oct 14 10:59:09 EDT 2021

Long-time list-lurker here. Just wanted to add to this thread a huge 
thank-you to everyone in collections who considers donations to 
education centers.

Many are in perpetual need as their collections are, as I like to say 
around here, doomed for the dust bin. Our limited resources for 
collections care and our habit of allowing kids to touch things (or take 
them home, as is the case with this brilliant shell bucket idea) 
translate into things not lasting anywhere near as long as they 
otherwise would.

Having worked with elementary and middle school kids in environmental ed 
for a long time, I can tell you that incorporating a kid's sense of 
touch into our lessons is increasingly important--true for adults too. 
My guess is many of you, like me, were influenced by these kinds of 
touching/collecting experiences as a kid. Thank you all for remembering 
that and for helping to make it possible for the kiddos who come after you.

Sue

-- 
***********************************************
Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
151 East White Bear Drive
Summit Hill, PA  18250

sugal at ptd.net
www.carboneec.org

On 10/14/2021 9:41 AM, Callomon,Paul wrote:
>
> We regularly receive donations of entire private shell collections, 
> often after their owner dies. Owners or their legal representatives 
> must sign our Deed of Gift, which specifies that we (a) transfers to 
> us unconditional legal ownership of all material and (b) clearly 
> states that we reserve the right to dispose of part or all of the 
> collection in an appropriate way.
>
> The sheer size of these collections often means that we will discard a 
> considerable proportion, mainly because many specimens do not have a 
> date of collection and/or sufficiently specific locality data to make 
> them useful to science. Lacking an institutional registrar, we are 
> able to separate this material before any collection cataloging takes 
> place and the problem of “de-accessioning” thus does not arise (note 
> the distinction between assuming legal ownership and accessioning).
>
> We maintain several large “free shells for kids” buckets, from which 
> visitors and their kids can pick out shells to take home. These are 
> currently only brought out during specific events such as Academy 
> Members’ Night or the Philadelphia Shell Show, but there is no reason 
> why they could not be a permanent feature of the children’s area of 
> the museum. We certainly have enough surplus shells. Occasionally 
> Academy benefactors or board members will bring their kids or 
> grandkids for a “behind-the-scenes-tour” and letting them loose with a 
> bag in the shell buckets is a major highlight that all enjoy.
>
> In consigning material to the Free Shells bucket, we first remove any 
> labels and weed out anything that has dangerously sharp edges or 
> spines. Kids love picking shells out and filling a bag, and I know 
> from my own experience that being able to take shells home at an early 
> age can spark a lifelong attachment to them.
>
> Removing the labels anonymizes the shells, allowing wonder and 
> curiosity to operate properly, and avoids any complications that might 
> arise if they could still be linked to their previous owners. If 
> someone asks, we can always tell them what species a shell represents, 
> and roughly where it is from, though to date very few people have. 
> However, we get very positive feedback from members and visitors about 
> their children’s experience with the “shell buckets” and donors are 
> pleased to hear that their surplus material is helping inspire natural 
> curiosity in a new generation.
>
> Paul Callomon
>
> Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates//
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University***
>
> 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA
> /prc44 at drexel.edu <mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 
> 215-299-1170/
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of 
> *Catherine Early (she/her)
> *Sent:* Thursday, October 14, 2021 9:18 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
>
> *External.*
>
> Hello all,
>
> I have a two-part question today:
>
> 1) Is there any /scientific/ value to tanned hides with no data? We 
> have many large mammal hides that were purchased from fur suppliers in 
> the 1970's that take up a lot of room but lack data. We might keep one 
> of each species for identification, but otherwise, they do not belong 
> in a scientific collection (where we are constantly running out of 
> space), correct?
>
> 2) Have any of your institutions developed protocols for 
> deaccessioning no data specimens into the hands of private citizens? 
> We will prioritize giving no data (former) specimens to education 
> centers, but there is a limited need for no data shell collections 
> that previous curators accepted from donors, so we will likely need to 
> look elsewhere. We know that we would be limited in what we could give 
> to private citizens by permit restrictions for owning wildlife parts, 
> but we're also very concerned with devaluing public opinions of 
> specimens by creating the impression that specimens can just be given 
> away. I would love to hear any language or agreements you've developed 
> to make it clear why items are deaccessioned and how they differ from 
> scientific specimens.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Catherine
>
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smm.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cprc44%40drexel.edu%7C48b9fd8ff81f445aa76108d98f1516af%7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6%7C0%7C0%7C637698143029111306%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=dUTiBAlwz9SokfTiSa5rdskKLZ%2FgYhmv7cNCzx09cqw%3D&reserved=0>
>
> 	
>
> *Catherine M. Early, PhD***
>
> she/her
>
> /Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology/
>
> e: cearly at smm.org
>
> https://catherineearly.wixsite.com/home 
> <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcatherineearly.wixsite.com%2Fhome&data=04%7C01%7Cprc44%40drexel.edu%7C48b9fd8ff81f445aa76108d98f1516af%7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6%7C0%7C0%7C637698143029111306%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=C7sgG3cHULnYqQpASOCnl2H2ygo03mE5pkfthZBZ3f4%3D&reserved=0>
>
> We envision a world where everyone has the power to use science to 
> make lives better,
> and we are committed to using STEM as a tool to advocate for justice 
> and equity.
>
> 	
>
>
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