[Nhcoll-l] no data specimens (Bentley, Andrew Charles)
Shoobs, Nate
shoobs.1 at osu.edu
Thu Oct 14 19:03:04 EDT 2021
Hi all,
Coming a bit late to this discussion and many of the important philosophical points have already been explored, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a relevant anecdote from recent curation in our collection here at OSU.
We have a sizeable backlog of specimens that were labeled “no data” but kept for educational purposes back in the 70s-80s. Many of these specimens, loose and without any labels, found their way into boxes that we use at the museum to teach freshwater mussel identification. In preparation for a recent mussel workshop, I was going through these boxes and noticed that a number of these “no data” specimens had old cursive handwriting on them, and some bore numbers that were not from our collection.
Given the modern digitization of collection catalogues, specimen images, and primary literature, it is often possible with a little professional/taxonomic expertise to match these “no data” specimens with high quality data. Turns out one “no data” teaching box contained 3 missing primary type specimens of Unio sulcatus (Lea 1829), part of an exchange lot from the Smithsonian to a private collector whose collection we acquired. Another bore 2 lots of 150+ year old material of incredibly rare Epioblasma species, identified by recognition of the handwriting of a particular malacologist on the shell, even without a number. Another set of “no data” specimens had burn marks on them, of a type that allowed me to match them with lots from a particular collection that was salvaged from a fire, and for which we have the original catalogue.
In examining the broader collection of “no data” specimens I have concluded that to the curatorial staff at that time, “no data” specimens were specimens which, AT THE TIME, it was nearly impossible to match with locality data of a certain baseline quality, even if they had decipherable handwriting or old collection numbers on them.
This anecdote shows a few things of importance, in my opinion:
* Whether a specimen has “no data” is, and has historically been, contextually dependent. What one observer considers to be a lot without any clear provenence may to another observer be instantly recognizable (or recognizable with some effort). In addition, some specimens without ANY information (no writing or numbers) can be identified in the right context by comparison with other material.
* Matching data-less specimens to their data once they have been dissociated is an activity that exists on a continuum of effort, that also depends on the knowledge / expertise of the individual attempting to do so. For the curatorial staff of the past, the idea of trying to track even specimens with prior catalogue numbers was absurd, as they would have had to contact dozens of museums by mail or fax, or visit in person, with specimens that may turn out to not be matchable in the end. Now, it’s totally worth my time to plug an old number into iDigBio or BHL to see if there are any hits.
* We cannot know now what capabilities the museum workers of the future may have for identifying the history or use-value of a specimen, nor can we know how resource-intensive it will be for them to deploy them. Paul made this point before, but it bears repeating.
Of course, I’m not in favor of keeping data-less specimens and refusing to accept high quality new material on the off chance that one might be able to match up data-poor/data-less specimens with better data, when space is a concern. But the fact that identifying the provenance of a data-less specimen is often not an impossibility, but simply an inefficient use of limited curatorial time seems important to note, and should be considered when making decisions about the value of certain material.
Best,
Nate
—
Nathaniel F. Shoobs, B.A., M.Sc.
Curator of Mollusks
Dept. of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology
The Ohio State University Museum of Biological Diversity, Columbus, OH
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of nhcoll-l-request at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l-request at mailman.yale.edu>
Date: Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 5:13 PM
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: no data specimens (Bentley, Andrew Charles)
2. No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum (Callomon,Paul)
3. Re: no data specimens (McLaren, Suzanne)
4. Re: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum (Rob Robins)
5. Re: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum (Callomon,Paul)
6. Re: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum (Rob Robins)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:04:16 +0000
From: "Bentley, Andrew Charles" <abentley at ku.edu>
To: Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>,
"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
Message-ID:
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Wendell
To be clear we are talking about specimens that have little to no data and are not well curated research collections with data. Hopefully you can find someone to take on your collection when you decide to hand it off but it worries me that you would rather throw it in a dumpster than have it used for important K-12 or undergraduate education. Taking on these collections is a community problem that definitely needs addressing as taking on an ?orphan? collection puts a strain on the accepting institutions resources and space and hinders their ability to take care of existing or incoming material.
Also, to be fair, the reasoning behind limiting amateur access to collections is due to data sensitivity and the ability to use that data to find paleo sites and plunder them ? not our ability to use these collections for formal and informal education.
Andy
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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard<x-apple-data-detectors://9>
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561<x-apple-data-detectors://9>
USA<x-apple-data-detectors://9>
Tel: (785) 864-3863<tel:%28785%29%20864-3863>
Fax: (785) 864-5335<tel:%28785%29%20864-5335>
Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Editor FourCats Press
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 1:00 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
For perhaps a different perspective: As someone who is at the stage of life of having to think about how to pass on an invertebrate paleontology collection I?ve carefully curated for 47 years, the idea that my specimens might end up in a bucket for kids to scoop through is enough to make me want to cart the whole thing to the landfill. An added irony is knowing how hard museums, institutions, and professional associations have argued over the years for limiting/prohibiting access to fossil resources by ?amateurs? and how many museums and universities have thousands of square feet of specimens they've ?protected? but that no one has ever looked at. Craig Childs? _Finders Keepers_ took a crack at this problem in the context of archaeology/anthropology, but I?ve yet to see the issue taken seriously (in print) by museum professionals.
Wendell Ricketts
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 19:51:49 +0000
From: "Callomon,Paul" <prc44 at drexel.edu>
To: "Bentley, Andrew Charles" <abentley at ku.edu>, Editor FourCats Press
<editor at fourcatspress.com>, "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu"
<nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
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Several of the responses to this interesting thread point obliquely at the "graveyard conundrum". This is the famous proposal that if we continue to bury dead people in cemeteries we'll eventually run out of arable land and starve. Clearly that hasn't happened, so at some point someone must be making judgments as to what's worth keeping and what isn't.
In building a working and teachable philosophy of natural history museums we need not only to establish some general criteria for "scientific value" (both now and hypothetically) but also be clear about who gets to make those calls. Many research scientists insist that every last microscope slide or voucher specimen from their entire careers be cataloged and that that be prioritized over acquiring and sorting the collections of "amateurs", a term at which many still sneer. Museum management, on the other hand, can be blithely ignorant of any scheme of priorities other than things they immediately understand - famous names and "rarities".
When we think about the professionalization of collections management, therefore, a point we'd do well to promote is the collections manager as arbiter of value. (That's assuming that we don't hire people as CMs who are qualified and temperamentally inclined to be career researchers but who can't find a position at present so opt to "slum it" until something comes along).
The ability to size up a body of material and see how it might fit into the grand narrative of the museum's collections is something long-term CMs can develop best, given their extensive institutional knowledge, generally collegial nature and tendency to be objective about a specimen's "story".
A last point: techniques will certainly be developed in the future that will let us do things with specimens that we can't do now. However, the questions we are asking - what is the true nature of Nature and how do we maintain a healthy relationship with it - date back to the Greeks. A beautiful specimen with no data is unlikely ever to be of more use in answering them than a vouchered and accurately recorded collecting event.
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
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:13:01 +0000
From: "McLaren, Suzanne" <McLarenS at CarnegieMNH.Org>
To: Cody Thompson <cwthomp at umich.edu>, Thomas Labedz
<tlabedz1 at unl.edu>
Cc: "nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
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Cody,
You make a good point about the vertebrate specimens that contain hazardous chemicals. One cannot just throw them into the dumpster, any more than you would want to give them to an organization that would use them as ?touchables.? It is not legal to merely discard specimens, including taxidermy, that contain arsenic, asbestos, and other chemicals. This is a costly problem that many of us face with older taxidermy when it is no longer worthy of exhibition.
Sue
Suzanne B. McLaren (she, her, hers)
Collection Manager, Section of Mammals
Edward O'Neil Research Center
(Carnegie Museum of Natural History Annex)
5800 Baum Blvd
Pittsburgh PA 15206 USA
Telephone 412-665-2615
Fax 412-665-2751
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Cody Thompson
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 1:47 PM
To: Thomas Labedz <tlabedz1 at unl.edu>
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
Hi, Catherine! It looks like you have received a lot of good advice here. Like most, I would think twice about deaccessioning. Rather than donating, you could provide them as a permanent loan to another institution for education and outreach use.
I do have one word of caution about mammal taxidermy and fur. Depending on their vintage, arsenic and other nasty chemicals were used pretty frequently on these sorts of specimens. So, be cautious on what you donate or loan to other institutions for hands-on educational purposes.
Good luck,
Cody
Cody W. Thompson, PhD
Mammal Collections Manager
& Assistant Research Scientist
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology
3600 Varsity Drive
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
Office: (734) 615-2810
Fax: (734) 763-4080
Email: cwthomp at umich.edu<mailto:cwthomp at umich.edu>
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UMMZ/Herbarium has limited personnel available working onsite. No loan returns should be shipped without prior notification, and collection visits, loan requests, gifts, exchanges, etc. should be coordinated with the appropriate curatorial staff. Please expect delayed responses. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
On Thu, Oct 14, 2021 at 1:33 PM Thomas Labedz <tlabedz1 at unl.edu<mailto:tlabedz1 at unl.edu>> wrote:
A few months ago I posted a request for information about deaccessioning ?no data? taxidermy of common game birds. As a result of the informative and positive comments from this group there has been a change in plans and we are now going to hold these mounts as best we can. In the past I have ?unmounted? smaller birds and repositioned them into study skins. Doing the same I?ll start to nibble away at these, likely beginning with the rarest. Thank you all for the advice.
Thomas
Thomas E. Labedz (Mr.), Collections Manager
Division of Zoology and Division of Botany
University of Nebraska State Museum
Morrill Hall
645 North 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68588-0338
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of McLaren, Suzanne
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 12:05 PM
To: Catherine Early (she/her) <cearly at smm.org<mailto:cearly at smm.org>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
Non-NU Email
________________________________
I?ll just mention one mammal species that will make anyone think twice about not maintaining what we have initially accepted ?in trust for the future?: Myotis lucifugus ? the little brown bat was the most common species of bat in eastern North America until white-nose syndrome struck in 2005. Roosts that once hosted tens of thousands of ?little browns? have been decimated in some places to numbers in the teens. It was unthinkable 20 years ago. In this changing world, the question is what species is next? It sounds so dramatic until you think about Myotis lucifugus.
Sue
Suzanne B. McLaren (she, her, hers)
Collection Manager, Section of Mammals
Edward O'Neil Research Center
(Carnegie Museum of Natural History Annex)
5800 Baum Blvd
Pittsburgh PA 15206 USA
Telephone 412-665-2615
Fax 412-665-2751
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 12:43 PM
To: Catherine Early (she/her) <cearly at smm.org<mailto:cearly at smm.org>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
Catherine
1. There are all sorts of techniques like genetic, ectoparasite and environmental work that can be done on these skins that may yield data that is useful even if provenance is unknown. I agree that you have to balance this against space and resource limitations but maybe imaging and keeping portions of the skins for genetic analysis would be doable if not keeping the whole animal
2. This is a slippery slope I agree and donating these to educational facilities is the way to go. There are a myriad of these in your own and area and beyond that would be grateful for the materials. Our mission is not only to serve the research community but the educational community too. There are all sorts of negative connotations regarding deaccessioning to members of the general public etc. that I would deem fraught with issues and would not attempt.
Andy
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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA
Tel: (785) 864-3863<tel:%28785%29%20864-3863>
Fax: (785) 864-5335<tel:%28785%29%20864-5335>
Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
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From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Catherine Early (she/her)
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 8:18 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] no data specimens
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
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she/her
Barbara Brown Chair of Ornithology
e: cearly at smm.org<mailto:cearly at smm.org>
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------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:54:56 +0000
From: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
To: "Callomon,Paul" <prc44 at drexel.edu>, "Bentley, Andrew Charles"
<abentley at ku.edu>, Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>,
"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
Message-ID:
<BN6PR2201MB13617155FBAC6A7BD4107E7481B89 at BN6PR2201MB1361.namprd22.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi Paul,
Sorry, that wasn't the meaning I was trying to convey. This definition of "whistling past the graveyard" I had in mind:
To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome
Wasn't about graveyards running out of space. Was about collections running out of space whilst ignoring best practices that would help them conserve it or collections failing to introduce new procedures that would utilize existing spaces more efficiently, prolonging the longevity of their facilities, etc.
Best wishes,
Rob
Robert H. Robins
Collection Manager
Division of Ichthyology
[FLMNH Fishes logo email small]
Florida Museum
1659 Museum Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
Office: (352) 273-1957
rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
Search the Collection:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$>
Search samples suitable for dna analysis:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$>
[cid:image002.jpg at 01D7C11C.36FEC3F0]
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Callomon,Paul
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 3:52 PM
To: Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
[External Email]
Several of the responses to this interesting thread point obliquely at the "graveyard conundrum". This is the famous proposal that if we continue to bury dead people in cemeteries we'll eventually run out of arable land and starve. Clearly that hasn't happened, so at some point someone must be making judgments as to what's worth keeping and what isn't.
In building a working and teachable philosophy of natural history museums we need not only to establish some general criteria for "scientific value" (both now and hypothetically) but also be clear about who gets to make those calls. Many research scientists insist that every last microscope slide or voucher specimen from their entire careers be cataloged and that that be prioritized over acquiring and sorting the collections of "amateurs", a term at which many still sneer. Museum management, on the other hand, can be blithely ignorant of any scheme of priorities other than things they immediately understand - famous names and "rarities".
When we think about the professionalization of collections management, therefore, a point we'd do well to promote is the collections manager as arbiter of value. (That's assuming that we don't hire people as CMs who are qualified and temperamentally inclined to be career researchers but who can't find a position at present so opt to "slum it" until something comes along).
The ability to size up a body of material and see how it might fit into the grand narrative of the museum's collections is something long-term CMs can develop best, given their extensive institutional knowledge, generally collegial nature and tendency to be objective about a specimen's "story".
A last point: techniques will certainly be developed in the future that will let us do things with specimens that we can't do now. However, the questions we are asking - what is the true nature of Nature and how do we maintain a healthy relationship with it - date back to the Greeks. A beautiful specimen with no data is unlikely ever to be of more use in answering them than a vouchered and accurately recorded collecting event.
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
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------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 20:59:35 +0000
From: "Callomon,Paul" <prc44 at drexel.edu>
To: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>, "Bentley, Andrew Charles"
<abentley at ku.edu>, Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>,
"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
Message-ID:
<BL0PR01MB52207FA790A9D35C51FA32FEC3B89 at BL0PR01MB5220.prod.exchangelabs.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hi Rob,
It was purely coincidence that I also used the term "graveyard" - no reference to your posting was intended. However, the comparison is apposite; if there's one thing a collection manager should be able to overrule a researcher on, it's space management. A CM's prime duty is to ensure the collection's long-term stability and sustainability, and hoping for a good outcome is a dereliction of that. Still, many administrators tend to look first at the person's salary rather than listening to what's being said.
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: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 4:55 PM
To: Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu>; Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: RE: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
External.
Hi Paul,
Sorry, that wasn't the meaning I was trying to convey. This definition of "whistling past the graveyard" I had in mind:
To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome
Wasn't about graveyards running out of space. Was about collections running out of space whilst ignoring best practices that would help them conserve it or collections failing to introduce new procedures that would utilize existing spaces more efficiently, prolonging the longevity of their facilities, etc.
Best wishes,
Rob
Robert H. Robins
Collection Manager
Division of Ichthyology
[FLMNH Fishes logo email small]
Florida Museum
1659 Museum Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
Office: (352) 273-1957
rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
Search the Collection:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http*3A*2F*2Fspecifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu*2Ffishes*2F&data=04*7C01*7Cprc44*40drexel.edu*7C35329d00dee64014723f08d98f54e49a*7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6*7C0*7C0*7C637698417042883075*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=0oz0dOvNu5*2FevtUCBbJwA4c1izAByVilJLJDuI4mN9A*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPm9I2wYr$ >
Search samples suitable for dna analysis:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Fwww.floridamuseum.ufl.edu*2Fgrr*2Fholdings*2F&data=04*7C01*7Cprc44*40drexel.edu*7C35329d00dee64014723f08d98f54e49a*7C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6*7C0*7C0*7C637698417042883075*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0*3D*7C1000&sdata=PiZqacRJT5vHJbEfRMrW4CFAneeWpd2df2HK*2FDW*2FVMQ*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUl!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPsIONjdy$ >
[cid:image002.jpg at 01D7C11C.DCC23880]
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Callomon,Paul
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 3:52 PM
To: Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com<mailto:editor at fourcatspress.com>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
[External Email]
Several of the responses to this interesting thread point obliquely at the "graveyard conundrum". This is the famous proposal that if we continue to bury dead people in cemeteries we'll eventually run out of arable land and starve. Clearly that hasn't happened, so at some point someone must be making judgments as to what's worth keeping and what isn't.
In building a working and teachable philosophy of natural history museums we need not only to establish some general criteria for "scientific value" (both now and hypothetically) but also be clear about who gets to make those calls. Many research scientists insist that every last microscope slide or voucher specimen from their entire careers be cataloged and that that be prioritized over acquiring and sorting the collections of "amateurs", a term at which many still sneer. Museum management, on the other hand, can be blithely ignorant of any scheme of priorities other than things they immediately understand - famous names and "rarities".
When we think about the professionalization of collections management, therefore, a point we'd do well to promote is the collections manager as arbiter of value. (That's assuming that we don't hire people as CMs who are qualified and temperamentally inclined to be career researchers but who can't find a position at present so opt to "slum it" until something comes along).
The ability to size up a body of material and see how it might fit into the grand narrative of the museum's collections is something long-term CMs can develop best, given their extensive institutional knowledge, generally collegial nature and tendency to be objective about a specimen's "story".
A last point: techniques will certainly be developed in the future that will let us do things with specimens that we can't do now. However, the questions we are asking - what is the true nature of Nature and how do we maintain a healthy relationship with it - date back to the Greeks. A beautiful specimen with no data is unlikely ever to be of more use in answering them than a vouchered and accurately recorded collecting event.
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
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------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2021 21:09:28 +0000
From: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
To: "Callomon,Paul" <prc44 at drexel.edu>, "Bentley, Andrew Charles"
<abentley at ku.edu>, Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>,
"nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu" <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
Message-ID:
<BN6PR2201MB1361AB3C19F70EC2A968487881B89 at BN6PR2201MB1361.namprd22.prod.outlook.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well said, Paul!
And I'm a fan of what you and your team at ANSP did with the trays in the malacology collection to more efficiently use space while improving access to the collections. Bravo!
Wasted space abounds in collections....
Rob
Robert H. Robins
Collection Manager
Division of Ichthyology
[FLMNH Fishes logo email small]
Florida Museum
1659 Museum Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
Office: (352) 273-1957
rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
Search the Collection:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$>
Search samples suitable for dna analysis:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$>
[cid:image002.jpg at 01D7C11E.3E28F450]
From: Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu>
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 5:00 PM
To: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>; Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: RE: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
[External Email]
Hi Rob,
It was purely coincidence that I also used the term "graveyard" - no reference to your posting was intended. However, the comparison is apposite; if there's one thing a collection manager should be able to overrule a researcher on, it's space management. A CM's prime duty is to ensure the collection's long-term stability and sustainability, and hoping for a good outcome is a dereliction of that. Still, many administrators tend to look first at the person's salary rather than listening to what's being said.
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: Rob Robins <rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>>
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 4:55 PM
To: Callomon,Paul <prc44 at drexel.edu<mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu>>; Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com<mailto:editor at fourcatspress.com>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: RE: No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
External.
Hi Paul,
Sorry, that wasn't the meaning I was trying to convey. This definition of "whistling past the graveyard" I had in mind:
To proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome
Wasn't about graveyards running out of space. Was about collections running out of space whilst ignoring best practices that would help them conserve it or collections failing to introduce new procedures that would utilize existing spaces more efficiently, prolonging the longevity of their facilities, etc.
Best wishes,
Rob
Robert H. Robins
Collection Manager
Division of Ichthyology
[FLMNH Fishes logo email small]
Florida Museum
1659 Museum Rd.
Gainesville, FL 32611-7800
Office: (352) 273-1957
rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu<mailto:rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu>
Search the Collection:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPvrnS326$> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttp-253A-252F-252Fspecifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu-252Ffishes-252F-26data-3D04-257C01-257Cprc44-2540drexel.edu-257C35329d00dee64014723f08d98f54e49a-257C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6-257C0-257C0-257C637698417042883075-257CUnknown-257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0-253D-257C1000-26sdata-3D0oz0dOvNu5-252FevtUCBbJwA4c1izAByVilJLJDuI4mN9A-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=MCIx6IevDpZN7oPx8SAIb6_HvqHJFo2if2SZHHR4kiQ&m=bMp5vsglaT2MvSTVsfFrDWdDrgPhXrvE4wNXa6zgxtE&s=VlGba3hBZNtstos0YA1v5aj2oP84FbbBHP_EWygsFgw&e=>
Search samples suitable for dna analysis:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/__;!!KGKeukY!hEUkKQ5ZkN_Qe6xfDHINpSAJWeDuKZbF4tBQ2jnodptG2Lmysmsz-CiYPi4ZKK6q$> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com_-3Furl-3Dhttps-253A-252F-252Fwww.floridamuseum.ufl.edu-252Fgrr-252Fholdings-252F-26data-3D04-257C01-257Cprc44-2540drexel.edu-257C35329d00dee64014723f08d98f54e49a-257C3664e6fa47bd45a696708c4f080f8ca6-257C0-257C0-257C637698417042883075-257CUnknown-257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0-253D-257C1000-26sdata-3DPiZqacRJT5vHJbEfRMrW4CFAneeWpd2df2HK-252FDW-252FVMQ-253D-26reserved-3D0&d=DwMFAg&c=sJ6xIWYx-zLMB3EPkvcnVg&r=MCIx6IevDpZN7oPx8SAIb6_HvqHJFo2if2SZHHR4kiQ&m=bMp5vsglaT2MvSTVsfFrDWdDrgPhXrvE4wNXa6zgxtE&s=d7cBKOlfjzHuNjol9il4x3KW8EH5tKXkx27i2YfjYd0&e=>
[cid:image002.jpg at 01D7C11E.3E28F450]
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu>> On Behalf Of Callomon,Paul
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2021 3:52 PM
To: Bentley, Andrew Charles <abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>>; Editor FourCats Press <editor at fourcatspress.com<mailto:editor at fourcatspress.com>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] No-data specimens and the Graveyard Conundrum
[External Email]
Several of the responses to this interesting thread point obliquely at the "graveyard conundrum". This is the famous proposal that if we continue to bury dead people in cemeteries we'll eventually run out of arable land and starve. Clearly that hasn't happened, so at some point someone must be making judgments as to what's worth keeping and what isn't.
In building a working and teachable philosophy of natural history museums we need not only to establish some general criteria for "scientific value" (both now and hypothetically) but also be clear about who gets to make those calls. Many research scientists insist that every last microscope slide or voucher specimen from their entire careers be cataloged and that that be prioritized over acquiring and sorting the collections of "amateurs", a term at which many still sneer. Museum management, on the other hand, can be blithely ignorant of any scheme of priorities other than things they immediately understand - famous names and "rarities".
When we think about the professionalization of collections management, therefore, a point we'd do well to promote is the collections manager as arbiter of value. (That's assuming that we don't hire people as CMs who are qualified and temperamentally inclined to be career researchers but who can't find a position at present so opt to "slum it" until something comes along).
The ability to size up a body of material and see how it might fit into the grand narrative of the museum's collections is something long-term CMs can develop best, given their extensive institutional knowledge, generally collegial nature and tendency to be objective about a specimen's "story".
A last point: techniques will certainly be developed in the future that will let us do things with specimens that we can't do now. However, the questions we are asking - what is the true nature of Nature and how do we maintain a healthy relationship with it - date back to the Greeks. A beautiful specimen with no data is unlikely ever to be of more use in answering them than a vouchered and accurately recorded collecting event.
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
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