[Nhcoll-l] terminology question

Fri Jan 14 09:37:33 EST 2022

Hi Lennart,

We use the term "deaccessioning" to refer to the deliberate removal from our collection of a specimen for any reason. Nowadays, deaccessioning most often refers to specimens given (or exchanged) to another institution.

When we deaccession a specimen, we create a permanent record of the act, and file it with our central Registrars office. This is the mirror image of accessioning, which is what we do when we formally acquire specimens. (Accession Records are also filed with and maintained by our Registrars Office.)

One small problem I have with our terminology involves specimens that were removed from our collection many decades ago. I consider these to have been deaccessioned even though they may not have been formally recorded with the Registrars Office at the time. To me, the fact that they were deliberately removed from our collection constitutes their being deaccessioned.

Regards,
Tom

Thomas J. Trombone | Data Manager | Department of Ornithology
American Museum of Natural History | Central Park West @ 79th Street | New York, NY 10024-5192
(212) 313-7783 | trombone at amnh.org<mailto:trombone at amnh.org> | http://www.amnh.org/our-research/vertebrate-zoology/ornithology

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Lennart Lennuk
Sent: Friday, 14 January 2022 8:33 AM
To: neumann at snsb.de; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] terminology question

EXTERNAL SENDER

Hi!
Thank you all!
Dirk, I ment the terminology for the act that has to be done when specimen is lost, destroyed, gifted to another museum etc.
'Deaccession' seems right to me.

Head!
Lennart

From: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2022 11:59 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] terminology question

Good morning Lennart,

what exactly do you mean with "destroyed"? There may be different levels:

Our collection had many losses during the Second World War, specimens were considered "destroyed", but some where apparently only "lost" and reappeared later and re-discovered, e.g. in the teaching collection of the university. Usually, you would refer to "destroyed", if there is proof. Otherwise , it is better to say "missing" or "lost since" if the specimen cannot be traced. We keep records for all (published) historic specimens from our collection in our database (not only the types), as we receive sporadically requests from scientists for these specimens. Examples for the different stages of "lost" missing" destroyed" are for example in our type catalogue<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpfeil-verlag.de%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F05%2Fspix34_2_10.pdf&data=04%7C01%7C%7Ce84828b174dc4e15840b08d9d7629d22%7Cbe0003e8c6b9496883aeb34586974b76%7C0%7C0%7C637777640854120776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=slY1ua3mbTbEf0w93lCo%2B5tcf0XL4aKldIKb6kpgv24%3D&reserved=0>

Also, if a specimen is destroyed, e.g., as a result of destructive sampling (tissue samples that are entirely consumed with subsequently available DNA-data or DNA aliquots, or none of both, because extractions fail etc.), you would surely keep the records (in this case specifically, especially for collections in the EU, because of the 20-year reporting obligation in the EU ABS regulation).

Even when deaccessioning material, you surely kept the files of this fact.

So maybe this helps for you terminology question, but I am not quite sure.

With best wishes
Dirk

Am 14.01.2022 um 09:49 schrieb Lennart Lennuk:
Hi!

Just a quick terminology question.
What is a word for the act when an specimen in collection is destroyed and it needs to be maked that this specimen no longer exist in that collection?

Best regards!
Lennart Lennuk
Head of collections
Estonian Museum of Natural History
+372 6603404, 56569916

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