From gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Thu Sep 1 09:49:49 2022 From: gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Nelson,Gil) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2022 13:49:49 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Latest update: Biodiversity Digitization Conference (BioDigiCon), 27-29 September, 2022. Message-ID: We are pleased to share the latest updates for BioDigiCon. The virtual conference is free to attend but requires registration via EventBrite. We have received several presentation abstracts and will be adding more as they are submitted. The link to the abstracts is also available on the conference announcement page and will be regularly updated. Lighting talks for which abstracts are available include: A Fully Digitized Herbarium - Workflows to Keep Up 100% Sylvia Orli, Smithsonian Institution; Ingrid Lin, Smithsonian Institution; Nathan Anderson, Smithsonian Institution A workflow for cleaning Notes from Nature data transcriptions Peter Oboyski, Essig Museum of Entomology, UC Berkeley ArcGIS Online for born digital data: our experience 6 months in Rick Levy, Denver Botanic Gardens; Michelle DePrenger-Levin, Denver Botanic Gardens Arctos: A Collaborative and Scalable Collection Management Solution Emily Braker, University of Colorado Museum of Natural History Digi-Leap: Connecting Novel Tools, Machine Learning and Public Participation to Label Digitization Efforts Robert Guralnick, University of Florida; Michael Denslow, University of Florida; Julie Allen, University of Nevada, Reno; Samantha Blickhan, Zooniverse & Adler Planetarium; Raphael LaFrance, University of Florida; Mark Bouslog, Zooniverse & Adler Planetarium; Sean Miller, Zooniverse & Adler Planetarium Digitisation & Mobilisation of CSIRO?s Biological Collections Nicole Fisher, CSIRO; Pete Thrall, CSIRO Digitization and Dissemination of Phylogenetic Data: Using MorphoBank for Morphological Matrix Management Brooke Long-Fox, Phoenix Bioinformatics; Kenzley Alphonse, Kenx Technology, Inc.; Maureen O?Leary, Stony Brook University; Tanya, Berardini, Phoenix Bioinformatics Extending the Digital Extended Specimen Amanda Harmon, A.C. Moore Herbarium (USCH); Csilla Czako, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; Avery Browning, University of South Carolina School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment; Herrick, Brown, A.C. Moore Herbarium (USCH) Herbarium Pomeranicum Marta Jarosi?ska, University of Gda?sk; Joanna Korybut-Orlowska, University of Gdansk, Katarzyna Wszalek-Rozek, University of Gdansk Introducing taxastand and dwctaxon, a pair of R packages for standardizing species names in Darwin Core format Joel Nitta, The University of Tokyo; Wataru Iwasaki, The University of Tokyo New data models create new challenges for data sharing: looking at collections through the lens of events Ely Wallis, Atlas of Living Australia, CSIRO Symbiota: Managing and Mobilizing Biodiversity Data and Supporting Data Providers Katie Pearson, Symbiota Support Hub; Edward Gilbert, Arizona State University; Nico Franz, Arizona State University; Jenn Yost, California Polytechnic State University; Samanta Orellana, Arizona State University; Greg Post, Arizona State University; Laura Rocha Prado, Arizona State University; Lindsay Walker, Arizona State University Tracking biotic association claims across platforms, collections, and institutions. Jorrit Poelen, Ronin Institute / UC Santa Barbara Cheadle Institute for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration Using digitisation data to move a herbarium Claire Brandenburger, National Herbarium of NSW, Australian Institute of Botanical Science; Hannah McPherson, National Herbarium of NSW; Andre Badiou, National Herbarium of NSW; Mel Wong, National Herbarium of NSW; Guy Lowe, National Herbarium of NSW. The conference agenda includes several workshops and presentation/discussion sessions, currently including (more will be added shortly): Building a Digitization Program within Informatics and Data Science Centers Sylvia Orli, Smithsonian Institution Data quality: most common data dealbreakers Cat Chapman, iDigBio; Margot Schneider, Atlas of Living Australia; Dora Canhos, CRIA; Andrea Hahn, GBIF; Elspeth Haston, RBGE Digitization Workflows in Symbiota-based Biodiversity Specimen Data Portals Katie Pearson, Symbiota Support Hub, Arizona State University; Lindsay Walker, Symbiota, ASU Including Indigenous Metadata in Collection Records Maui Hudson, University of Waikato; Jane Anderson, New York University -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu Thu Sep 1 17:41:06 2022 From: cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu (Opitz, Cindy E) Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2022 21:41:06 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] glass vial source? Message-ID: Hello! Does anyone have a good source for glass vials with PE stoppers, like the ones pictured below? They measure 2, 1.6, and 1.2 cm across, and they have non-tapered openings. I've finally come to the end of the supply that was purchased long before I began working here 24 years ago, and I'm having a tough time finding anything similar. [cid:image001.png at 01D8BE21.6536D480] Cindy Opitz (she/her) Director of Research Collections Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program The University of Iowa 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Office: 319.335.0481 cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu mnh.uiowa.edu, oldcap.uiowa.edu [cid:image002.png at 01D8BE21.A109C580] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 110556 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Fri Sep 2 08:08:33 2022 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2022 12:08:33 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] glass vial source? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Cindy, We get these borosilicate glass "shell vials" from Fisher Scientific, though they're made by Kimble. I'd also recommend looking at Acme Vial in California. Standard sizes in our collection are 1, 2, 4 and 7 dram. We only use them for dry storage. 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 Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Opitz, Cindy E Sent: Thursday, September 1, 2022 5:41 PM To: Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] glass vial source? External. Hello! Does anyone have a good source for glass vials with PE stoppers, like the ones pictured below? They measure 2, 1.6, and 1.2 cm across, and they have non-tapered openings. I've finally come to the end of the supply that was purchased long before I began working here 24 years ago, and I'm having a tough time finding anything similar. [cid:image001.png at 01D8BEA3.30E859B0] Cindy Opitz (she/her) Director of Research Collections Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program The University of Iowa 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Office: 319.335.0481 cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu mnh.uiowa.edu, oldcap.uiowa.edu [cid:image002.png at 01D8BEA3.30E859B0] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 110556 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From dpaul at fsu.edu Fri Sep 2 12:05:39 2022 From: dpaul at fsu.edu (Deborah Paul) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2022 11:05:39 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] A Toolkit of IDEAS - inspiration and a practical tool from The Carpentries Message-ID: Hi All, How do we successfully set up our organizations, our activities, our materials, so that they offer Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility? The Carpentries have put together a Toolkit of IDEAS for Carpentries? Instructors, helpers, and workshop hosts. Much (all?) of what's included here is applicable across the SPNHC domain. If you take / create / assess activities such as workshops, or you design and develop teaching materials, there's something in this toolkit for you. See https://zenodo.org/record/7041935#.YxInlbTMIUS And I'm guessing someone from the SPNHC Wiki committee might want to link this to a page there? Debbie -- - Deborah Paul, Biodiversity Informatics Community Liaison - Species File Group (INHS), University of Illinois -- Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Chair 2021-2022 -- Florida State University Courtesy Appointment -- Species File Group and Events https://speciesfilegroup.org From VTomlinson at nature.ca Fri Sep 2 13:59:35 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2022 17:59:35 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] A Toolkit of IDEAS - inspiration and a practical tool from The Carpentries In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: -----Original Message----- From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Deborah Paul Sent: Friday, September 2, 2022 12:06 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] A Toolkit of IDEAS - inspiration and a practical tool from The Carpentries Q: "How do we successfully set up our organizations, our activities, our materials, so that they offer Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility?" A: Talk to people. Set up communication channels so you can talk to the horses's mouth directly with ideas, questions, etc., rather than making assumptions. That's the core of it. Val [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. From lcohen3 at fsu.edu Fri Sep 2 14:01:51 2022 From: lcohen3 at fsu.edu (Lauren Cohen) Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2022 18:01:51 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] =?windows-1252?q?iDigBio=92s_Digitization_Academy=3A_?= =?windows-1252?q?Introduction_to_Biodiversity_Specimen_Digitization_cours?= =?windows-1252?q?e=2C_October_3=9626?= Message-ID: We are excited to announce the return of our popular professional development opportunity: Introduction to Biodiversity Specimen Digitization. This free, online course is focused on introducing the creation of digital data about biodiversity specimens to those who are just beginning this activity. The aims of the course are to empower participants with the knowledge and skills to (1) identify and describe relevant facets of information or potential information related to biodiversity specimens, (2) identify and describe common digitization protocols and best practices related to transcription, imaging, and georeferencing, (3) identify downstream uses that are relevant to digitization decision-making, (4) recognize basic principles of data management including the importance of identifiers, (5) identify collections management system options and the major differences among them, and (6) outline a digitization project, including quality control and a data management plan that includes data sharing. This course is targeted at those already associated with a biodiversity collection, such as student technicians, collections management professionals, or curators. The course will be relevant to a diversity of collection types. Participants do not need prior knowledge of biodiversity informatics or specialized software. The course will occur for four weeks, from October 3?26 (Monday and Wednesday), between 3:00?4:30 pm ET. You can expect to spend 1.5 hours daily (Monday and Wednesday) in synchronous meetings and as much as two additional hours of preparation time per week outside of class. So this is about a 20-hour time commitment. We expect to cap the course at 25 participants and will make admission decisions based on the relevance of the training to the future of the applicant?s organization and a desire to engage a diversity of perspectives. The course will be delivered in English. Those interested in participating from outside the US are welcome to apply. You may apply to participate in this course at: https://forms.gle/ksndthU2D8JMieJg8. Applications are due by 9:00 am ET on Tuesday, September 13. Questions can be directed to Lauren Cohen (lcohen3 at fsu.edu; iDigBio?s Workforce Development Manager) and Austin Mast (amast at fsu.edu; Director of iDigBio?s Digitization, Workforce Development, and Citizen Science Domain). Please consider sharing this announcement with others who might benefit from it. Thanks! Warm Regards, Lauren Cohen Workforce Development Manager Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) Florida State University lcohen3 at fsu.edu (412)818-6800 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From poellath at snsb.de Sat Sep 3 14:16:26 2022 From: poellath at snsb.de (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Nadja_P=F6llath?=) Date: Sat, 3 Sep 2022 20:16:26 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures Message-ID: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> Dear all, this is my first post to nhcoll listserve ? so please bear with me, if I am not following the conventions of this list. I am a curator at a collection housing archaeological animal bones and modern reference specimens. With the energy crisis, the Bavarian state ordered that the heating system in the collection shall only be working before room temperature drops below 0?C. According to the Preventive Conservation ?bible? temperatures in storage rooms generally should not drop below 15?C. I?d like to hear about the guidelines regarding room temperature limits in comparable collections. More critical for archaeological and subfossil bones apparently are low RH values. As RH and temperatures are dependent variables, it would be good to know at which RH values damages are induced. Many thanks, Nadja (Staatssammlung f?r Pal?oanatomie M?nchen, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cwthomp at umich.edu Tue Sep 6 11:50:42 2022 From: cwthomp at umich.edu (Cody Thompson) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 11:50:42 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Fwd: Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate in LSA Technology Services In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Colleagues: Please see the link below for a recent posting for another IT position at the University of Michigan whose primary focus is supporting the museum databases. This is a different posting from the position that was shared previously. Please note that this is a 2-year position with an opportunity for extension. Take care, 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 Website: codythompson.org 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. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Matthew Cruz Date: Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 10:59 AM Subject: Fwd: Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate in LSA Technology Services To: Benjamin Hess , Kyle Lough , Alison Harrington , Taehwan Lee , Garth Holman , Barry OConnor , Randal Singer < randalas at umich.edu>, Gregory Schneider , Brett Benz < bwbenz at umich.edu>, Adam Rountrey , Erika Tucker < emtuckerlab at gmail.com>, Brad Ruhfel , Taro Eldredge < kteld at umich.edu>, Cody Thompson , Jennifer Bauer < bauerjen at umich.edu> Hi all, See below that Tony's manager Matt has announced the second posting on LSA TS to help support RMC.... Please relay the posting to your various networks.... Thank you, Matthew ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Matt Bidlingmeyer Date: Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 10:12 AM Subject: Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate in LSA Technology Services To: Good morning, I am excited to announce an expansion of our Infrastructure team with the addition of a term limited Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate position. The primary focus of this position will be providing support for LSA's Research Museums . If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me, Matt -- Matt Bidlingmeyer, Infrastructure Manager College of Literature, Science, and the Arts | University of Michigan LSA Technology Services | G155 Angell Hall | 435 S. State Street | Ann Arbor, MI I 48109 Desk: 734.763.0593 | For Immediate Assistance: 734.615.0100 | Email: rbidling at umich.edu Submit a support request anytime using our Guided Web Form -- Matthew Cruz, Application Architect Web and Application Development Services LSA Technology Services The University of Michigan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcruz at umich.edu Tue Sep 6 12:12:44 2022 From: mcruz at umich.edu (Matthew Cruz) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 12:12:44 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Posting: Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate in LSA Technology Services In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Matt Bidlingmeyer Date: Tue, Sep 6, 2022 at 10:12 AM Subject: Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate in LSA Technology Services To: Good morning, I am excited to announce an expansion of our Infrastructure team with the addition of a term limited Linux Systems Administrator Intermediate position. The primary focus of this position will be providing support for LSA's Research Museums . If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me, Matt -- Matt Bidlingmeyer, Infrastructure Manager College of Literature, Science, and the Arts | University of Michigan LSA Technology Services | G155 Angell Hall | 435 S. State Street | Ann Arbor, MI I 48109 Desk: 734.763.0593 | For Immediate Assistance: 734.615.0100 | Email: rbidling at umich.edu Submit a support request anytime using our Guided Web Form -- Matthew Cruz, Application Architect Web and Application Development Services LSA Technology Services The University of Michigan -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jpfriel at ua.edu Tue Sep 6 13:11:43 2022 From: jpfriel at ua.edu (John Friel) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 17:11:43 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Ad: Research Outreach Coordinator, Alabama Museum of Natural History Message-ID: Research Outreach Coordinator, Alabama Museum of Natural History The Alabama Museum of Natural History (https://almnh.museums.ua.edu/) at The University of Alabama seeks a Research Outreach Coordinator. This is a full-time, staff-level position with benefits located on the campus of The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The position reports to the Director of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. The University of Alabama Museums (https://museums.ua.edu/) includes five museums, two research departments, and a PBS television program within the College of Arts and Sciences. These include the Alabama Museum of Natural History (oldest museum in Alabama), Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum (local historical museum), Gorgas House (oldest structure on The University of Alabama campus), Moundville Archaeological Park (185 acres on the former site of the political and ceremonial center of a vast Native American chiefdom), Paul W. Bryant Museum (UA sports history museum), Discovering Alabama (Emmy Award-winning public television series), Office of Archaeological Research and the Department of Museum Research and Collections, which manages more than five million objects and specimens. The ALMNH Research Outreach Coordinator is responsible for substantial public outreach and contributions to the development, management, and implementation of quality museum exhibits and educational programs for all age groups. The coordinator will identify and substantially contribute to the development, writing, and submission of grant proposals with UA faculty and staff to help them disseminate the broader impacts of their UA-based research through the museum?s exhibits and public programs. The coordinator will supervise and manage grant funds budgeted for broader impacts to increase public awareness through education-oriented museum exhibits and events, design creative marketing and social media campaigns, and expands the museum?s outreach opportunities through externally funding activities. Duties will include: * Direct the creation, implementation, and delivery of new externally funded exhibits and outreach activities to disseminate the broader impacts of research done by UA faculty and staff. Additionally, work with other ALMNH staff in expanding and strengthening existing museum exhibits and outreach programs. * Collaborate with UA faculty and staff to create text, budgets, and budget justification for the broader impact sections of research grant applications submitted to federal, state, and local governments, and private funding sources. * Develop budgets and manage grant funds awarded for broader impact activities that increase public awareness through education-oriented museum exhibits and activities. * Develop and maintain standard methods to access and quantify the impact of the museum?s exhibits and programs for reporting purposes to the ALMNH Director, collaborating UA faculty, UA administrators, and external funding agencies. * Assist other ALMNH staff with conducting museum tours, field trips, and outreach activities, as well as maintenance of equipment and vehicles used for museum outreach activities and events. * Actively engage the local community in creating the museum?s exhibits and public outreach events. * Assist the ALMNH Education Outreach Coordinator with recruitment, coordination, and supervision of ALMNH volunteers and docents involved in museum outreach activities. * Represent the Alabama Museum of Natural History and UA in public speaking engagements. Preferred Qualifications: A Master?s degree in a science field; two years prior experience in educational activities and/or public programming experience in a museum; demonstrated record of successful grant application writing. Pay Grade/Pay Range: 57 Monthly (exempt): - Minimum - $ 36,088.00 Midpoint - $ 52,686.40 Questions about the position should be addressed to Dr. John Friel (jpfriel at ua.edu). To apply, go to http://careers.ua.edu/cw/en-us/job/517390, complete the online application, and upload: (1) a cover letter; (2) a CV or resume; (3) a list of three to five references (including contact information). Consideration of applications will begin on October 5, 2022. There will be a preliminary Zoom screening of selected applicants, after which the top candidate(s) will be invited for an in-person interview. The start date is negotiable, but ideally before the end of the year. Additional information about the UA Museums can be found on our website at https://museums.ua.edu. The University of Alabama is an equal-opportunity employer (EOE), including an EOE of protected vets and individuals with disabilities. ? John P. Friel, Ph.D. | He/Him/His | ALMNH Director / Museum Studies Program Advisor & Internship Coordinator [Divider line] Alabama Museum of Natural History The University of Alabama 119 Smith Hall Box 870340 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 Phone 205-348-2136 | Mobile 205-344-3050 | Fax 205-348-9292 jpfriel at ua.edu | https://almnh.museums.ua.edu/ [Divider line] [The University of Alabama box A with stacked words logo] [Facebook Icon] [Twitter Icon] [Instagram Icon] [YouTube Icon] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 179 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image006.gif Type: image/gif Size: 1389 bytes Desc: image006.gif URL: From VTomlinson at nature.ca Tue Sep 6 16:00:18 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 20:00:18 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Animal bone collection and temperatures In-Reply-To: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> References: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> Message-ID: Hi Nadja, There is movement in the museum world when it comes to sustainability practices to expand the allowable environmental conditions allowed for artefacts (other than for the highly sensitive ones). With this in mind, new standards are allowing a temperature range of 0+?C - 25?C, i.e. not exceeding 25?C and not below 0?C (no freeze-thaw cycles). Most specimens and artefact materials are actually better off at lower temperatures (provided you don't allow freeze-thaw cycles), however, you have to pay attention to the impact of temperature on humidity. You don't want to let the humidity rise above 60% if you are letting the temperature drop. Ideally you don't allow rapid fluctuations in this range either. Bone material should be fine in this temperature range, so long as you don't allow the humidity to go crazy, and don't allow things to freeze (especially with wet/moist bone). That's my recommendation. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Nadja P?llath Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2022 2:16 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, this is my first post to nhcoll listserve - so please bear with me, if I am not following the conventions of this list. I am a curator at a collection housing archaeological animal bones and modern reference specimens. With the energy crisis, the Bavarian state ordered that the heating system in the collection shall only be working before room temperature drops below 0?C. According to the Preventive Conservation 'bible' temperatures in storage rooms generally should not drop below 15?C. I'd like to hear about the guidelines regarding room temperature limits in comparable collections. More critical for archaeological and subfossil bones apparently are low RH values. As RH and temperatures are dependent variables, it would be good to know at which RH values damages are induced. Many thanks, Nadja (Staatssammlung f?r Pal?oanatomie M?nchen, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns) [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Sep 6 21:39:40 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 01:39:40 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Message-ID: Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom - despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Tue Sep 6 22:29:00 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2022 22:29:00 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures In-Reply-To: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> References: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> Message-ID: Nadja, There is a very good, brief section on the preservation of "Bone, Antler, Ivory and Teeth" by Christopher Norris and Robert Waller on pages 852-852 of *Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage*, edited by Lisa Elkin and Christopher Norris. To summarize what they say, you are correct to be concerned with freezing temperatures and relative humidity due to problems with fracturing, mold growth, chemical aging rates, and migration of oils. Brief excursions of temperature to near freezing are not too harmful except as temperature affects relative humidity. Low relative humidity will cause fracturing of teeth and long bones, and frequent variations in relative humidity may do the same. The recommendations Valerie provided are good. Keep in mind that teeth are far more susceptible to damage from fluctuating relative humidity and low relative humidity than bone. In addition, what I suggest is talking to the building engineers or administrators or whoever controls the thermostats and heating equipment about how to go about the energy saving measures and try to convince them that rather than simply prevent the temperature from going below freezing, they need to investigate ways to conserve energy while still maintaining a relatively stable storage environment to minimize humidity excursions. There has been some work on this in various museums in different climates, ranging from simply turning off heat or cooling over the weekend when the collection storage areas are closed (which, in an adequately insulated building, usually keeps the temperature and humidity within a desired range) to establishing a lower temperature (hence less energy use) that still keeps relative humidity within an acceptable range. This latter method is often more energy efficient, depending on the building design and materials, as it is usually more efficient to use a steady temperature of, say, 10 or 12 degrees, than to allow a large space to cool down and then heat it back up (which causes serious changes in relative humidity). Another solution is to use microclimates for very susceptible materials (such as teeth) by placing them in polyethylene boxes with treated silica gel, but that may be prohibitive for a large collection such as yours. There are a number of publications available that address these issues. Three that are available for free download include: Padfield et al. 2013, Low energy museum storage https://www.conservationphysics.org/storage/low-energy-museum-storage.html Maekawa and Garcia Morales 2006-Los-cost climate control system for museum storage facility https://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/climate/valle_de_guerra_PLEA_2006.pdf Kerschner 2008-Providing safe and practical environments for cultural property in historic buildings https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.568.1438&rep=rep1&type=pdf No doubt other people on this list have either had experience with these sorts of strategies or perhaps can recommend other useful publications to address this issue. Glad to see you posting to nhcoll!! --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica *and* Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University *and* Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Sat, Sep 3, 2022 at 2:16 PM Nadja P?llath wrote: > Dear all, > > this is my first post to nhcoll listserve ? so please bear with me, if I > am not following the conventions of this list. > > > > I am a curator at a collection housing archaeological animal bones and > modern reference specimens. With the energy crisis, the Bavarian state > ordered that the heating system in the collection shall only be working > before room temperature drops below 0?C. According to the Preventive > Conservation ?bible? temperatures in storage rooms generally should not > drop below 15?C. I?d like to hear about the guidelines regarding room > temperature limits in comparable collections. > > > > More critical for archaeological and subfossil bones apparently are low RH > values. As RH and temperatures are dependent variables, it would be good to > know at which RH values damages are induced. > > > > Many thanks, > > Nadja > > (Staatssammlung f?r Pal?oanatomie M?nchen, Staatliche > Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns) > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From poellath at snsb.de Wed Sep 7 02:05:46 2022 From: poellath at snsb.de (=?UTF-8?Q?Nadja_P=C3=B6llath?=) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 08:05:46 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] WG: Animal bone collection and temperatures References: <00d101d8bfc1$48389250$d8a9b6f0$@snsb.de> Message-ID: <005d01d8c27f$df4f7030$9dee5090$@snsb.de> I am sorry ? I did it again: I hit the reply button, not the reply-to-all button. N. Von: Nadja P?llath Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. September 2022 07:37 An: 'John E Simmons' Betreff: AW: [Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures Hi Valerie and John, many thanks for your input and the links. I meanwhile talked to the curator of the other collection housed in the same building (who didn?t know a thing about these plans). They even have to work in the storage part during wintertime meaning that the temperature should certainly be kept above freezing. We (our collection manager Carla and I) will collect all data so that we can discuss with the administrators of the building how we can help with saving energy and still have temperatures and humidity at reasonable levels in the collection. Many thanks again for your help. John, finally ... yes. This issue called for the collective wisdom of this list. Nadja Von: John E Simmons > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 7. September 2022 04:29 An: Nadja P?llath > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Betreff: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures Nadja, There is a very good, brief section on the preservation of "Bone, Antler, Ivory and Teeth" by Christopher Norris and Robert Waller on pages 852-852 of Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage, edited by Lisa Elkin and Christopher Norris. To summarize what they say, you are correct to be concerned with freezing temperatures and relative humidity due to problems with fracturing, mold growth, chemical aging rates, and migration of oils. Brief excursions of temperature to near freezing are not too harmful except as temperature affects relative humidity. Low relative humidity will cause fracturing of teeth and long bones, and frequent variations in relative humidity may do the same. The recommendations Valerie provided are good. Keep in mind that teeth are far more susceptible to damage from fluctuating relative humidity and low relative humidity than bone. In addition, what I suggest is talking to the building engineers or administrators or whoever controls the thermostats and heating equipment about how to go about the energy saving measures and try to convince them that rather than simply prevent the temperature from going below freezing, they need to investigate ways to conserve energy while still maintaining a relatively stable storage environment to minimize humidity excursions. There has been some work on this in various museums in different climates, ranging from simply turning off heat or cooling over the weekend when the collection storage areas are closed (which, in an adequately insulated building, usually keeps the temperature and humidity within a desired range) to establishing a lower temperature (hence less energy use) that still keeps relative humidity within an acceptable range. This latter method is often more energy efficient, depending on the building design and materials, as it is usually more efficient to use a steady temperature of, say, 10 or 12 degrees, than to allow a large space to cool down and then heat it back up (which causes serious changes in relative humidity). Another solution is to use microclimates for very susceptible materials (such as teeth) by placing them in polyethylene boxes with treated silica gel, but that may be prohibitive for a large collection such as yours. There are a number of publications available that address these issues. Three that are available for free download include: Padfield et al. 2013, Low energy museum storage https://www.conservationphysics.org/storage/low-energy-museum-storage.html Maekawa and Garcia Morales 2006-Los-cost climate control system for museum storage facility https://www.getty.edu/conservation/our_projects/science/climate/valle_de_guerra_PLEA_2006.pdf Kerschner 2008-Providing safe and practical environments for cultural property in historic buildings https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.568.1438&rep=rep1&type=pdf No doubt other people on this list have either had experience with these sorts of strategies or perhaps can recommend other useful publications to address this issue. Glad to see you posting to nhcoll!! --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica and Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Sat, Sep 3, 2022 at 2:16 PM Nadja P?llath > wrote: Dear all, this is my first post to nhcoll listserve ? so please bear with me, if I am not following the conventions of this list. I am a curator at a collection housing archaeological animal bones and modern reference specimens. With the energy crisis, the Bavarian state ordered that the heating system in the collection shall only be working before room temperature drops below 0?C. According to the Preventive Conservation ?bible? temperatures in storage rooms generally should not drop below 15?C. I?d like to hear about the guidelines regarding room temperature limits in comparable collections. More critical for archaeological and subfossil bones apparently are low RH values. As RH and temperatures are dependent variables, it would be good to know at which RH values damages are induced. Many thanks, Nadja (Staatssammlung f?r Pal?oanatomie M?nchen, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns) _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Wed Sep 7 05:40:13 2022 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 10:40:13 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, This is because water and ethanol form a binary azeotrope when mixed. Someone may take the time to explain this phenomenon in more detail but have a look on the I?net. Even when thoroughly mixed, two miscible fluids of differing specific gravity will start to separate out once again if mixed in large quantities. I mix mine in 2.5 litre bottles but I?m only a ?small producer? and I tend to upend the bottles gently before decanting, to ensure that the mix is accurate. I am not sure whether introducing the paddle again after 24 hours will help to reverse this situation or whether it will keep on recurring. A useful point to consider and hopefully John Simmons, Rob Waller et al., will be able to shed further light. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 02:39, Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) wrote: > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Sep 7 08:46:30 2022 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 12:46:30 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We cut 95% ethanol to 80% in 25-liter carboys, rolling them on their sides to mix. I regularly test the fluid during use, and it holds steady at 80-81% (I just tested the remains of a batch mixed in March; 80.6 originally, 81.0 now in a sample drawn through the spigot; presumably slightly lower at the surface). I haven't, therefore, seen major re-separation, though I'm aware (thanks to John's work!) of the properties of binary azeotropes. Could it be, I wonder, that the slightly higher concentration we use helps avoid this problem? We switched from 70% to 80% about 20 years ago. 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 Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 9:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH External. Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom - despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jessica.bazeley at yale.edu Wed Sep 7 09:00:16 2022 From: jessica.bazeley at yale.edu (Utrup, Jessica) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 13:00:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] NHCOLL-L Quarterly Reminder Message-ID: NHCOLL-L is provided as a service to the collections community by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC). We depend on list members to provide only those postings that are appropriate to the subject matter, which includes topics such as collections administration, collections care, computerization, conservation, and management. Both policy and practical discussions are appropriate. Information of all kinds is welcome, however, advertising is inappropriate. Membership in SPNHC gives you access to a lively, active, and interdisciplinary global community of professionals dedicated to the care of natural history collections. SPNHC's membership is drawn from more than 20 countries and includes museum specialists such as curators, collections managers, conservators, preparators, and database administrators. The Society hosts annual meetings and sponsors symposia and workshops to foster the exchange of ideas and information. Member benefits also include the society's peer-reviewed journal, Collection Forum, a biannual newsletter and a wealth of content on our website at www.spnhc.org. Membership information can be found by visiting our website and clicking "Join SPNHC." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Wed Sep 7 09:29:29 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 13:29:29 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya We usually bubble air through our alcohol while mixing which seems to do a better job of mixing that simply rolling or inverting (although we have never used a paddle). We have not seen any later separation of the fluid. We use a hose off our lab air supply with a metal end that sinks it down to the bottom of the fluid. We usually let is bubble for a couple of hours after filling the 25 liter carboy with 95% ethanol and deionized water to dilute to 70%. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 8:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom - despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de Wed Sep 7 10:25:25 2022 From: Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de (=?UTF-8?Q?Joachim=20H=C3=A4ndel?=) Date: Wed, 07 Sep 2022 16:25:25 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6318A9D5020000B3000A2D41@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> Hello everyone, I handle this similar to Simon: Only relatively small quantities - a maximum of 7 liters at a time and rotate and swivel the canister several times after mixing. I have not yet noticed any formation of layers. I don't want to add air to the liquid - sorry Andy. Finally, we try very hard to get air bubbles out of the mixture. All the best Joachim -- Joachim Haendel Center of Natural Sciences Collections of the Martin Luther University - Entomological Collection - Domplatz 4 D-06099 Halle (Saale) Germany Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447 Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 248 Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de >>> Bentley, Andrew Charles 07.09.2022, 15:29 >>> Hi Tonya We usually bubble air through our alcohol while mixing which seems to do a better job of mixing that simply rolling or inverting (although we have never used a paddle). We have not seen any later separation of the fluid. We use a hose off our lab air supply with a metal end that sinks it down to the bottom of the fluid. We usually let is bubble for a couple of hours after filling the 25 liter carboy with 95% ethanol and deionized water to dilute to 70%. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 6, 2022 8:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Wed Sep 7 10:32:45 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 14:32:45 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, Good for you in doing those tests to discover that! The key is to remember that "mixing" and "dissolving" are two distinct processes that occur at different rates. 1. The mixing creates a mixture of 95% ethanol and 0% ethanol (water). This is evidenced by a lack of optical clarity (waviness) in the mixture. 2. Those two separate components of the mixture gradually dissolve into each other creating a homogenous solution that will not separate. 3. Before a true and inseparable solution is formed, ethanol poor parts of the mixture can sink below ethanol rich parts and ethanol poor solution can sink below ethanol rich solution. Therefore, the key is to continue mechanical mixing until the mixture has formed a homogenous solution throughout. As you have discovered, dissolution may take more on the scale of hours while mixing requires just minutes. Sorting this out will require some repeated testing of layers, as you have done, each time allowing some time after mechanical mixing for any possible separation (I suspect a few hours), until you are confident your mixture has become a homogenous solution. I suspect many people on this list will be interested in your results so please do share. Could also make for an interesting poster at our next SPNHC meeting and an entry in STASHC. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: September 6, 2022 9:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom - despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Wed Sep 7 10:48:57 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 10:48:57 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Another reason to let the alcohol and water mixture sit for 24 hr before using it (in addition to Rob's explanation of mixing vs dissolving) is to allow it to cool off to room temperature. You have probably noticed that when the alcohol and water are mixed the container becomes slightly warmer, commonly called "heat of mixing," but more properly called enthalpy ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy_of_mixing). Several people over the years have questioned the use of compressed air to mix the alcohol, as Andy described, assuming either that this would cause more bubbles to form on specimens or that it would tend to acidify the alcohol from the reaction with oxygen. In the years I was at Kansas we did not experience either phenomenon with the alcohol. Bubbles rarely formed on specimens, the alcohol is a steady 70% coming out of the spigot on the container, and none of the problems common to acidic alcohol mixtures ever were apparent. The binary azeotrope is what causes alcohol to evaporate from the mixture faster than the water, hence the phenomenon of "the angels share" that evaporates from whisky barrels in storage. In an azeotrope, each substance retains its own properties, so the alcohol evaporates faster than the water. For this reason, I recommend that containers of ETOH never be left open while specimens are being examined (always replace the lid) and that alcohol that is poured into a tray be checked for concentration before being returned to a container. It does not take long for the alcohol concentration to drop significantly. The higher the alcohol concentration, the faster the drop. Paul and I have discussed concentrations before and we disagree on this point. I prefer 70% for most uses because at that concentration alcohol is an excellent biocide. Higher concentrations dehydrate specimens more, and can interfere with the passage of alcohol through the tissues by dehydrating the outer layers rapidly. Preservation in alcohol is always a trade-off between good preservation and dehydration of the specimen. In my experience, for most purposes, higher concentrations of ETOH (above 70%) are not appropriate. Our local micro-distillery, which is an excellent venue ( https://www.bigspringspirits.com/), sells a t-shirt that says "Alcohol is not a problem, it's a solution" which of course is incorrect It should say "Alcohol is not a problem, it is a mixture..." --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica *and* Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University *and* Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 10:32 AM Robert Waller wrote: > Hi Tonya, > > Good for you in doing those tests to discover that! > > The key is to remember that ?mixing? and ?dissolving? are two distinct > processes that occur at different rates. > > 1. The mixing creates a mixture of 95% ethanol and 0% ethanol (water). > This is evidenced by a lack of optical clarity (waviness) in the mixture. > 2. Those two separate components of the mixture gradually dissolve > into each other creating a homogenous solution that will not separate. > 3. Before a true and inseparable solution is formed, ethanol poor > parts of the mixture can sink below ethanol rich parts and ethanol poor > solution can sink below ethanol rich solution. > > > > Therefore, the key is to continue mechanical mixing until the mixture has > formed a homogenous solution throughout. As you have discovered, > dissolution may take more on the scale of hours while mixing requires just > minutes. Sorting this out will require some repeated testing of layers, as > you have done, each time allowing some time after mechanical mixing for any > possible separation (I suspect a few hours), until you are confident your > mixture has become a homogenous solution. > > I suspect many people on this list will be interested in your results so > please do share. Could also make for an interesting poster at our next > SPNHC meeting and an entry in STASHC. > > Best, > > Rob > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of *Haff, > Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > *Sent:* September 6, 2022 9:40 PM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > > > Hello all, > > > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. > Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a > container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, > and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for > dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the > bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol > concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and > found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and > ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. > This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using > concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of > you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is > there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly > combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > > > > Thank you! > > > > Cheers, > > > > Tonya > > ------------------------------------------------- > > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > > Collection Manager > > Australian National Wildlife Collection > > CSIRO > > +61(0)419569109 > > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Wed Sep 7 11:13:55 2022 From: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl (a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 15:13:55 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Tonya, When you measure with a digital densimeter, it is very important that the solution has cooled down after mixing. The thermodynamic process of mixing leads to significant rise in temperature of the fluid and the formation of tiny air bubbles. It takes a pretty long time before all these bubbles have surfaced and the fluid has cooled down. Taking a sample with a digital densimeter before these processes have settled will certainly lead to wrong read-outs, because the instrument measures the weight of the fluid sample being drawn into a folded glass tube by means of oscillation. When there is air in the fluid sample or the fluid temperature is higher than the calibration temp. the tube will be lighter and resonate at a higher frequency leading to a false and higher read-out of the ethanol concentration. Kind regards, Dries From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Robert Waller Sent: woensdag 7 september 2022 16:33 To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hi Tonya, Good for you in doing those tests to discover that! The key is to remember that "mixing" and "dissolving" are two distinct processes that occur at different rates. 1. The mixing creates a mixture of 95% ethanol and 0% ethanol (water). This is evidenced by a lack of optical clarity (waviness) in the mixture. 2. Those two separate components of the mixture gradually dissolve into each other creating a homogenous solution that will not separate. 3. Before a true and inseparable solution is formed, ethanol poor parts of the mixture can sink below ethanol rich parts and ethanol poor solution can sink below ethanol rich solution. Therefore, the key is to continue mechanical mixing until the mixture has formed a homogenous solution throughout. As you have discovered, dissolution may take more on the scale of hours while mixing requires just minutes. Sorting this out will require some repeated testing of layers, as you have done, each time allowing some time after mechanical mixing for any possible separation (I suspect a few hours), until you are confident your mixture has become a homogenous solution. I suspect many people on this list will be interested in your results so please do share. Could also make for an interesting poster at our next SPNHC meeting and an entry in STASHC. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: September 6, 2022 9:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom - despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Wed Sep 7 11:17:37 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 15:17:37 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I think it is worth underscoring John?s recommendation: ?that alcohol that is poured into a tray be checked for concentration before being returned to a container?. The rate at which a solution falls in concentration as it evaporates is inversely proportional to the depth of the solution. If that depth is only a few mm then the concentration will be become very low after just half the depth has evaporated. Even more drastic for more shallow layers. Rob From: John E Simmons Sent: September 7, 2022 10:49 AM To: Robert Waller Cc: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Another reason to let the alcohol and water mixture sit for 24 hr before using it (in addition to Rob's explanation of mixing vs dissolving) is to allow it to cool off to room temperature. You have probably noticed that when the alcohol and water are mixed the container becomes slightly warmer, commonly called "heat of mixing," but more properly called enthalpy (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy_of_mixing). Several people over the years have questioned the use of compressed air to mix the alcohol, as Andy described, assuming either that this would cause more bubbles to form on specimens or that it would tend to acidify the alcohol from the reaction with oxygen. In the years I was at Kansas we did not experience either phenomenon with the alcohol. Bubbles rarely formed on specimens, the alcohol is a steady 70% coming out of the spigot on the container, and none of the problems common to acidic alcohol mixtures ever were apparent. The binary azeotrope is what causes alcohol to evaporate from the mixture faster than the water, hence the phenomenon of "the angels share" that evaporates from whisky barrels in storage. In an azeotrope, each substance retains its own properties, so the alcohol evaporates faster than the water. For this reason, I recommend that containers of ETOH never be left open while specimens are being examined (always replace the lid) and that alcohol that is poured into a tray be checked for concentration before being returned to a container. It does not take long for the alcohol concentration to drop significantly. The higher the alcohol concentration, the faster the drop. Paul and I have discussed concentrations before and we disagree on this point. I prefer 70% for most uses because at that concentration alcohol is an excellent biocide. Higher concentrations dehydrate specimens more, and can interfere with the passage of alcohol through the tissues by dehydrating the outer layers rapidly. Preservation in alcohol is always a trade-off between good preservation and dehydration of the specimen. In my experience, for most purposes, higher concentrations of ETOH (above 70%) are not appropriate. Our local micro-distillery, which is an excellent venue (https://www.bigspringspirits.com/), sells a t-shirt that says "Alcohol is not a problem, it's a solution" which of course is incorrect It should say "Alcohol is not a problem, it is a mixture..." --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica and Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 10:32 AM Robert Waller > wrote: Hi Tonya, Good for you in doing those tests to discover that! The key is to remember that ?mixing? and ?dissolving? are two distinct processes that occur at different rates. 1. The mixing creates a mixture of 95% ethanol and 0% ethanol (water). This is evidenced by a lack of optical clarity (waviness) in the mixture. 2. Those two separate components of the mixture gradually dissolve into each other creating a homogenous solution that will not separate. 3. Before a true and inseparable solution is formed, ethanol poor parts of the mixture can sink below ethanol rich parts and ethanol poor solution can sink below ethanol rich solution. Therefore, the key is to continue mechanical mixing until the mixture has formed a homogenous solution throughout. As you have discovered, dissolution may take more on the scale of hours while mixing requires just minutes. Sorting this out will require some repeated testing of layers, as you have done, each time allowing some time after mechanical mixing for any possible separation (I suspect a few hours), until you are confident your mixture has become a homogenous solution. I suspect many people on this list will be interested in your results so please do share. Could also make for an interesting poster at our next SPNHC meeting and an entry in STASHC. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: September 6, 2022 9:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From emtuckerlab at gmail.com Wed Sep 7 15:32:34 2022 From: emtuckerlab at gmail.com (E.M. TuckerLab) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 15:32:34 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Typescript Software Developer Job with BON Message-ID: Hi all, BON is looking to hire a Typescript Software Developer to finish work on Symbiota2. Job description attached. Please forward to anyone who may be interested. Thanks! Erika ---------- Erika Tucker, PhD (s*he/her/hers*) Milwaukee Public Museum | TPT Taxonomy Digitization Manager Biodiversity Outreach Network (BON) | Research Associate *Entomologist, Museum Specialist, & Researcher* ORCiD 0000-0002-8822-2315 Check it out! *Bug.News *(blog) TPT Resource Hub (taxonomy) GloBI How-To (help page) Entomological Resources (supplies, DIY, etc.) BugFlow (digitization workflows) *Bug Jewelry* (made with real bugs) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Typscript_Developer-Job_Description-FINAL.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 379985 bytes Desc: not available URL: From AndrewS at tepapa.govt.nz Wed Sep 7 17:19:54 2022 From: AndrewS at tepapa.govt.nz (Andrew Stewart) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 21:19:54 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container :), and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. Ng? mihi Andrew Stewart >><<<)o> Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) Museum of New Zealand 04 381 7314 027 7339363 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH Hello all, I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. Thank you! Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG20220908085621.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1719997 bytes Desc: IMG20220908085621.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG20220908090057.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2297103 bytes Desc: IMG20220908090057.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: IMG20220908090343.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1977866 bytes Desc: IMG20220908090343.jpg URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Wed Sep 7 18:54:26 2022 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2022 23:54:26 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Wed Sep 7 22:52:35 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2022 02:52:35 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: 88143 National Collections Relocation Technician - Multiple Positions - ADVERTISING LIVE In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all, The CSIRO National Research Collections Australia (NRCA) is hiring several 'relocation technicians' to help with our upcoming move about 13 million specimens (mostly insects and terrestrial vertebrates) to a new, modern facility in Canberra, Australia. We are looking for people who have experience with collections or biological specimens/organisms or ideally, both. The job posting can be found here - please pass it along to anyone who might be interested. Thanks! https://jobs.csiro.au/job/Canberra%2C-ACT-National-Collections-Relocation-Technician-Multiple-Positions/931072810/ Cheers, Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: 88143_National_Collections_Relocation_Technician_NCMI_ACT.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 195928 bytes Desc: 88143_National_Collections_Relocation_Technician_NCMI_ACT.pdf URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Thu Sep 8 10:42:30 2022 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2022 14:42:30 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: ALERT: Hurricane Kay In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Kaneko, Nana Sent: Thursday, September 8, 2022 10:37 AM Subject: ALERT: Hurricane Kay External Email - Exercise Caution HENTF members, The potential impacts of Hurricane Kay may be felt in Baja California and Southwest Arizona. Please notify your members and constituents in these areas to: * Prepare for the possibility of flooding and/or tropical storm-force winds. * Monitor the storm via the National Hurricane Center and their state emergency management agency. * Review and share these HENTF Hurricane Preparedness Tips >From the National Hurricane Center: [cid:image003.png at 01D8C36E.581B1B60] Thank you! Nana Nana Kaneko, Ph.D. Specialist | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration | Resilience Mobile: (202) 615-9414 nana.kaneko at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [Federal Emergency Management Agency logo] [cid:image002.png at 01D8C36E.32A03A50] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 5349 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 14036 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 421398 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Fri Sep 9 17:33:48 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 17:33:48 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water *Mixing Ethanol and Water * Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. *The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C*, and the *volume decreases to 480 ml* just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore wrote: > This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks > Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial > re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of > binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the > best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising > of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told > (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough > to cause the air bubble release. > > So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, > say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the > temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been > mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a > thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! > > With all good wishes, Simon > > Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR > Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, > > www.natural-history-conservation.com > > > > > > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart wrote: > > > > Hi Tonya, > > > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the > solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The > alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to > get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super > swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is > thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream > container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is > then checked and so far it seems to work. > > > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > > > Ng? mihi > > Andrew Stewart > > > > >><<<)o> > > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > > Museum of New Zealand > > 04 381 7314 > > 027 7339363 > > > > > > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, > Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > > > Hello all, > > > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. > Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a > container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, > and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for > dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the > bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol > concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and > found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and > ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. > This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using > concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of > you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is > there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly > combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > > > > Thank you! > > > > Cheers, > > > > Tonya > > ------------------------------------------------- > > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > > Collection Manager > > Australian National Wildlife Collection > > CSIRO > > +61(0)419569109 > > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Nhcoll-l mailing list > > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Fri Sep 9 18:09:00 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2022 22:09:00 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de Sat Sep 10 10:58:04 2022 From: jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de (Jutta Buschbom) Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2022 16:58:04 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Recommendation on best practices for citations of taxon name authorities Message-ID: Dear List, The story of a name is part of the name itself. Yesterday, the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) and SPNHC published a joint recommendation on best practices for citations of authorities associated with taxonomic names in RIO, see https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.8.e94338 . The recommendation is based on previous work by CETAF's ePublishing working group. SPNHC's Publications and Best Practices committees together with the BHL contributed to the development of its current scope. Explicitly stating the bibliographic citation implicitly given in the authorities of taxonomic names is fundamental and should be universally done when a scientific name is cited in a publication. By following this best practice, taxonomic citations will become universally consistent, discoverable, and comparable across publications and platforms, and can be used to link the scientific name and its original description, both in a human and machine actionable way. In this way, they form the foundation for building citation networks that enable accurate and unbiased data mining. Thereby scientific names and their authorities will be transformed into Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Resuable (FAIR) data. These will allow immediate access and enhanced online discovery of taxonomic information for the entire scientific community and for society at large, to address biodiversity loss and its assessment in the face of global challenges. Please redistribute the recommendation in your communities to promote the accessibility and visibility of fundamental biodiversity data and knowledge. Jointly, SPNHC, CETAF and BHL -- Statistical Genetics Dr. Jutta Buschbom Gerhart-Hauptmann-Strasse 35 22926 Ahrensburg Germany +49 (0)4102 459264 jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de https://statistical-genetics.com [first name][last name] she|her -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_0x79BE669E6E3B0DFB.asc Type: application/pgp-keys Size: 689 bytes Desc: OpenPGP public key URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_signature Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 236 bytes Desc: OpenPGP digital signature URL: From rceng at uw.edu Mon Sep 12 16:44:22 2022 From: rceng at uw.edu (Ron Eng) Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2022 13:44:22 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] University of Washington--Assistant Professor in Plant Systematics and Curator of the Herbarium at the Burke Museum Message-ID: <03ca01d8c6e8$70dacf10$52906d30$@uw.edu> Assistant Professor in Plant Systematics and Curator of the Herbarium at the Burke Museum https://ap.washington.edu/ahr/position-details/?job_id=100019 The University of Washington (UW) Department of Biology is seeking a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor in Plant Systematics to also serve as Curator of the Herbarium at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Positive factors for consideration include experience with collections-based research, broadly defined as managing collections, curation, working with museum specimens, and/or contributing to educational and outreach in a museum setting. Additional positive factors include experiences and familiarity with collections digitization, mentoring collections-based undergraduate research, involvement with citizen science projects, and public outreach. The successful candidate will be expected to advocate for the collections. The successful candidate will be expected to pursue external funding to support collections maintenance, and access and expansion. The successful candidate will be expected to build community around the Herbarium with audiences ranging from undergraduate students to professional botanists and amateur enthusiasts. The UW Department of Biology is a large collaborative and integrative department, spanning research areas from molecules to ecosystems. The Department provides a supportive research environment, and we particularly aim to foster a sense of belonging among all of our members at all levels. We seek a new faculty colleague who will actively contribute to and enhance our eclectic community, and who will be committed to supporting the success of trainees at any career level from a broad range of diverse backgrounds. UW faculty members engage in scholarship, teaching, and service. This is a full time, tenure track, 9-month position and the anticipated starting date is September 16, 2023. Qualifications Applicants must have earned a doctorate, or foreign equivalent, in the biological sciences or a related field by the date of appointment. Must have expertise in the diversity, systematics, phylogenomics, and evolution of plants, broadly defined. This includes studies of the patterns and underlying processes giving rise to plant diversity over time and across space, and broadscale comparative studies that develop or use new methods or analytical tools to understand the evolution of plant form and function, and/or intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect plant diversification. Instructions Application link: https://ap.washington.edu/ahr/position-details/?job_id=100019 1) Four brief statements (< 200 words) summarizing: (a) your past research accomplishments, (b) your future research goals, (c) your perspective on mentorship, diversity, equity, and inclusion and (d) your experience with curation and collections-based research. You will have the opportunity to expand on your ideas in these short statements more fully in the full application (see below). 2) The names and email addresses of three references who will provide letters of recommendation upon request. 3) Web links to your three most significant publications. Manuscripts that are publicly available on preprint servers (such as bioRxiv or arXiv) are acceptable. 4) A list of up to 10 keywords that describe your research. 5) A merged PDF with: ? Cover letter describing why you are interested in joining the UW Department of Biology ? Curriculum Vitae, including your full publication list ? Research statement covering both past research accomplishments and future research goals (up to 3 pages) ? Teaching statement describing your teaching philosophy and specific plans for contributing to the educational mission of the UW Biology Department (1 page) ? Diversity statement discussing your perspective on barriers you have observed or overcome in your career and how those experiences have shaped your approaches to research, teaching, and mentoring. This is also an opportunity to briefly highlight important diversity, equity, and inclusion work you have done in the past, and how you will promote inclusion in your research and classroom environments at UW (1 page) ? Curation statement describing your experience with curation and collections-based research. This is an opportunity to highlight your vision for collection building, community building with museum audiences, and integration of collections with research, teaching, and outreach (1 page) Questions about the search should be sent to: Professor and Curator Adam Leach?, leache at uw.edu . We will begin reviewing applications October 1, 2022. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status. Commitment to Diversity The University of Washington is committed to building diversity among its faculty, librarian, staff, and student communities, and articulates that commitment in the UW Diversity Blueprint (http://www.washington.edu/diversity/diversity-blueprint/). Additionally, the University?s Faculty Code recognizes faculty efforts in research, teaching and/or service that address diversity and equal opportunity as important contributions to a faculty member?s academic profile and responsibilities (https://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/FCG/FCCH24.html#2432). Privacy Notice Review the University of Washington Privacy Notice for Demographic Data of Job Applicants and University Personnelto learn how your demographic data are protected, when the data may be used, and your rights. Disability Services To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or dso at uw.edu . COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements and Information Under Washington State Governor Inslee?s Proclamation 21-14.1, University of Washington (UW) workers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof thereof, or receive a UW-approved medical or religious exemption. This requirement will be a condition of any offer associated with this recruitment. For more information, please visit https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/vaccination-requirement/. Questions can be directed to Adam Leache (leache at uw.edu ) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From viper007 at live.com.au Tue Sep 13 06:58:24 2022 From: viper007 at live.com.au (Raymond Hoser - The Snakeman) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:58:24 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [iczn-list] Fwd: Recommendation on best practices for citations of taxon name authorities In-Reply-To: <2656c6c2-f100-f431-f014-b2553e24a2d6@gmail.com> References: <2656c6c2-f100-f431-f014-b2553e24a2d6@gmail.com> Message-ID: Thank you Doug for coming our way at last, we've been doing this for years and you have lampooned us previously for it. Lets hope others cite author and year and original descriptions in their papers and ditch this copyright infringing "Kaiser et al." cite mates only rubbish. All the best Raymond Hoser https://riojournal.com/article/94338/ [https://riojournal.com/showimg.php?filename=d200x_740355.jpg] Joint statement on best practices for the citation of authorities of scientific names in taxonomy by CETAF, SPNHC and BHL - riojournal.com This joint statement aims at encouraging all authors, publishers and editors involved in scientific publishing to give the bibliographic source of the authorities of taxonomic names. This initiative, written by members of the three communities, has been approved by the executive boards of the SPNHC (Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections), CETAF (Consortium of European ... riojournal.com ________________________________ From: iczn-list on behalf of Douglas Yanega Sent: Tuesday, 13 September 2022 3:08 AM To: iczn at googlegroups.com ; iczn-list Subject: [iczn-list] Fwd: Recommendation on best practices for citations of taxon name authorities For those who have not seen it, this will be of relevance to many of us. -------- Forwarded Message -------- Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Recommendation on best practices for citations of taxon name authorities Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2022 16:58:04 +0200 From: Jutta Buschbom To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Dear List, The story of a name is part of the name itself. Yesterday, the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) and SPNHC published a joint recommendation on best practices for citations of authorities associated with taxonomic names in RIO, see https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.8.e94338 . The recommendation is based on previous work by CETAF's ePublishing working group. SPNHC's Publications and Best Practices committees together with the BHL contributed to the development of its current scope. Explicitly stating the bibliographic citation implicitly given in the authorities of taxonomic names is fundamental and should be universally done when a scientific name is cited in a publication. By following this best practice, taxonomic citations will become universally consistent, discoverable, and comparable across publications and platforms, and can be used to link the scientific name and its original description, both in a human and machine actionable way. In this way, they form the foundation for building citation networks that enable accurate and unbiased data mining. Thereby scientific names and their authorities will be transformed into Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Resuable (FAIR) data. These will allow immediate access and enhanced online discovery of taxonomic information for the entire scientific community and for society at large, to address biodiversity loss and its assessment in the face of global challenges. Please redistribute the recommendation in your communities to promote the accessibility and visibility of fundamental biodiversity data and knowledge. Jointly, SPNHC, CETAF and BHL -- Statistical Genetics Dr. Jutta Buschbom Gerhart-Hauptmann-Strasse 35 22926 Ahrensburg Germany +49 (0)4102 459264 jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de https://statistical-genetics.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ngunter at cmnh.org Tue Sep 13 12:01:58 2022 From: ngunter at cmnh.org (Nicole Gunter) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 16:01:58 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 2 Collections Managers positions, Cleveland Museum of Natural History Message-ID: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH) invites applications for the positions of Collections Manager of Invertebrates and Plants and Collections Manager of Vertebrates. Collections Manager of Invertebrates and Plants The Museum is searching for a highly-motivated individual to work within the Museum?s biological collections including entomology (insects), malacology (freshwater mussels), and botany (plants). For complete details, and to apply, go to https://workforcenow.adp.com/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=49c26a0f-b438-4d50-910e-e2fca33d6a29&jobId=449385&lang=en_US&source=EN Collections Manager of Vertebrates The Museum is searching for a highly-motivated individual to work within the Museum?s biological collections including ichthyology (fishes), herpetology (amphibians and reptiles), mammalogy (mammals), and ornithology (birds). For complete details, and to apply, go to https://workforcenow.adp.com/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=49c26a0f-b438-4d50-910e-e2fca33d6a29&jobId=449387&lang=en_US&source=EN About Us: The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, founded in 1920, is located in the heart of University Circle, five miles east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Considered among the top 10 institutions of its kind in North America, the Museum offers an incredible visitor experience, attracting roughly 275,000 visitors a year. There are more than 140 public education programs and over 80,000 students served annually. CMNH employs about 127 people. Building on its strong foundation of excellence in education and research, the Museum is poised to transform itself. CMNH will invite and engage a broader audience in the exploration of science and the natural world by revolutionizing the way it presents natural history. The Museum has currently launched a capital campaign to support a dramatic renovation and expansion of its facilities and exhibits. This ambitious plan will position the Museum to play a leading role in regional and national efforts to improve science education and increase scientific literacy. Job Summary: The Collections Manager will oversee the maintenance and development of these collection areas and work in collaboration with the curatorial staff to advance mutual interests pertaining to the collection and the research requirements for that collection. The Collections Manager will work in collaboration with other collections management staff to develop collaborative efforts to secure and advance the institutional collections through methodological development and external funding. The Collections Manager will contribute to the fiscal year operations budget for the collection area by working with the Director of Collections through the annual budgeting process. The collections manager will oversee collections assistant staff and work with volunteers to complete strategic priorities for collections within the collection area. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: * Responsible for the management and proper curation of existing research and archival specimens retained within the assigned collection. * Responsible for working closely with curatorial team to ensure research access, new accessions, and prioritizing collection advancement that enhances research capabilities. * Responsible for the management of the systematic arrangement and proper storage of specimens. * Responsible for tracking the collection growth and activity. * Responsible for the identification of new material and producing labels. * Responsible for computer database development of new and existing material and entering the data into the database. * Responsible for the management of loan program and filing loan paperwork with the Registrar. * Responsible for collection monitoring to ensure safety and security of objects. * Responsible for ordering supplies and equipment in support of collection operations. * Responsible to oversee collections assistant staff members and volunteer activities as they pertain to collection activities. * Responsible for offering collection services to museum members, the general public, and businesses based on current collection and division policies. * Seeks additional training or professional development opportunities. * Performs other duties as assigned by Director of Collections or management, as required. * Performs all duties according to established museum operating, safety, and environmental and quality policies. * Adheres to the CMNH Manual of Research and Collections Policies. * Contribute to the fiscal year operations budget for the collection area by working with the Director of Collections through the annual budgeting process. * Responsible for coordination and management of standard lab processes such as protocol regarding lab access, supplies, space allocation, resource scheduling, and student training. * Responsible for the acquisition of new material and treatment of that material through curator research, collections acquisitions, and general sampling efforts. * Responsible for holding student training sessions for summer interns as well as undergraduate and graduate students participating in curator research projects. * Responsible for offering content expertise for Museum programs, marketing, and exhibit development. * Coordinate with Education staff to provide access and educational opportunities that aim to utilize the laboratory and collections during normal and summer programming. * Responsible for seeking external funding opportunities in support of collections development or pursuing strategic goals for collections improvement as outlined by Director of Collections and collections management staff. Education/Experience: * Master?s degree (M.S.) or higher degree in relevant field to the collection area of appointment; with 2-5 years of experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: * Knowledge of collections management methods and current best practices. * The ability to plan, direct, and report on collections activities. * Ability to research scientific information, ideas and methods. * Excellent organizational and attention to detail skills. * The ability to deal effectively with public and private agencies and individuals in matters relating to collections objects at the Museum. * Strong computer operating system and database management experience. Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite products to include Word, Excel, Power Point. * Ability to communicate effectively both written and orally. * Ability to work successfully with Museum members, employees and the general public. * Strong problem solving and listening skills. * Ability to manage staff assistants and volunteers. * Ability to function in a fast pace environment with time constraints, and within established deadlines. Additional Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: * Knowledge of field and laboratory research activities and collections management practices including publications on original research in peer-reviewed scientific journals. * Ability to speak effectively with groups or donors, communicating the museum?s mission as well as why collections are necessary. Demonstrated ability to serve Museum visitors in a friendly and professional manner. Ability to communicate a passion for science to diverse audiences. * Ability to work with an interdisciplinary, professional team. * Ability to function and act independently. Equipment: * Working knowledge of collections equipment including, but not limited to, cabinets, specimen preparation tools, and specimen transportation equipment. Physical Working Conditions: * Indoor/Outdoor, all weather conditions. * Position may require sitting, walking, standing, reaching including stooping, kneeling, and crouching. Physical Effort Required: * Some physical effort may occasionally be required. * Must be able to lift 30 lbs. * Must be able to run or respond to emergency situations. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, ADA EMPLOYER, SUBSTANCE-FREE and FULLY VACCINATED WORKPLACE [cid:dd3a97b6-a2f1-48c8-add7-337f3f1e8e69] Nicole Gunter, Ph.D., Curator of Invertebrate Zoology 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, Ohio 44106 T 216.231.4600 x 3282 CMNH.ORG @goCMNH -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-no0fxfie.png Type: image/png Size: 17022 bytes Desc: Outlook-no0fxfie.png URL: From ekrimmel at gmail.com Tue Sep 13 14:03:07 2022 From: ekrimmel at gmail.com (Erica Krimmel) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:03:07 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Register now for workshop on Wikidata in paleontology, October 4-5, 2022 Message-ID: You are invited to join us for a free, online workshop, *Using Wikidata to capture and share information about paleontological collecting sites**, scheduled for October 4-5, 2022*. If you are interested in attending, please register by September 26th. This workshop will build on experience gained by participants in Part I of the series (*Using Wikidata to capture and share information about people in paleontology* ) to explore the possibility of using Wikidata to curate community knowledge about paleontological collecting sites. Participants will begin by defining our information needs regarding paleontological collecting sites, including flagging aspects of the data that may be problematic to share publicly. We will then assess how these information needs could, or could not, fit into a Wikidata model. We will use a predetermined set of representative paleo collecting sites as test data for this workshop. Participants should ideally have attended Part I of this workshop series, although if they did not then prior experience with Wikidata is an adequate substitute. Those who need a refresher on editing Wikidata records can view the videos linked in the pre-workshop homework section of the workshop wiki page . Participants do not need to have experience with any other particular technologies. Participants do need access to a computer with internet, and they will be expected to block off time to devote to the hands-on nature of this workshop. *Please register via this Zoom link by September 26th, 2022. *We expect to cap registration at 30 participants. Questions can be directed towards Erica Krimmel (ekrimmel at fsu.edu) or the *#wikidata* channel of the Paleo Data Slack Workspace . This workshop is being organized by the Paleo Data Working Group. *Erica Krimmel* Digitization Resources Coordinator Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) Florida State University ekrimmel at fsu.edu (619) 876-3794 ORCID 0000-0003-3192-0080 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From vmathis at flmnh.ufl.edu Tue Sep 13 14:19:48 2022 From: vmathis at flmnh.ufl.edu (Mathis,Verity L) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 18:19:48 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Posting: Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, Florida Museum of Natural History Message-ID: Hello! The Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida is seeking to hire a 12-month tenure-track Assistant Curator of Mammalogy. See the link for job description and application instructions. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/nhdept/assistant-curator-of-mammalogy/ Please share widely, review of applications will begin October 24, 2022 Thanks, Verity ****************************** Verity L. Mathis, Ph.D. Mammal Collections Manager Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida 1659 Museum Road Gainesville FL 32611 Phone: (352) 273-2114 Email: vmathis at flmnh.ufl.edu Website: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/mammals/ Google Scholar: https://tinyurl.com/vlmathis Google Scholar for FLMNH Mammal Collection: https://tinyurl.com/flmnh-mammals -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Sep 13 19:44:10 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 23:44:10 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Robert Waller Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Sep 13 19:53:38 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2022 23:53:38 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello all again, I didn't realise that last email was cc'ed to the entire NHCOLL list, which I was going to email next - so please let me say THANK YOU to everyone who gave me feedback on mixing ETOH (Andy, Dries, Joachim, Paul for example)! I really appreciate your time and thoughts and it is always fun to read lively conversation on conservation/curatorial topics. Thanks so much and I will let you all know if I learn anything new ?. Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Wednesday, 14 September 2022 9:44 AM To: Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Robert Waller Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de Wed Sep 14 06:20:35 2022 From: jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de (Jutta Buschbom) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:20:35 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Survey about the usage of publication exchanges Message-ID: <96883e78-9464-9061-6a05-95a96f0bf174@statistical-genetics.de> Dear List, forwarded below is the invitation to *a survey on exchanges practices and publications flows within scientific institutions* by the ePublishing working group of CETAF, the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities. Please feel free to disseminate the announcement of the survey widely. Best wishes, Jutta ******** Dear Sir or Madam, We are addressing this communication to ask for your cooperation in improving our knowledge about the scientific publications by the Natural Sciences Institutions and Collections Curators. As the usage of publications exchanges between Natural Science institutions appears to turn outdated in the context of the increase of born-digital, e-only and open access publications, the *CETAF E-Publishing Working Group* aims to understand the landscape of Natural Science institutions with publication exchange programs and how they have been changing these last years. In order to evaluate the potential for additional agreements and collaboration between those institutions, the E-Publishing WG request your contribution to answering the following survey: https://www.cognitoforms.com/CETAF1/EpublishingGroupSurvey . Please note that the survey can take up to 15 minutes, so take your time. The answers will be collected by the CETAF secretary team, summarised and presented to the CETAF 52 in November. The survey will be closed on *September 30th*. We will really appreciate early answers. All the members of the E-Publishing WG would be very grateful if you could transmit this request to a member (at the Library and/or at Publications Department) of your organization who can reply to the survey. Thank you very much in advance for your effort, Best regards, C/O Laurence BENICHOU Isabelle GERARD E-Publishing Working Group Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) -- Statistical Genetics Dr. Jutta Buschbom Gerhart-Hauptmann-Strasse 35 22926 Ahrensburg Germany +49 (0)4102 459264 jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de https://statistical-genetics.com [first name][last name] she|her -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_0x79BE669E6E3B0DFB.asc Type: application/pgp-keys Size: 689 bytes Desc: OpenPGP public key URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_signature Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 236 bytes Desc: OpenPGP digital signature URL: From gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il Wed Sep 14 07:58:32 2022 From: gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il (Gali Beiner) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:58:32 +0300 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Rocks in a geological trail Message-ID: Dear NHCOLL-listers, I've been asked about how to enhance the preservation chances of rocks intended for display along an outdoor educational geological trail. The specimens will represent different geological time periods and the trail itself will be within a nature reserve in the desert (very hot summers, cold nights, strong exposure to elements and visitors). I'm told that the chosen specimens will be fixed within the trail, cemented there, but there are worries concerning the long term preservation considering the vagrancies of the weather plus handling (and being stepped upon?) by visitors. Under such circumstances, not that much can be done against outright vandalism, but I was asked if there was some kind of coating that could be applied to sandstones, limestones and shales to help their preservation. Most of the materials I work with are intended for indoor use. Would the outdoor conservators on the list like to make suggestions - yes/no to coatings, which kind of coating if any? Thanks, Gali -- Gali Beiner (ACR) Conservator, Palaeontology Lab National Natural History Collections The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904, Israel Fax. 972-2-6585785 *gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il * *https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From aflemming at flmnh.ufl.edu Wed Sep 14 07:49:25 2022 From: aflemming at flmnh.ufl.edu (Flemming,Adania) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 11:49:25 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Help needed | BlackInNHMs Request Message-ID: Dear colleagues, We hope your fall semester is off to a great start. As our 2022 BlackInNHMs event draws (Oct 16-22nd ) near we would appreciate your help planning or running support for one the activities as outlined in this volunteer request survey (https://tinyurl.com/SupportBlackInNHMs). Please review our draft summary of the week (or see attached) and let us know which day(s) you will be willing and able to provide assistance with. If you join one of the day planning teams, you will collaborate with the Team Lead (BINHMs board member) and other team members to organize for the day. If you are able to assist, we would love to hear from you before Friday Sept. 23rd but there will be later calls for volunteers as the event draws nearer. If you are BlackInNHMs please fill out this form, https://forms.gle/BGxGVdeVT5CbpBdJ9. BACKGROUND: My name is Adania Flemming, I'm currently a PhD Candidate at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the founder of Black In Natural History Museums (BlackInNHMs | BINHMs). We are a non-profit aiming to highlight the voices, experiences, and contributions of Black people in natural history museums. You can find more information about our non-profit in our August Newsletter (bit.ly/3JtrB89). My colleagues and I are organizing a week of events celebrating Black professionals and contributors in natural history museums and collections. 2022 Annual Event Summary Link: https://tinyurl.com/2022Brainstorm Thank you so much for your support. BlackInNHMs Board of Directors President: Adania Flemming (FLMNH) Vice President of Membership and Events: Leanne Melbourne (AMNH) Vice President of Communications: JC Buckner (UTA ARDRC, NMNH & LSUMNS) Vice President of Graphic Design: Alnycea Blackwell (FLMNH) Co- Treasurers: Nicole Cannarozzi (FLMNH) and Hank Bart (TUBRI) Co- Secretaries: Hadeel Saad (UM LSA) and Brianna Mims (AMNH) Regards, Adania Flemming M.S. Pronouns: She/her/hers Department of Biology Florida Museum of Natural History/iDigBio/TESI University of Florida Office Phone: 352-273-1951 Email: aflemming at flmnh.ufl.edu FMSA Website: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/student-association/ [cid:28708830-8194-467e-ad98-46ee20f1e428] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-df34wnfg.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 186616 bytes Desc: Outlook-df34wnfg.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: binhms_annualevent.png Type: image/png Size: 3579193 bytes Desc: binhms_annualevent.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: binhms_schedule.png Type: image/png Size: 3234432 bytes Desc: binhms_schedule.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: BINHMsVideoGuidelines.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 92407 bytes Desc: BINHMsVideoGuidelines.pdf URL: From Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Wed Sep 14 08:40:11 2022 From: Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr (=?iso-8859-1?Q?MELLIER_Beno=EEt?=) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:40:11 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? Message-ID: Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [3C727D3B] Direction des mus?es - Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d'Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton - 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [mail 96dpi] [BE974601] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [Instagram petit] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: From gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Wed Sep 14 08:40:44 2022 From: gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Nelson,Gil) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 12:40:44 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] BiotaPhy Webinar Series In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: BiotaPhy Hi everyone, Do you want to learn how to use occurrence data and available software to address questions in ecology and evolutionary biology but haven?t had a chance to take a course and are overwhelmed by the options for self-teaching? Would you like to incorporate this sort of research into your classes but don?t have time to create the materials and examples? If either of these applies, then join the BiotaPhy Project for an upcoming series of 10 webinars designed to take you from biological question to data acquisition and cleaning to analysis and interpretation! BiotaPhy is a collaboration among iDigBio, the Open Tree of Life, and Lifemapper projects and personnel. We have converted our popular summer workshop into a webinar series; see below for topics. Webinars will be held Wednesdays at 12:30 pm Eastern time, beginning September 21. All webinars will be recorded and made available, so you won?t get behind if you need to miss a session. The schedule is: Webinar 0: Terms, Concepts, Data Formats ? A Tutorial for Background Available online at the registration page [coming soon!] Webinar 1: Introduction: Scope and Research Potential for Multidisciplinary Biodiversity Modeling and Analysis Date: 09/21/2022 Webinar 2: Resolving Nomenclature: Making Appropriate Taxonomic Choices Date: 09/28/2022 Webinar 3: Clean Your Dirty Data Date: 10/05/2022 Webinar 4: Georeferencing with GEOLocate Date: 10/12/2022 Webinar 5: Big Data Munging (a.k.a Splitting and Merging Occurrence Data by Taxa from Multiple Sources) Date: 10/19/2022 Webinar 6: Species Distribution Modeling 1 Date: 10/26/2022 Webinar 7: Species Distribution Modeling 2 Date: 11/02/2022 Webinar 8: Introducing Presence-Absence Matrices for Large Scale Analyses Date: 11/9/2022 Webinar 9: Phylogenetic Diversity: Integrating Phylogenies with Species and Biogeographic Data Date: 11/16/2022 Webinar 10: Hypothesis Testing and Randomization Date: 11/30/2022 To register, please go to https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJclfuCtrDwjE9PnPXJYkiSnglbnNd_BYCS4. Note that you will need to register separately for each week so that we can plan for weekly attendance. And for more information, visit https://www.idigbio.org/content/biotaphy-2022-webinar-series Please share with your networks, and sorry for cross-postings! Hope to see you soon! Best, Pam ----- Pamela S. Soltis (she/her/hers) Director, UF Biodiversity Institute Distinguished Professor and Curator Laboratory of Molecular Systematics and Evolutionary Genetics Florida Museum of Natural History Dickinson Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611 Phone: (352) 273-1964 Fax: (352) 846-2154 Email: psoltis at flmnh.ufl.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From VTomlinson at nature.ca Wed Sep 14 09:34:36 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:34:36 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn't a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn't necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it's good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you'll have some idea of how frequently you'll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That's my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [3C727D3B] Direction des mus?es - Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d'Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton - 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [mail 96dpi] [BE974601] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [Instagram petit] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: From VTomlinson at nature.ca Wed Sep 14 10:00:21 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:00:21 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Rocks in a geological trail In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Gali There is no such thing as a coating that prevents vandalism, weathering, and wear in an outdoor environment. Some coatings can reduce certain kinds of damage to certain kinds of materials, but for the situation you describe I think coatings would only risk enhancing certain kinds of damage. Since it is rocks you are talking about, I would recommend no coating, and choose only sacrificial specimens. Don?t display anything of high value, or display some sort of replica of the more high value-high interest items if that is possible (e.g. moulds of fossils). In a matter of years you will get a build up of finger grime and shiny areas of wear. I?ve seen even granite and basalt worn down by public interaction over a span of about 10 years. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Gali Beiner Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 7:59 AM To: NHCOLL-new Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Rocks in a geological trail COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear NHCOLL-listers, I've been asked about how to enhance the preservation chances of rocks intended for display along an outdoor educational geological trail. The specimens will represent different geological time periods and the trail itself will be within a nature reserve in the desert (very hot summers, cold nights, strong exposure to elements and visitors). I'm told that the chosen specimens will be fixed within the trail, cemented there, but there are worries concerning the long term preservation considering the vagrancies of the weather plus handling (and being stepped upon?) by visitors. Under such circumstances, not that much can be done against outright vandalism, but I was asked if there was some kind of coating that could be applied to sandstones, limestones and shales to help their preservation. Most of the materials I work with are intended for indoor use. Would the outdoor conservators on the list like to make suggestions - yes/no to coatings, which kind of coating if any? Thanks, Gali -- [https://docs.google.com/a/mail.huji.ac.il/uc?id=0B5B3I3QnN7dsSzNkbGlLNDNGWG8&export=download]Gali Beiner (ACR) Conservator, Palaeontology Lab National Natural History Collections The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904, Israel Fax. 972-2-6585785 gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rene at wfvz.org Wed Sep 14 10:05:45 2022 From: rene at wfvz.org (=?utf-8?B?UmVuw6kgQ29yYWRv?=) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:05:45 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Hi Benoit, We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the cabinets. Best regards, Ren? Corado On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson wrote: ? Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [image001.png] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [image002.png] [image003.png] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [image004.png] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: From abentley at ku.edu Wed Sep 14 10:14:48 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:14:48 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Sep 14 10:20:19 2022 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:20:19 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] A paar of Antons In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I would just add to Andy?s post that when our Anton Paar DMA 35 broke ? and they do, and they can?t be fixed, and they?re really expensive ? we opted for the cheaper Anton Paar Snap 41, which uses the same technology and also compensates for temperature. 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 Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:15 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! External. Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From maru.digi at gmail.com Wed Sep 14 10:22:26 2022 From: maru.digi at gmail.com (Mariana Di Giacomo) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 10:22:26 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: Dear Benoit, This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in the first place. My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. Best, Mariana *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD* *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum* Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado () escribi?: > Hi Benoit, > > We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, > I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or > sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived > at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped > individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper > protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the > cabinets. > > Best regards, > Ren? Corado > > On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: > > ? > > Hi Benoit, > > My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a > Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. > It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to > complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year > project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added > work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. > > Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from > that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust *everything > *in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by > the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if > the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or > corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is > going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will > interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no > plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant > continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, > display, or research. > > In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such > as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC > filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of > dust covers. > > A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to > consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, > where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how > frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. > > > > As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the > preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable > future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected > items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing > continuing damage. > > > > That?s my 2 cents. > > Valerie Tomlinson > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *MELLIER > Beno?t > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? > > > > COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que > vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. > > EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the > sender. > > Dear all, > > Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our > collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. > Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all > are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it > depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : > did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to > wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers > and your experience sharing about this. > > Thanks, > > > > *Beno?t MELLIER* > > > *Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire *[image: image001.png] > *Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles > // > Ville d?Angers* > 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS > T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr > www.angers.fr/museum > > > > [image: image002.png] > > > > [image: image003.png] *REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! **[image: fb]* > *[image: > twi]* *[image: pin]* > [image: image004.png] > > > *www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr > * > > > > > > *Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration.* *(click to > learn more)* > > *Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration.* *(cliquez > pour en savoir plus)* > > > cmnEmailFooterDefault. > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: not available URL: From abentley at ku.edu Wed Sep 14 10:23:21 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:23:21 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] A paar of Antons In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Our Anton Paar DMA 35n unit has been chugging along for over 15 years now. We have had to replace the plunger twice but otherwise no issues. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Callomon,Paul Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:20 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: A paar of Antons I would just add to Andy?s post that when our Anton Paar DMA 35 broke ? and they do, and they can?t be fixed, and they?re really expensive ? we opted for the cheaper Anton Paar Snap 41, which uses the same technology and also compensates for temperature. 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 Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:15 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! External. Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org Wed Sep 14 10:35:11 2022 From: AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org (Anderson, Gretchen) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 14:35:11 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: This is excellent advice, I completely concur with Marianna?s comments. Gretchen Gretchen Anderson Conservator Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Preferred pronouns: she/her) AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org Mobile: 412-420-9083 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Mariana Di Giacomo Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:22 AM To: Ren? Corado ; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Benoit, This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in the first place. My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. Best, Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado (>) escribi?: Hi Benoit, We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the cabinets. Best regards, Ren? Corado On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: ? Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [image001.png] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [image002.png] [image003.png] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [image004.png] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.ca%2fsites%2fall%2fthemes%2frealdecoy%2fimages%2fsplash%2fsplash-logo.jpg&c=E,1,t25R-c_fWAyNOFAn2vJ5VvuGTFx5z1Tlc46QXpBty6VtpkFuFayI1PqsM-ko_NG6x5_xxIpnKEs6aofKUjumplSLyQVtRCqgTAcqREFy89hO6L2E&typo=1] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any system and destroy any copies. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: From cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu Wed Sep 14 12:39:12 2022 From: cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu (Opitz, Cindy E) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:39:12 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: I?d think twice before dusting/vacuuming nests. There are folks who are interested in what nests might contain, such as parasites or traces of dirt, food, excrement, etc. Cleaning nests is like removing all stains and residues from baskets, which might otherwise indicate how the baskets were used. Better to practice preventive conservation by putting them in containers. Cindy Opitz (she/her) Director of Research Collections Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program The University of Iowa 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Office: 319.335.0481 cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu mnh.uiowa.edu, oldcap.uiowa.edu [cid:image005.png at 01D8C82E.9B98C1C0] From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Anderson, Gretchen Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:35 AM To: Mariana Di Giacomo ; Ren? Corado ; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [External] Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? This is excellent advice, I completely concur with Marianna?s comments. Gretchen Gretchen Anderson Conservator Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Preferred pronouns: she/her) AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org Mobile: 412-420-9083 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mariana Di Giacomo Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:22 AM To: Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Benoit, This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in the first place. My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. Best, Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado (>) escribi?: Hi Benoit, We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the cabinets. Best regards, Ren? Corado On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: ? Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [image001.png] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [image002.png] [image003.png] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [image004.png] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.ca%2fsites%2fall%2fthemes%2frealdecoy%2fimages%2fsplash%2fsplash-logo.jpg&c=E,1,t25R-c_fWAyNOFAn2vJ5VvuGTFx5z1Tlc46QXpBty6VtpkFuFayI1PqsM-ko_NG6x5_xxIpnKEs6aofKUjumplSLyQVtRCqgTAcqREFy89hO6L2E&typo=1] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. 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Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: image005.png URL: From HawksC at si.edu Wed Sep 14 12:54:57 2022 From: HawksC at si.edu (Hawks, Catharine) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 16:54:57 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: I agree with Cindy ? you may lose important information by cleaning. Approach with caution. Cathy Catharine Hawks Conservator Collections Program MRC 170 Rm M85-J National Museum of Natural History 10th Street & Constitution Ave NW Washington DC 20560 w 202.633.0835 or 4041 c 703 200 4370 hawksc at si.edu SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Opitz, Cindy E Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 12:39 PM To: andersong ; Mariana Di Giacomo ; Ren? Corado ; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? External Email - Exercise Caution I?d think twice before dusting/vacuuming nests. There are folks who are interested in what nests might contain, such as parasites or traces of dirt, food, excrement, etc. Cleaning nests is like removing all stains and residues from baskets, which might otherwise indicate how the baskets were used. Better to practice preventive conservation by putting them in containers. Cindy Opitz (she/her) Director of Research Collections Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program The University of Iowa 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Office: 319.335.0481 cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu mnh.uiowa.edu, oldcap.uiowa.edu [cid:image005.png at 01D8C839.2E2E7FC0] From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Anderson, Gretchen Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:35 AM To: Mariana Di Giacomo >; Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [External] Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? This is excellent advice, I completely concur with Marianna?s comments. Gretchen Gretchen Anderson Conservator Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Preferred pronouns: she/her) AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org Mobile: 412-420-9083 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mariana Di Giacomo Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:22 AM To: Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Benoit, This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in the first place. My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. Best, Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado (>) escribi?: Hi Benoit, We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the cabinets. Best regards, Ren? Corado On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: ? Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [image001.png] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [image002.png] [image003.png] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [image004.png] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.ca%2fsites%2fall%2fthemes%2frealdecoy%2fimages%2fsplash%2fsplash-logo.jpg&c=E,1,t25R-c_fWAyNOFAn2vJ5VvuGTFx5z1Tlc46QXpBty6VtpkFuFayI1PqsM-ko_NG6x5_xxIpnKEs6aofKUjumplSLyQVtRCqgTAcqREFy89hO6L2E&typo=1] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any system and destroy any copies. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: image005.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: image006.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image007.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: image007.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image008.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: image008.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image009.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: image009.png URL: From maru.digi at gmail.com Wed Sep 14 13:21:31 2022 From: maru.digi at gmail.com (Mariana Di Giacomo) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 13:21:31 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: Agree with Cindy and Cathy, cleaning should not be taken lightly and only done after consultation. There are cases in which there are dust bunnies, paint flakes, and other debris that must be removed, so each nest will need special consideration. Happy to see so much great discussion about this topic! Best, Mariana *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD* *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum* Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 12:55, Hawks, Catharine () escribi?: > I agree with Cindy ? you may lose important information by cleaning. > Approach with caution. > > > > Cathy > > > > *Catharine Hawks* > > Conservator > > Collections Program > > MRC 170 Rm M85-J > > National Museum of Natural History > > 10th Street & Constitution Ave NW > > Washington DC 20560 > > *w* 202.633.0835 or 4041 *c* 703 200 4370 > > hawksc at si.edu > > > > SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION > > NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY > > Facebook | Twitter > | Instagram > > > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *Opitz, > Cindy E > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 12:39 PM > *To:* andersong ; Mariana Di Giacomo < > maru.digi at gmail.com>; Ren? Corado ; > Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr > *Cc:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? > > > > *External Email - Exercise Caution* > > I?d think twice before dusting/vacuuming nests. There are folks who are > interested in what nests might contain, such as parasites or traces of > dirt, food, excrement, etc. Cleaning nests is like removing all stains and > residues from baskets, which might otherwise indicate how the baskets were > used. Better to practice preventive conservation by putting them in > containers. > > > > *Cindy Opitz *(she/her) > Director of Research Collections > > Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum > > Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program > > The University of Iowa > 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 > Office: 319.335.0481 > > cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu > *mnh.uiowa.edu, > > oldcap.uiowa.edu > > * > > > > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of *Anderson, > Gretchen > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:35 AM > *To:* Mariana Di Giacomo ; Ren? Corado ; > Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr > *Cc:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [External] Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? > > > > This is excellent advice, I completely concur with Marianna?s comments. > > Gretchen > > *Gretchen Anderson* > > Conservator > > Carnegie Museum of Natural History > > (Preferred pronouns: she/her) > > AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org > > Mobile: 412-420-9083 > > > > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of *Mariana > Di Giacomo > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:22 AM > *To:* Ren? Corado ; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr > *Cc:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? > > > > CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not > click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know > the content is safe. > > Dear Benoit, > > > > This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed > out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must > be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may > be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others > may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all > the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not > sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in > the first place. > > > > My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, > separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some > cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you > have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and > the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case > basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed > with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or > not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask > but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due > to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that > needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, > especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. > > > > I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if > you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. > > Best, > > Mariana > > > *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD* > > *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum* > > Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC > > Secretary/Communications APOYOnline > > > > > > > > El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado () escribi?: > > Hi Benoit, > > > > We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, > I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or > sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived > at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped > individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper > protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the > cabinets. > > > > Best regards, > > Ren? Corado > > > > On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: > > ? > > Hi Benoit, > > My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a > Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. > It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to > complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year > project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added > work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. > > Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from > that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust *everything > *in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by > the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if > the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or > corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is > going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will > interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no > plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant > continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, > display, or research. > > In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such > as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC > filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of > dust covers. > > A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to > consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, > where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how > frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. > > > > As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the > preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable > future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected > items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing > continuing damage. > > > > That?s my 2 cents. > > Valerie Tomlinson > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of *MELLIER > Beno?t > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? > > > > COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que > vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. > > EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the > sender. > > Dear all, > > Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our > collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. > Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all > are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it > depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : > did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to > wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers > and your experience sharing about this. > > Thanks, > > > > *Beno?t MELLIER* > > > *Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire *[image: image001.png] > *Direction des mus?es ? **Mus?um des sciences naturelles* > * // > Ville d?Angers* > 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS > T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr > www.angers.fr/museum > > > > > [image: image002.png] > > > > [image: image003.png] *REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! **[image: fb]* > > *[image: twi]* > > *[image: pin]* > > [image: image004.png] > > > *www.angers.fr* > > *www.musees.angers.fr* > > > > > > > > > *Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration.* *(click to > learn more)* > > > *Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration.* *(cliquez > pour en savoir plus)* > > > cmnEmailFooterDefault. > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org > > for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org > > for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > > > > The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended > only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain > confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, > dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, > this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient > is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and > delete the material from any system and destroy any copies. Any views > expressed in this message are those of the individual sender. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.png Type: image/png Size: 268 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image007.png Type: image/png Size: 108415 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image008.png Type: image/png Size: 8528 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image009.png Type: image/png Size: 2692 bytes Desc: not available URL: From N.Friedman at leibniz-lib.de Wed Sep 14 13:29:12 2022 From: N.Friedman at leibniz-lib.de (Nicholas Friedman) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 17:29:12 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Hanging Storage of Large Bird Skins Message-ID: <024f311dc3334bd8a21d8694dc28fb42@leibniz-lib.de> Hello all, I'd like to ask a question about hanging storage of large bird skins. We have some bird specimens prepared in a unique way for hanging storage, presumably made by/for Wilhelm Meise in the 1950s-1970s. Many larger skins - seabirds, cranes, herons, etc. - are stored this way in a small bulk storage room. We (me and Dirk Neumann at the Zoological Museum in Hamburg, Hi Dirk!) would like to improve the situation of this room so that the storage is compartmentalized into something resembling cabinets, and the risk of pest, water, or abrasive damage is reduced. Has anyone seen this type of hanging preparation before, or have ideas for getting hanging skins into storage that is appropriate for their preservation? Here is more about the preparation and storage in detail: The bird skins were prepared with a wire protruding either from the mouth, or the cranium above the bill, and fashioned into the shape of a clothes hanger. The neck is prepared straight, and the wings are either pinned at the sides, or in some cases prepared open as a "soaring" mount. The room is arranged with birds hung like clothes hangers on a grid made of rebar, which is suspended approximately 1m below the ceiling. This could in theory permit a person to walk between specimens to access the whole room. In practice, most of the hanging space is filled, and most of the floor space is also filled with large mounts. So access to the room for monitoring is really limited. My impression is that this room was intended to function as a kind of big cabinet, sealed from the rest of the building. However, it doesn't seem like this vision was maintained: now there are pipes and ducts and a few wires breaking whatever seal there used to be. At least there are no windows or outer walls, and the large metal door appears to make a good seal. So now you know about our "problem room". It feels like I'm revealing something embarrassing, but it's important so that we can find a solution to house these specimens appropriately in Hamburg, both in the near-term with the space we have, and the long-term as we're designing new space. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give! Nick Friedman [1649923113017] Dr. Nicholas Friedman Curator of Ornithology, Hamburg Centre for Taxonomy and Morphology Museum of Nature Hamburg Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg E-Mail: n.friedman at leibniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OutlookEmoji-164992311301731cdb6d8-15fd-478e-bf5f-e62beec5fbfc.png Type: image/png Size: 8898 bytes Desc: OutlookEmoji-164992311301731cdb6d8-15fd-478e-bf5f-e62beec5fbfc.png URL: From Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org Wed Sep 14 16:15:47 2022 From: Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org (Jeff Stephenson) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 20:15:47 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] October On-Line Courses from Museum Study Message-ID: Hello, Please see below for a compendium of on-line courses in Museum Studies and Collections Management. This list is provided by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections Professional Development Committee as a monthly service for nhcoll subscribers. Please contact the course providers or instructors for more information or questions. As a reminder, nhcoll is not open for advertising by individuals; however, if you would like to have your courses appear in this compendium, please feel free to submit your offerings to jeff.stephenson at dmns.org, and we'll see that you get in. Thank you >From Museum Study LLC Join us for one of our 3 online professional development courses in October. Decolonizing Museums in Practice course begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com Articles about decolonizing museums are everywhere these days, but what does this actually mean in practice for museum professionals? Join Laura Phillips, Heather George, and Nathan Sentance for this 8 week online course where we will focus on looking critically at how museum professionals can activate decolonial ways of thinking in their own work environment, and in their day to day life. We will investigate how the words of contemporary Indigenous scholars and curators can be put into practice to promote practices that de-centre the subtle (and not so subtle) colonial ways of thinking that surround us every day. The text book can take a while to arrive so make sure to order it well in advance if you can not find it locally. This course fills early, registration is now open for the October/November course. For more information visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/decolonizing-museums-in-practice Storage Techniques online course begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com Join Instructor Rebecca Newberry for the 4 week course Storage Techniques. Is your collection at risk due to poor storage methods? Good storage mounts are essential for preserving museum collections. Building on the related course, Materials for Exhibit, Moving, and Storage, in Storage Techniques, you will learn about the materials, tools, ideas, and techniques needed to create quality storage mounts. You will design and build a storage mount for an object of your choosing and plan a storage improvement project for a collection of objects using archival materials and techniques. This course is also useful if you are preparing a collections move. For more information visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/storage-techniques How to Tell Stories and Construct Effective Exhibition Labels course begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com Ever wanted to know how to tell stories and construct effective exhibition labels? If so, this course is for you. We will focus on providing you with tips on how to research, develop, and structure content. Plus, how to transform your story into effective exhibition panels and labels. As we delve into all stages of the process, strategies will be provided to build sustainable frameworks for this type of content development. Participants will be encouraged to generate and refine their own ideas for content and exhibition label development that fits their respective institutions. Join Saul Sopoci Drake for the 4 week online course How to Tell Stories and Construct Effective Exhibition Panels. For more information visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/how-to-tell-stories-and-create-effective-exhibition-panels -- Brad Bredehoft (he/him/his) CEO Museum Study, LLC www.MuseumStudy.com JEFF STEPHENSON EDUCATION COLLECTIONS MANAGER AND MUSEUM SCIENCE LIAISON [DMNS 2 Line RGB small.jpg] jeff.stephenson at dmns.org W 303.370.8319 F 303.331.6492 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver CO 80205 preserve, present, inspire, explore www.dmns.org "Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs" is now open and transports you 5,000 years into the past to explore ancient Egyptian culture and the land of pharaohs. La exhibici?n "Egipto: La era de los faraones" ya est? abierta y te transporta 5,000 a?os al pasado para explorar la antigua cultura egipcia y la tierra de los faraones. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science salutes the citizens of metro Denver for helping fund arts, culture and science through their support of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2894 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Wed Sep 14 18:43:02 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 22:43:02 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Andy, Drum cart. Amazing idea ?. Yes it?s the ?where would we put 200L of ETOH?? And ?how would we get the drum high enough to dispense it, while being able to fill it?? that have been the blockers, so that might be a great solution. We will move to a new system in a year or two when we move to a new building, but? it makes me realise that we could prepare better for that eventuality as well. We actually do already have the Anton Paar meter you mention. May I ask how long you wait to use your ETOH after bubbling? Thanks! Cheers, Tonya From: Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Thursday, 15 September 2022 12:15 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Wed Sep 14 18:45:23 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Wed, 14 Sep 2022 22:45:23 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] A paar of Antons In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We have been using ours for about a year so far, but yes they?re expensive? we make sure to clean it using demineralised water after each sample, and we don?t put the straw deep into containers, to try to avoid accidentally sucking up stray bits that can destroy the meter. From: Callomon,Paul Sent: Thursday, 15 September 2022 12:20 AM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: A paar of Antons I would just add to Andy?s post that when our Anton Paar DMA 35 broke ? and they do, and they can?t be fixed, and they?re really expensive ? we opted for the cheaper Anton Paar Snap 41, which uses the same technology and also compensates for temperature. 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 Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:15 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! External. Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Wed Sep 14 19:11:32 2022 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 00:11:32 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4DEAFAD7-3B36-4340-888B-F447A64CBA10@btinternet.com> Nice one Andy! They do seem to be coming up with improved ideas for dispensing more easily. Tonya, I leave at least overnight for the bubbles to stop. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 14 Sep 2022, at 23:43, Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) wrote: > > Hi Andy, > > Drum cart. Amazing idea ?. Yes it?s the ?where would we put 200L of ETOH?? And ?how would we get the drum high enough to dispense it, while being able to fill it?? that have been the blockers, so that might be a great solution. We will move to a new system in a year or two when we move to a new building, but? it makes me realise that we could prepare better for that eventuality as well. > > We actually do already have the Anton Paar meter you mention. May I ask how long you wait to use your ETOH after bubbling? > > Thanks! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > > From: Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Thursday, 15 September 2022 12:15 AM > To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! > > Tonya, all > > Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. > > I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or evenhttps://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums > > Andy > A : A : A : > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > V V V > Andy Bentley > Ichthyology Collection Manager > University of Kansas > Biodiversity Institute > Dyche Hall > 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard > Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 > USA > > Tel: (785) 864-3863 > Fax: (785) 864-5335 > Email: abentley at ku.edu > ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu > A : A : A : > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > V V V > > From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM > To: Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! > > Hey Rob, John and Simon, > > Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. > > Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM > To: John E Simmons ; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! > > Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: > ? Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. > ? Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. > ? Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) > It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. > Rob > > From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of John E Simmons > Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM > To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! > > Simon, > Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: > > https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water > > Mixing Ethanol and Water > Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. > > Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. > > The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. > > --John > > On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore wrote: > This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. > > So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! > > With all good wishes, Simon > > Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR > Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, > > www.natural-history-conservation.com > > > > > > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart wrote: > > > > Hi Tonya, > > > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > > > Ng? mihi > > Andrew Stewart > > > > >><<<)o> > > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > > Museum of New Zealand > > 04 381 7314 > > 027 7339363 > > > > > > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > > > Hello all, > > > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > > > > Thank you! > > > > Cheers, > > > > Tonya > > ------------------------------------------------- > > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > > Collection Manager > > Australian National Wildlife Collection > > CSIRO > > +61(0)419569109 > > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Nhcoll-l mailing list > > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > > > _______________________________________________ > > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il Thu Sep 15 04:16:43 2022 From: gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il (Gali Beiner) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:16:43 +0300 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Rocks in a geological trail In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks for your input, Rod, Yasemin and Valerie! On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 5:00 PM Valerie Tomlinson wrote: > Hi Gali > > There is no such thing as a coating that prevents vandalism, weathering, > and wear in an outdoor environment. Some coatings can reduce certain kinds > of damage to certain kinds of materials, but for the situation you describe > I think coatings would only risk enhancing certain kinds of damage. > > Since it is rocks you are talking about, I would recommend no coating, and > choose only sacrificial specimens. Don?t display anything of high value, or > display some sort of replica of the more high value-high interest items if > that is possible (e.g. moulds of fossils). In a matter of years you will > get a build up of finger grime and shiny areas of wear. I?ve seen even > granite and basalt worn down by public interaction over a span of about 10 > years. > > That?s my 2 cents. > > Valerie Tomlinson > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *Gali > Beiner > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 14, 2022 7:59 AM > *To:* NHCOLL-new > *Subject:* [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Rocks in a geological trail > > > > COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que > vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. > > EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the > sender. > > Dear NHCOLL-listers, > > > > I've been asked about how to enhance the preservation chances of rocks > intended for display along an outdoor educational geological trail. The > specimens will represent different geological time periods and the trail > itself will be within a nature reserve in the desert (very hot summers, > cold nights, strong exposure to elements and visitors). I'm told that the > chosen specimens will be fixed within the trail, cemented there, but there > are worries concerning the long term preservation considering the > vagrancies of the weather plus handling (and being stepped upon?) by > visitors. > > > > Under such circumstances, not that much can be done against outright > vandalism, but I was asked if there was some kind of coating that could be > applied to sandstones, limestones and shales to help their preservation. > Most of the materials I work with are intended for indoor use. Would the > outdoor conservators on the list like to make suggestions - yes/no to > coatings, which kind of coating if any? > > > > Thanks, > > > > Gali > > > > -- > > Gali Beiner (ACR) > > Conservator, Palaeontology Lab > > National Natural History Collections > > The Hebrew University of Jerusalem > Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram > Jerusalem 91904, Israel > Fax. 972-2-6585785 > *gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il * > > *https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en * > > > > *Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration.* *(click to > learn more)* > > *Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration.* *(cliquez > pour en savoir plus)* > > > cmnEmailFooterDefault. > -- Gali Beiner (ACR) Conservator, Palaeontology Lab National Natural History Collections The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904, Israel Fax. 972-2-6585785 *gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il * *https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en * -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee Thu Sep 15 04:37:44 2022 From: Lennart.Lennuk at loodusmuuseum.ee (Lennart Lennuk) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:37:44 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] collaboration with governemental institutions on collecting new specimens Message-ID: <28d0cd575544429da70dc6607a6c4888@loodusmuuseum.ee> Hi! I am meeting governmental institutions to discuss how they can help collecting new specimens / samples for natural history collections. Does anybody have a collaboration going on with governmental institutions on such topic? This far I have some ideas how to collaborate with governmental institutions: - scientifical work of different species and species groups (eg collecting during monitoring fieldwork, investigating infections) - hunting (collecting voucher?s like animal blood, skin, fur, feather - Inspection (collecting dead animals found during ispection) - Accidentally dead animals and notifiyng about them (collision by traffic, building) I am open to additional ideas. Best regards Lennart Lennuk Head of collections Estonian Museum of Natural History +372 6603404, 56569916 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Sep 15 05:18:45 2022 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:18:45 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] collaboration with governemental institutions on collecting new specimens In-Reply-To: <28d0cd575544429da70dc6607a6c4888@loodusmuuseum.ee> References: <28d0cd575544429da70dc6607a6c4888@loodusmuuseum.ee> Message-ID: Hi Lennart, there is a specific EU-focus in your question, as the current EU-conservation laws, and it might be worth pulling this topic to the CETAF legs and regs group. A key question is article 5, number 2 a in EG No. 338/97, which addresses the capture and collection of species from the wild; another the 'keeping' and 'offering'. EU Member States have divergent national interpretations here, and especially in the light of (growing) joint biodiversity monitoring efforts within the EU, it would be useful to get this tabled on EU level. Let's talk offline if you would be interested. With best wishes Dirk Am 15.09.2022 um 10:37 schrieb Lennart Lennuk: Hi! I am meeting governmental institutions to discuss how they can help collecting new specimens / samples for natural history collections. Does anybody have a collaboration going on with governmental institutions on such topic? This far I have some ideas how to collaborate with governmental institutions: - scientifical work of different species and species groups (eg collecting during monitoring fieldwork, investigating infections) - hunting (collecting voucher?s like animal blood, skin, fur, feather - Inspection (collecting dead animals found during ispection) - Accidentally dead animals and notifiyng about them (collision by traffic, building) I am open to additional ideas. Best regards Lennart Lennuk Head of collections Estonian Museum of Natural History +372 6603404, 56569916 _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- ? Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317-628 d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Thu Sep 15 06:06:38 2022 From: Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr (=?utf-8?B?TUVMTElFUiBCZW5vw650?=) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:06:38 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? In-Reply-To: References: <59FE4739-9D03-4ED6-9DA9-AD2204A83E8B@wfvz.org> Message-ID: Thank you all for your answers ! Regarding your opinion about cleaning birds nests, we will reconsider our position being satisfied with an appropriate conditioning. Nonetheless, we?ll probably try something choosing among those with no datas or with high degradation. Have a good day, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [3C727D3B] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [mail 96dpi] [BE974601] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [Instagram petit] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr De : Mariana Di Giacomo Envoy? : mercredi 14 septembre 2022 19:22 ? : Hawks, Catharine Cc : Opitz, Cindy E ; andersong ; Ren? Corado ; MELLIER Beno?t ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Objet : Re: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? Agree with Cindy and Cathy, cleaning should not be taken lightly and only done after consultation. There are cases in which there are dust bunnies, paint flakes, and other debris that must be removed, so each nest will need special consideration. Happy to see so much great discussion about this topic! Best, Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 12:55, Hawks, Catharine (>) escribi?: I agree with Cindy ? you may lose important information by cleaning. Approach with caution. Cathy Catharine Hawks Conservator Collections Program MRC 170 Rm M85-J National Museum of Natural History 10th Street & Constitution Ave NW Washington DC 20560 w 202.633.0835 or 4041 c 703 200 4370 hawksc at si.edu SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Opitz, Cindy E Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 12:39 PM To: andersong >; Mariana Di Giacomo >; Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? External Email - Exercise Caution I?d think twice before dusting/vacuuming nests. There are folks who are interested in what nests might contain, such as parasites or traces of dirt, food, excrement, etc. Cleaning nests is like removing all stains and residues from baskets, which might otherwise indicate how the baskets were used. Better to practice preventive conservation by putting them in containers. Cindy Opitz (she/her) Director of Research Collections Museum of Natural History and Old Capitol Museum Instructor, Museum Studies Certificate Program The University of Iowa 11 Macbride Hall, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Office: 319.335.0481 cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu mnh.uiowa.edu, oldcap.uiowa.edu [cid:image005.png at 01D8C8E5.14C8A770] From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Anderson, Gretchen Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 9:35 AM To: Mariana Di Giacomo >; Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [External] Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? This is excellent advice, I completely concur with Marianna?s comments. Gretchen Gretchen Anderson Conservator Carnegie Museum of Natural History (Preferred pronouns: she/her) AndersonG at CarnegieMNH.Org Mobile: 412-420-9083 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mariana Di Giacomo Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 10:22 AM To: Ren? Corado >; Benoit.Mellier at ville.angers.fr Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] how to clean birds nests ? CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Benoit, This is quite tricky, due to the nests' fragility, as you already pointed out. My recommendation is to not make a blanket policy that all nests must be vacuumed/cleaned/dusted, and go on a case-by-case basis. Some nests may be in good enough condition that you do not need to do anything, and others may have varying degrees of need. Adding a net will only make sure that all the fragments you pull with the vacuum remain with the nest and are not sucked into the vacuum, but will not protect from the damage happening in the first place. My recommendation would be to use a triage approach: assess all nests, separate them into three main categories (ready to move, needs some cleaning, too far gone, or something of the sort) and then see how many you have in each category. The ones that are already ready to go, just go, and the ones that need some cleaning should be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, those that are too dirty to be useful should be addressed with a different approach, which is whether it is important to keep them or not, due to their deteriorated condition. This is a hard question to ask but if they do not serve any research, exhibit, or educational purpose due to deterioration, it is a curatorial/collections management question that needs to be asked prior to any resources put into their cleaning, especially because this can take a long time and effort from staff. I'm happy to discuss with you techniques and approaches for cleaning, if you're interested, so let me know and we can go from there. Best, Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mi?, 14 sept 2022 a las 10:06, Ren? Corado (>) escribi?: Hi Benoit, We have a collection of ~20,000 nests. We never dust or vacuum any nests, I won?t recommend it. I placed every individual nest in plastic boxes or sealed them in plastic bags before I put them into cabinets. When I arrived at the museum 37 years ago, several thousand nests were wrapped individually in newspaper and storage in cardboard boxes, the newspaper protected them from the dust until I put them in plastic and into the cabinets. Best regards, Ren? Corado On Sep 14, 2022, at 6:34 AM, Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: ? Hi Benoit, My last work place had several projects on dust, although it wasn?t a Natural History museum. In one project they dusted everything in the store. It was one of the smaller stores, but it still took over a year to complete. If you dust everything in your collection, plan on a multi-year project, and since it would take so long, perhaps add on some value-added work like upgrading storage mounts or catalogue records. Another dust incident happened immediately after that project, so from that we came to the conclusion that it wasn?t necessary to dust everything in the stores. A lot of the time, most of the damage is already done by the dust and removing it can cause more damage. It is only worth dusting if the dust is actively/rapidly causing degradation (enhancing mould growth or corrosion, causing significant surface scratching, etc.) and/or the item is going on display, or the item is otherwise in use and the dust will interfere with that use. If the item is just sitting in storage with no plans for use in the near future, and the dust is not causing significant continued degradation, then dusting may wait for a request for loan, display, or research. In such circumstances it is better to focus on preventive measures, such as improved storage to prevent dust accumulation, such as: improved HVAC filtration; storage in closed cupboards; storage in boxes; or the use of dust covers. A dust monitoring project in the new store may also be something to consider. Dust always happens, so it?s good to know how much, what kind, where it builds up, that kind of thing. Then you?ll have some idea of how frequently you?ll have to think about dusting. As for your bird nests, because of their fragility, I would take the preventive approach. If it is not scheduled for use in the foreseeable future, then focus on improving the storage and packing. Only dust selected items where the dust is truly interfering with use, and/or is causing continuing damage. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of MELLIER Beno?t Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 8:40 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] how to clean birds nests ? COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear all, Here at Angers Nat. Hist. Museum (Western France), we are working on our collections before their complete relocation in a new storage building. Among all the tasks, one important is cleaning the specimens. Most of all are dusty and sometimes dust is easy to remove sometimes it is not, it depends on the kind of the specimens. My question concerns birds nests : did some of you experiment birds nests dust off ? Some restorers tell us to wrap the nest with a net and use a vacuum. I will appreciate your answers and your experience sharing about this. Thanks, Beno?t MELLIER Zoologie, Sciences de la Terre et Pr?histoire [image001.png] Direction des mus?es ? Mus?um des sciences naturelles // Ville d?Angers 43 rue Jules Guitton ? 49100 ANGERS T?l : 02 41 05 48 53 Courriel : benoit.mellier at ville.angers.fr www.angers.fr/museum [image002.png] [image003.png] REJOIGNEZ-NOUS ! [fb] [twi] [pin] [image004.png] www.angers.fr www.musees.angers.fr [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.ca%2fsites%2fall%2fthemes%2frealdecoy%2fimages%2fsplash%2fsplash-logo.jpg&c=E,1,t25R-c_fWAyNOFAn2vJ5VvuGTFx5z1Tlc46QXpBty6VtpkFuFayI1PqsM-ko_NG6x5_xxIpnKEs6aofKUjumplSLyQVtRCqgTAcqREFy89hO6L2E&typo=1] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. The information contained in this message and/or attachments is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. 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Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 7238 bytes Desc: image005.png URL: From v.carrio at nms.ac.uk Thu Sep 15 06:56:16 2022 From: v.carrio at nms.ac.uk (Vicen Carrio) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:56:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Rocks in a geological trail In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Gali, Were you aware of this article, perhaps it can be of some help, Regards, Vicen Ms. Vicen Carri? ACR Geological Conservator/ Preparator National Museums Scotland National Museums Collection Centre 242 West Granton Road Edinburgh EH5 1JA +44 (0) 131 247 4254 Mobile number +44 07931727386 v.carrio at nms.ac.uk Note: My normal working days are Mondays to Thursdays [cid:image001.png at 01D8C8FA.27A93750] https://www.nms.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-departments/natural-sciences/meet-the-team/vicen-carrio https://twitter.com/NatSciNMS https://iconscotland.wordpress.com/2020/11/23/an-insight-into-geology-conservation-at-national-museums-of-scotland-with-vicen-carrio-acr/ Dedicated collector: Michael Daniels and his Eocene birds | National Museums Scotland Blog (nms.ac.uk) From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Gali Beiner Sent: 15 September 2022 09:17 Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Rocks in a geological trail Thanks for your input, Rod, Yasemin and Valerie! On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 5:00 PM Valerie Tomlinson > wrote: Hi Gali There is no such thing as a coating that prevents vandalism, weathering, and wear in an outdoor environment. Some coatings can reduce certain kinds of damage to certain kinds of materials, but for the situation you describe I think coatings would only risk enhancing certain kinds of damage. Since it is rocks you are talking about, I would recommend no coating, and choose only sacrificial specimens. Don?t display anything of high value, or display some sort of replica of the more high value-high interest items if that is possible (e.g. moulds of fossils). In a matter of years you will get a build up of finger grime and shiny areas of wear. I?ve seen even granite and basalt worn down by public interaction over a span of about 10 years. That?s my 2 cents. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Gali Beiner Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 7:59 AM To: NHCOLL-new > Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Rocks in a geological trail COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Dear NHCOLL-listers, I've been asked about how to enhance the preservation chances of rocks intended for display along an outdoor educational geological trail. The specimens will represent different geological time periods and the trail itself will be within a nature reserve in the desert (very hot summers, cold nights, strong exposure to elements and visitors). I'm told that the chosen specimens will be fixed within the trail, cemented there, but there are worries concerning the long term preservation considering the vagrancies of the weather plus handling (and being stepped upon?) by visitors. Under such circumstances, not that much can be done against outright vandalism, but I was asked if there was some kind of coating that could be applied to sandstones, limestones and shales to help their preservation. Most of the materials I work with are intended for indoor use. Would the outdoor conservators on the list like to make suggestions - yes/no to coatings, which kind of coating if any? Thanks, Gali -- [https://docs.google.com/a/mail.huji.ac.il/uc?id=0B5B3I3QnN7dsSzNkbGlLNDNGWG8&export=download]Gali Beiner (ACR) Conservator, Palaeontology Lab National Natural History Collections The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904, Israel Fax. 972-2-6585785 gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en [https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nature.ca%2fsites%2fall%2fthemes%2frealdecoy%2fimages%2fsplash%2fsplash-logo.jpg&c=E,1,mrfCuMXxBPFghS_H2xCIn7EFGw_QIZRqCC4lxR9TavDjwWBpdRM3da6zNSHA0HWi4jK6Fw5vbKhyy-jBB-omjUSOs0jdQ55JdzskEzxy&typo=1] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -- [https://docs.google.com/a/mail.huji.ac.il/uc?id=0B5B3I3QnN7dsSzNkbGlLNDNGWG8&export=download]Gali Beiner (ACR) Conservator, Palaeontology Lab National Natural History Collections The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Berman Building, Edmond J. Safra campus, Givat Ram Jerusalem 91904, Israel Fax. 972-2-6585785 gali.beiner at mail.huji.ac.il https://nnhc.huji.ac.il/?lang=en All our museums are open. This includes: National Museum of Scotland National Museum of Flight National Museum of Rural Life National War Museum ------------------------------ National Museums Scotland, Scottish Charity, No. SC 011130 This communication is intended for the addressee(s) only. If you are not the addressee please inform the sender and delete the email from your system. The statements and opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of National Museums Scotland. This message is subject to UK Data Protection legislation and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. No liability is accepted for any harm that may be caused to your systems or data by this message. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 14370 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Nanoreinforced_Adhesives_Silvia G. Prolongo.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1150759 bytes Desc: Nanoreinforced_Adhesives_Silvia G. Prolongo.pdf URL: From mazin at qumsiyeh.org Thu Sep 15 07:13:03 2022 From: mazin at qumsiyeh.org (Mazin Qumsiyeh) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 14:13:03 +0300 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] October On-Line Courses from Museum Study In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: these three courses require tuition but he links including tables and references provided maybe useful to us Mazin On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 11:15 PM Jeff Stephenson wrote: > Hello, > > Please see below for a compendium of on-line courses in Museum Studies and > Collections Management. This list is provided by the Society for the > Preservation of Natural History Collections Professional Development > Committee as a monthly service for nhcoll subscribers. Please contact the > course providers or instructors for more information or questions. > > As a reminder, nhcoll is not open for advertising by individuals; however, > if you would like to have your courses appear in this compendium, please > feel free to submit your offerings to jeff.stephenson at dmns.org, and we?ll > see that you get in. > > Thank you > > > > *From Museum Study LLC* > > Join us for one of our 3 online professional development courses in > October. > > > > Decolonizing Museums in Practice course begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com > Articles about decolonizing museums are everywhere these days, but what > does this actually mean in practice for museum professionals? > > Join Laura Phillips, Heather George, and Nathan Sentance for this 8 week > online course where we will focus on looking critically at how museum > professionals can activate decolonial ways of thinking in their own work > environment, and in their day to day life. > > We will investigate how the words of contemporary Indigenous scholars and > curators can be put into practice to promote practices that de-centre the > subtle (and not so subtle) colonial ways of thinking that surround us every > day. > > The text book can take a while to arrive so make sure to order it well in > advance if you can not find it locally. This course fills early, > registration is now open for the October/November course. > > For more information visit our website: > > https://www.museumstudy.com/decolonizing-museums-in-practice > > > > Storage Techniques online course begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com Join > Instructor Rebecca Newberry for the 4 week course Storage Techniques. Is > your collection at risk due to poor storage methods? Good storage mounts > are essential for preserving museum collections. Building on the related > course, Materials for Exhibit, Moving, and Storage, in Storage Techniques, > you will learn about the materials, tools, ideas, and techniques needed to > create quality storage mounts. You will design and build a storage mount > for an object of your choosing and plan a storage improvement project for a > collection of objects using archival materials and techniques. This course > is also useful if you are preparing a collections move. > > For more information visit our website: > > https://www.museumstudy.com/storage-techniques > > > > How to Tell Stories and Construct Effective Exhibition Labels course > begins Oct 3 on MuseumStudy.com Ever wanted to know how to tell stories and > construct effective exhibition labels? If so, this course is for you. We > will focus on providing you with tips on how to research, develop, and > structure content. Plus, how to transform your story into effective > exhibition panels and labels. As we delve into all stages of the process, > strategies will be provided to build sustainable frameworks for this type > of content development. Participants will be encouraged to generate and > refine their own ideas for content and exhibition label development that > fits their respective institutions. Join Saul Sopoci Drake for the > > 4 week online course How to Tell Stories and Construct Effective > Exhibition Panels. > > For more information visit our website: > > > https://www.museumstudy.com/how-to-tell-stories-and-create-effective-exhibition-panels > > > > -- > > Brad Bredehoft (he/him/his) > > CEO > > Museum Study, LLC > > www.MuseumStudy.com > > > > > > > > > > > > *JEFF STEPHENSON* > > *EDUCATION COLLECTIONS MANAGER AND * > > *MUSEUM SCIENCE LIAISON* > > > > > > > > [image: DMNS 2 Line RGB small.jpg] > > jeff.stephenson at dmns.org > > *W* 303.370.8319 > *F *303.331.6492 > > 2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver CO 80205 > > > > preserve, > present, inspire, explore > > www.dmns.org > > > > ?Egypt: The Time of Pharaohs ? is now open and > transports you 5,000 years into the past to explore ancient Egyptian > culture and the land of pharaohs. > > La exhibici?n "Egipto: La era de los faraones > " ya est? abierta y te transporta 5,000 a?os al pasado para explorar la > antigua cultura egipcia y la tierra de los faraones. > > > > > > *The Denver Museum of Nature & Science salutes the citizens of metro > Denver for helping fund arts, culture and science through their support of > the **Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD)* > *.* > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2894 bytes Desc: not available URL: From abentley at ku.edu Thu Sep 15 09:31:17 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 13:31:17 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tonya As we say in South Africa, ??n boer maak ?n plan? ? a farmer makes a plan ?. Something along the lines of coming up with creative solutions for problems. We usually wait until the next morning at least. We have two carboys that we rotate out and so once one is empty, and while we are using the other one, we will fill the empty one and leave it until needed. However, in times of need we have used it within a couple of hours of bubbling. By that point, all micro-bubbles have dissipated, the temperature has dropped back down to room temp and the mixture is essentially ready to go. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2022 5:43 PM To: Bentley, Andrew Charles ; Robert Waller ; John E Simmons ; Simon Moore Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hi Andy, Drum cart. Amazing idea ?. Yes it?s the ?where would we put 200L of ETOH?? And ?how would we get the drum high enough to dispense it, while being able to fill it?? that have been the blockers, so that might be a great solution. We will move to a new system in a year or two when we move to a new building, but? it makes me realise that we could prepare better for that eventuality as well. We actually do already have the Anton Paar meter you mention. May I ask how long you wait to use your ETOH after bubbling? Thanks! Cheers, Tonya From: Bentley, Andrew Charles > Sent: Thursday, 15 September 2022 12:15 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Tonya, all Our digital alcohol concentration meter (Anton Paar DMA 35n ? an older version of this https://www.coleparmer.com/i/anton-paar-dma-35-v4-digital-density-specific-gravity-meter/2575060) takes account of temperature in its readings thus ensuring an accurate measure of concentration. We usually take readings immediately after bubbling for an hour or so after mixing and then a couple of times thereafter as a check. We have not found any anomalies in this practice we have been following for many years. I would assume that this process would work efficiently in any volume and so would assume that you could mix 70% ethanol in a 55 gallon drum in the same manner. You could measure out 95% ethanol to fill the drum to the necessary level and then add deionized water and mix by bubbling. You could then decant directly out of the 55 gallon drum for filling larger containers. There are drum carts that you can use to move these larger drums and to fill directly from them - https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-4203/Drum-Handling/Steel-Drum-Cradle-55-Gallon or even https://www.jmesales.com/lubeworks-3-1-mobile-oil-dispensing-kit-w-hose-reel-55-gallon-drums Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 6:44 PM To: Robert Waller >; John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Hey Rob, John and Simon, Thanks so much for your detailed feedback about mixing EtOH, I really appreciate it. Rob, I like your idea of systematically trying out different mixing methods with the thought that it could be a cool posted at next year's SPNHC meeting. We used to use a bubble to mix ETOH and water and then wait 24 hrs, but stopped because of some concern (from the NHCOLL list) that using the bubbler would acidify the mixture. However, I feel pretty placated by your responses regarding this now. Since my email we have tried bubbling again and found that it is much more efficient at homogenising the mixture than simply inverting and gently shaking the containers (which is what we were doing after we stopped bubbling). Anyway, I will get more systematic about this but it is quite an interesting learning process! Our challenge now is also to figure out how to mix substantial amounts of 70% EtOH that aren't too hard to manage. We are about to be working a lot on specimens in drums, which often require large amounts of EtOH to be added...so 20L doesn't really last all that long, and it's a major break in work flow to have to then wait >24 hrs for a new batch. Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and advice! Cheers, Tonya ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Robert Waller > Sent: Saturday, 10 September 2022 8:09 AM To: John E Simmons >; Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Now our conversation has touched on three effects resulting from mixing that all lead to density readings of recently mixed ethanol-water combinations indicating a higher ethanol concentration than the resulting homogenous and temperature equilibrated solutions would have: 1. Higher temperature leads to lower density leads to higher interpreted ethanol concentration (more true for simple hydrometers than digital density meters which indicate (and may account for) temperature. 2. Tiny gas bubble formation mostly from reduced solubility of gasses in the solution than in water (I think) but also from temperature increase. 3. Not all contraction-on-solution has been realized until dissolution is complete (measured density remains lower than final density until dissolution is complete.) It is unfortunate that all these effects are in the same direction, leading to higher apparent ethanol concentrations. This reminds us of the importance of checking concentrations after sufficient mixing and elapsed time. Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Friday, September 9, 2022 5:34 PM To: Simon Moore > Cc: NHCOLL-new > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH, new question! Simon, Good question. When I mixed ETOH in the carboy in the lab at Kansas the container became warm to the touch, but I never measured how much warmer. However, looking around the internet I found this: https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/mixing-ethanol-and-water Mixing Ethanol and Water Ethanol and water are mixed in volumetric glassware, showing a volume decrease and a temperature increase. Two 250 ml graduated cylinders are filled to the line with water and ethanol (100%). A temperature probe shows both at room temperature. The temperature probe is then moved to an empty 500 ml graduated cylinder, and the contents of the two smaller cylinders poured simultaneously to mix well. The temperature of the mixture rises about 8?C, and the volume decreases to 480 ml just after mixing, clearly visible on the scale of the 500 ml cylinder. --John On Wed, Sep 7, 2022 at 6:54 PM Simon Moore > wrote: This discussion has raised many interesting corollaries (many thanks Tonya, Rob, John and everyone else) - the temporary and partial re-separation of the alcohol mixture due to the physical properties of binary azeotropes, the argument about whether 70% or 80% alcohol is the best and what I have long wondered about - the enthalpy: temporary raising of temperature of the mixture. I knew that this occurred but was told (long ago!) that it was about 0.00001 deg. C, almost negligible but enough to cause the air bubble release. So my new question is - has anyone managed to measure or calculate for, say, 25 litres of alcohol being diluted to 70%, how many degrees would the temperature be raised? I have never actually noticed it but I have been mixing 2.5 litre batches in glass bottles and never stopped to dip a thermometer in the mixture before and after mixing! With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 7 Sep 2022, at 22:19, Andrew Stewart > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > Yes, I used to have to decant and re-pour a dozen times to get the solution evenly mixed. Hardly ideal. > > Now we decant 70% ethanol from two 50 litre carboys on a trolley. The alcohol is pumped in first, then the water added as the pressure seems to get it right to the bottom. Then the home-made tool (we call the ?super swizzler?) is plunged up & down several times to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed. The ?wings? are made of plastic cut from n icecream container J, and flex to get past the narrow mouth. The concentration is then checked and so far it seems to work. > > The larger black one for mixing alcohol in our 250 & 500 l tanks. > > Sometimes a home-made solution works just fine. > > Ng? mihi > Andrew Stewart > > >><<<)o> > Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) > Museum of New Zealand > 04 381 7314 > 027 7339363 > > > > > From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Wednesday, 7 September 2022 1:40 PM > To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mixing EtOH > > Hello all, > > I have a question about mixing storage strength (70%) undenatured EtOH. Typically we add the correct proportions of 95% EtOH and water to a container and paddle or invert the container repeatedly to mix the liquids, and allow it to sit for ~24+ hrs. The containers we like best to use for dispensing 70% EtOH are 20L plastic water containers with a tap at the bottom. Recently we used our digital alcohol meter to test the alcohol concentration from the top and bottom (tap) of one of these containers and found the alcohol concentrations wildly different - ~80% at the top and ~60% at the bottom ? despite having been mixed more than 24 hours earlier. This makes me really concerned that we could be regularly using concentrations that are much above 70% with specimens. I wonder if any of you have had a similar problem, or if anyone can suggest a solution? Is there a better way of mixing or of ensuring the solution is properly combined? Any thoughts appreciated. > > > Thank you! > > Cheers, > > Tonya > ------------------------------------------------- > Dr. Tonya M. Haff > Collection Manager > Australian National Wildlife Collection > CSIRO > +61(0)419569109 > https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Thu Sep 15 11:32:39 2022 From: gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Nelson,Gil) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 15:32:39 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] BioDigiCon: Final Update Message-ID: BioDigiCon: Final Update Plans for the Biodiversity Digitization Conference (BioDigiCon 2022) are nearly complete. You can explore the agenda and other conference-related information on the conference wiki page here: https://www.idigbio.org/wiki/index.php/BioDigiCon_2022 and the presentation abstracts here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Qooo7bKfTC8mGXAct2xhjrhg1nWZFHPrtJBJ_n6oLds/edit#heading=h.lhcfh1hw2hqa. Registration is free! Please register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-biodigicon-tickets-367104919697 There is an excellent line-up of discussion sessions and workshops, including: BiotaPhy Webinar 2: Resolving Nomenclature: Making Appropriate Taxonomic Choices Maria Beatriz de Souza Cortez, University of Florida BioDigiCon is pleased to provide the platform for the second in a series of 10 webinars sponsored by BiotaPhy, a set of computational workflows with broad impact on data-intensive research spanning ecology, phylogenetics, systematics, and conservation biology. Data quality: most common data dealbreakers Cat Chapman, iDigBio; Margot Schneider, Atlas of Living Australia; Dora Canhos, CRIA; Andrea Hahn, GBIF; Elspeth Haston, RBGE Digital Extended Specimen Discussion Session Libby Ellwood, iDigBio; Katja Seltmann, Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration, UC Santa Barbara; Julie Allen, University of Nevada, Reno; Katie Pearson and Ed Gilbert, Symbiota Support Hub Digitization Coordination: Combining Project Management & Digitization Efforts to Benefit Collections, Big and Small Jackie Chapman, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives; Frederik Berger, MfN Berlin; Helen Hardy, NHM London; Sylvia Orli, NMNH Smithsonian; Mareike Petersen, MfN Berlin; Kira Sobers, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives; Alyson Wilkins, NHMU Utah Digitization Workflows in Symbiota-based Biodiversity Specimen Data Portals Katie Pearson, Symbiota Support Hub, Arizona State University; Lindsay Walker, Symbiota, ASU GBIF, ALA, iDigBio: Aligning systems to benefit data mobilization Federico Mendez (GBIF), Javier Molina (ALA), Maureen Kelly (iDigBio), Chris Wilson (IDigBio) Imaging Biodiversity Specimens: First Steps to a Great Start (and Beyond) Austin Mast, Florida State University, Dept of Biological Science; Lauren Cohen, FSU, Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication; Nicole James, FSU, Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication; Alex Adkinson, FSU, Department of Art Including Indigenous Metadata in Collection Records Maui Hudson, University of Waikato; Jane Anderson, New York University Solutions for long-term image storage and accessibility Dave Blackburn, University of Florida; Doug Boyer, Duke University; Nico Franz, Arizona State University; Michelle Koo, University of California - Berkeley; Nelson Rios, Yale University; Julie Winchester, Duke University Sustaining Institutional Digitization of Biodiversity Collections: Considerations and Examples Austin Mast (iDigBio, FSU), David Jennings (iDigBio), Jenn Yost (Symbiota Support HUB, CalPoly), Lindsay Walker (Symbiota Support HUB, ASU) Capturing trait data: broad, across different taxonomic groups Rob Guralnick, Florida Museum of Natural History; Maggie Hantak, FLMNH; Ed Stanley, FLMNH; Julie Allen, University of Nevada at Reno; Jacob Idec, FLMNH; Bryan McLean, University of North Carolina, Greensboro Gil Nelson, PhD Director, Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) President, Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA) Florida Museum of Natural History University of Florida gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From spnhc2023program at calacademy.org Thu Sep 15 15:31:06 2022 From: spnhc2023program at calacademy.org (SPNHC 2023 Program) Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2022 12:31:06 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Deadline Reminder: SPNHC 2023 Call for Proposals Message-ID: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collection (SPNHC) 2023 38th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California 28 May - 2 June 2023 Deadline Reminder: Call for Proposals This is a friendly reminder to submit your proposals for Workshops and Symposia for SPNHC 2023 by 26 September, 2022! Submit your proposal HERE We sincerely hope you will all join us in San Francisco, California for SPNHC 2023. Our theme for 2023 is ?Taking the Long View?, encouraging all of us to envision the future for our field, our collections, and ourselves. We welcome proposals for workshops and symposia that will be conducted in a language other than English, however, we ask that you please submit your proposal in English. Please note the following Key Dates: Workshop/Symposia proposal submission deadline: 26 September 2022. Workshop/Symposia notification: 10 October 2022. Workshops will take place on 29 May 2023. Symposia will take place from 31 May - 1 June 2023 and will include Lightning Talks. Abstract submission will open 24 October 2022 and close on 09 January 2023. Please visit the SPNHC 2023 conference website for more information and to access Guidelines for Submissions . We look forward to receiving your proposals and seeing you in 2023! Contact us: Questions about the SPNHC 2023 program? We're happy to help. SPNHC2023program at calacademy.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de Fri Sep 16 02:42:38 2022 From: jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de (Jutta Buschbom) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2022 08:42:38 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] collaboration with governemental institutions on collecting new specimens In-Reply-To: References: <28d0cd575544429da70dc6607a6c4888@loodusmuuseum.ee> Message-ID: Hi Lennart, Within the EU, regular monitoring requirements exist for forestry and fisheries, likely within the agricultural sector and certainly for eg. Natura2000 and FFH areas. At the global level, FAO requires countries to regularly monitor and report on their forests worldwide. Likely such requirements also exist in other sectors. While observations and measurements are made and samples are taken on a regular basis, too often these don't find their way into well curated natural science collections or to GBIF. Nevertheless these vouchers and data are essential for monitoring species, genetic and phenotypic diversity as well as their dynamics over time. In addition, the EU has now a supply chain law. For this to be of impact, it will be necessary to develop effective certification and forensic genetics/isotope/etc. processes. For such approaches to work, existing monitoring schemes and datasets need to be developed into supporting high-quality reference datasets. Experience shows that without a full chain of custody including well-maintained and -curated vouchers it's not possible to achieve the statistical resolution and reliability that is needed to keep the error rates to levels that are acceptable for large-scale operation and impact. There is a good reason why the FSC International, in cooperation with several large institution, including Kew Botanical Gardens, is building a worldwide, voucher-based reference collection fit for use for a range of analytical approaches (https://worldforestid.org/our-team/). Cooperation between natural science collections and governmental agencies is essential for all of these biodiversity conservation applications, which still have ambitious basic research requirements to get them off the ground. This is an important topic and following-up on Dirk's suggestion for an offline exchange I would like to add SPNHC's Biodiversity Crisis Response Committee's interest and expertise. Best wishes, Jutta On 15.09.22 11:18, Dirk Neumann wrote: > Hi Lennart, > > there is a specific EU-focus in your question, as the current > EU-conservation laws, and it might be worth pulling this topic to the > CETAF legs and regs group. > > A key question is article 5, number 2 a in EG No. 338/97 > , > which addresses the capture and collection of species from the wild; > another the 'keeping' and 'offering'. EU Member States have divergent > national interpretations here, and especially in the light of (growing) > joint biodiversity monitoring efforts within the EU, it would be useful > to get this tabled on EU level. > > Let's talk offline if you would be interested. > > With best wishes > Dirk > > > Am 15.09.2022 um 10:37 schrieb Lennart Lennuk: >> >> Hi! >> >> I am meeting governmental institutions to discuss how they can help >> collecting new specimens / samples for natural history collections. >> >> Does anybody have a collaboration going on with governmental >> institutions on such topic? >> >> This far I have some ideas how to collaborate with governmental >> institutions: >> >> -scientifical work of different species and species groups (eg >> collecting during monitoring fieldwork, investigating infections) >> >> -hunting (collecting voucher?s like animal blood, skin, fur, feather >> >> -Inspection (collecting dead animals found during ispection) >> >> -Accidentally dead animals and notifiyng about them (collision by >> traffic, building) >> >> I am open to additional ideas. >> >> Best regards >> >> Lennart Lennuk >> >> Head of collections >> >> Estonian Museum of Natural History >> >> +372 6603404, 56569916 >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Nhcoll-l mailing list >> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >> society. Seehttp://www.spnhc.org for membership information. >> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > > > -- > ? > > *Dirk Neumann* > Collection Manager, Hamburg > > Postal address > > *Museum of Nature Hamburg* > Leibniz Institute for the Analysis > of Biodiversity Change > Dirk Neumann > Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 > 20146 Hamburg > +49 40 238 317-628 > > d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de > www.leibniz-lib.de > > -- > > Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels > Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany > > Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; > Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian > Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) > Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn > Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst > > -- > Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels > Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany > > Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; > Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian > Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) > Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn > Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst > > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Statistical Genetics Dr. Jutta Buschbom Gerhart-Hauptmann-Strasse 35 22926 Ahrensburg Germany +49 (0)4102 459264 jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de https://statistical-genetics.com [first name][last name] she|her -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_0x79BE669E6E3B0DFB.asc Type: application/pgp-keys Size: 689 bytes Desc: OpenPGP public key URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: OpenPGP_signature Type: application/pgp-signature Size: 236 bytes Desc: OpenPGP digital signature URL: From cutraccimaxine at gmail.com Thu Sep 15 23:40:43 2022 From: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com (Maxine C) Date: Fri, 16 Sep 2022 11:40:43 +0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Message-ID: Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Sun Sep 18 07:13:01 2022 From: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl (a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 11:13:01 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <0d79bfcf5128466fa536362b974a775d@lumc.nl> Dear Maxine, You could indeed do some experiments with glycerol to see if it would better preserve the colours. To avoid shrinkage, it is important that after fixation you transfer to glycerol by increasing concentration steps (e.g. 30-50-70%). A concentration between 65-70% should be sufficient to keep them well preserved and prevent fungal growth, provided that the RH in the room where the jars are kept does not exceed 70%. You might also want to embed them after a complete glycerol transfer (30-50-70-80-90-95-100-100%) in polyester resin. Before embedding them, you should get most of the glycerol off the surface by using paper or cotton towels and cotton swabs. Just before placing them in the unhardened polyester (3 layers: ground, middle embedding layer, and top layer), dip the specimens for about a minute or so in acetone and then cellosolve. This ensures that the polyester will bind to the skin of the fish. Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Maxine C Verzonden: vrijdag 16 september 2022 05:40:43 Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Sun Sep 18 11:11:25 2022 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 17:11:25 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: <0d79bfcf5128466fa536362b974a775d@lumc.nl> References: <0d79bfcf5128466fa536362b974a775d@lumc.nl> Message-ID: Dear Maxine, it is very difficult to preserve the colour of living fish; even if you follow Dries' recommendation and recipe, the colour in the preserved specimen will not be the same as in the living one. If the colour carries important information, e.g. to characterise or determine the species, it would be best to photograph the still living fish in a small photo tank, because as soon as the fish is dead, the colour usually fade within seconds or minutes. High resolution images allow to zoom in an even can give nuances of different melanophores. If you need this colour information for your research, you should make sure that you take the photos in a standardised setting. The SPNHC Wiki pages offer further infromation that might be useful https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Digital_Imaging, at the end there are links that direct you to specific sites/PDFs that provide further details on the setup. Hope this helps Dirk Am 18.09.2022 um 13:13 schrieb a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl: Dear Maxine, You could indeed do some experiments with glycerol to see if it would better preserve the colours. To avoid shrinkage, it is important that after fixation you transfer to glycerol by increasing concentration steps (e.g. 30-50-70%). A concentration between 65-70% should be sufficient to keep them well preserved and prevent fungal growth, provided that the RH in the room where the jars are kept does not exceed 70%. You might also want to embed them after a complete glycerol transfer (30-50-70-80-90-95-100-100%) in polyester resin. Before embedding them, you should get most of the glycerol off the surface by using paper or cotton towels and cotton swabs. Just before placing them in the unhardened polyester (3 layers: ground, middle embedding layer, and top layer), dip the specimens for about a minute or so in acetone and then cellosolve. This ensures that the polyester will bind to the skin of the fish. Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Maxine C Verzonden: vrijdag 16 september 2022 05:40:43 Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Sun Sep 18 13:39:32 2022 From: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl (a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 17:39:32 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: <0d79bfcf5128466fa536362b974a775d@lumc.nl>, Message-ID: <58ee086a7a864623a3946832a1663757@lumc.nl> Hi Dirk, Preserving the color of living fish does not seem to me a problem at all, as long as you nurture them well. ? I think the question of Maxine is (@Maxine, am I right?): What is the best fixation/preservation method to prevent further colour loss post-mortem. Glycerol preservation in combination with embedding in polyester could certainly be worthwhile to try out. I experienced myself some good results with regard to colour with the preservation of small sharks on 65% glycerol. In case of small fish (5-10 mm in length), fixation and preservation steps can be very short and thus giving quick results for comparison to the standard preservation fluids (ethanol/formalin). Additional embedding in polyester might even further stabilize the colour. Regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Dirk Neumann Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 17:11:25 Aan: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens Dear Maxine, it is very difficult to preserve the colour of living fish; even if you follow Dries' recommendation and recipe, the colour in the preserved specimen will not be the same as in the living one. If the colour carries important information, e.g. to characterise or determine the species, it would be best to photograph the still living fish in a small photo tank, because as soon as the fish is dead, the colour usually fade within seconds or minutes. High resolution images allow to zoom in an even can give nuances of different melanophores. If you need this colour information for your research, you should make sure that you take the photos in a standardised setting. The SPNHC Wiki pages offer further infromation that might be useful https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Digital_Imaging, at the end there are links that direct you to specific sites/PDFs that provide further details on the setup. Hope this helps Dirk Am 18.09.2022 um 13:13 schrieb a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl: Dear Maxine, You could indeed do some experiments with glycerol to see if it would better preserve the colours. To avoid shrinkage, it is important that after fixation you transfer to glycerol by increasing concentration steps (e.g. 30-50-70%). A concentration between 65-70% should be sufficient to keep them well preserved and prevent fungal growth, provided that the RH in the room where the jars are kept does not exceed 70%. You might also want to embed them after a complete glycerol transfer (30-50-70-80-90-95-100-100%) in polyester resin. Before embedding them, you should get most of the glycerol off the surface by using paper or cotton towels and cotton swabs. Just before placing them in the unhardened polyester (3 layers: ground, middle embedding layer, and top layer), dip the specimens for about a minute or so in acetone and then cellosolve. This ensures that the polyester will bind to the skin of the fish. Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Maxine C Verzonden: vrijdag 16 september 2022 05:40:43 Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Sun Sep 18 14:09:59 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 14:09:59 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my book, *Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference* ( https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons/dp/1442229659 ). It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, there are many variables that can affect color rendition in photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/714596-REG/Tiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_Color_Separation_Guide.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxapxXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica *and* Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University *and* Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish > biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish > species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). > In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve > the coloration. > > Any advice? Would resin work? > > Regards, > > Maxine > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Sun Sep 18 14:25:41 2022 From: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl (a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 18:25:41 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: I rest my case... --Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens John E Simmons Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 20:09:59 Aan: Maxine C CC: NHCOLL-new Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my book, Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference (https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons/dp/1442229659). It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, there are many variables that can affect color rendition in photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/714596-REG/Tiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_Color_Separation_Guide.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxapxXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica and Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C > wrote: Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Sun Sep 18 18:28:20 2022 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2022 23:28:20 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Although I agree with everything that has been said, especially about the lability of pigments in fish; is there still a preferred method of preserving colour and particularly the really sensitive / fugitive pigments. Year ago, I was presented with a cuckoo wrasse and I tried the much-loved Kaiserling tripartite method and which uses some glycerine, carefully monitoring the pH of the solutions before and after fixation and during preservation. I noted that the colours lasted a few weeks before they started to alter - more monitoring of pH levels but not much change in pH (c. 0.2-0.3) but this may be enough to tip the balance against good colour preservation. Alas, this was a one-ff so I didn?t have more specimens to try and improve the longevity of the colour preservation but at least it worked for a short while! What I am also asking, is there an improved method as yet? With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 18 Sep 2022, at 19:25, wrote: > > I rest my case... > > --Dries > > Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator > > Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) > P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands > Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl > > Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk > Van: Nhcoll-l namens John E Simmons > Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 20:09:59 > Aan: Maxine C > CC: NHCOLL-new > Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens > > I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: > 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. > 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). > 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. > > Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my book, Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference (https://www.amazon.com/Fluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons/dp/1442229659). > > It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. > > There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): > 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. > 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). > 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). > 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. > 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. > > The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, there are many variables that can affect color rendition in photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/714596-REG/Tiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_Color_Separation_Guide.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A6879&gclid=CjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxapxXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE > > --John > > John E. Simmons > Writer and Museum Consultant > Museologica > and > Associate Curator of Collections > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery > Penn State University > and > Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia > Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). > In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. > > Any advice? Would resin work? > > Regards, > > Maxine > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From abentley at ku.edu Mon Sep 19 09:41:05 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2022 13:41:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi all Agree with all that has been said so far. I would add that whatever technique is used, it will not preserve color indefinitely but probably only delay the inevitable by a short period. As such, it is deemed simply too expensive and time consuming for general collection specimens. I have attached a number of papers on the subject in case you want to give it a try. Andy ? ? A? :???????????? A? :???????????? A? : ?}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> ??? V??????????????? V??????????????? V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel:?(785) 864-3863 Fax:?(785) 864-5335? Email:?abentley at ku.edu?? ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu ? ? A? :???????????? A? :???????????? A? : ?}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> ??? V??????????????? V??????????????? V -----Original Message----- From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Simon Moore Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2022 5:28 PM To: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Cc: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens Although I agree with everything that has been said, especially about the lability of pigments in fish; is there still a preferred method of preserving colour and particularly the really sensitive / fugitive pigments. Year ago, I was presented with a cuckoo wrasse and I tried the much-loved Kaiserling tripartite method and which uses some glycerine, carefully monitoring the pH of the solutions before and after fixation and during preservation. I noted that the colours lasted a few weeks before they started to alter - more monitoring of pH levels but not much change in pH (c. 0.2-0.3) but this may be enough to tip the balance against good colour preservation. Alas, this was a one-ff so I didn't have more specimens to try and improve the longevity of the colour preservation but at least it worked for a short while! What I am also asking, is there an improved method as yet? With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.natural-history-conservation.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C6848b353176f4ac4ea0e08da99c51d11%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637991369135587994%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vfMYhFtsycPbfvoLjoHxlniRvgo9B1fzu0W22NwyJso%3D&reserved=0 > On 18 Sep 2022, at 19:25, wrote: > > I rest my case... > > --Dries > > Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator > > Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 > (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting > address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: > A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl > > Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.n > hm.ac.uk%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C6848b353176f4ac4ea0 > e08da99c51d11%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C63799136913 > 5587994%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLC > JBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2FN%2BJpecfjQl > LyyQgTxdC%2FIxhd6%2FV1DYwlPU9dj5dXs0%3D&reserved=0 > Van: Nhcoll-l namens John E > Simmons > Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 20:09:59 > Aan: Maxine C > CC: NHCOLL-new > Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish > specimens > > I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: > 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. > 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). > 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. > > Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my book, Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons%2Fdp%2F1442229659&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C6848b353176f4ac4ea0e08da99c51d11%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637991369135744776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qdR2oZg0Gte%2FK2NyN6s34JbHFB9Hc1DTjdSATjq7Ebk%3D&reserved=0). > > It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. > > There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): > 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. > 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). > 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). > 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. > 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. > > The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an > organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, > there are many variables that can affect color rendition in > photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the > equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, > always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to > make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) > without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many > color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww. > bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F714596-REG%2FTiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_C > olor_Separation_Guide.html%2F%3Fap%3Dy%26ap%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26 > lsft%3DBI%253A6879%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxap > xXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE&data=05%7C01%7C > abentley%40ku.edu%7C6848b353176f4ac4ea0e08da99c51d11%7C3c176536afe643f > 5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637991369135744776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d > 8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C > 3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=JWwcj5DD7ek7EELe4HSz7Rmv1egK%2F6UQorDlWpuNWQ4% > 3D&reserved=0 > > --John > > John E. Simmons > Writer and Museum Consultant > Museologica > and > Associate Curator of Collections > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University > and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de > Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). > In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. > > Any advice? Would resin work? > > Regards, > > Maxine > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail > man.yale.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fnhcoll-l&data=05%7C01%7Cabentl > ey%40ku.edu%7C6848b353176f4ac4ea0e08da99c51d11%7C3c176536afe643f5b9663 > 6feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637991369135744776%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWI > joiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7 > C%7C%7C&sdata=e6aEsN4m9%2BLqNlCt90cRuO90ZW3I7j2ppjwi35F0nFM%3D& > ;reserved=0 > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. 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Name: Waters - Museum techniques.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1706138 bytes Desc: Waters - Museum techniques.pdf URL: From c.e.smith at pgr.reading.ac.uk Tue Sep 20 03:53:26 2022 From: c.e.smith at pgr.reading.ac.uk (Claire Smith) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 07:53:26 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Message-ID: Hi All, I have been watching this thread with interest, and while I don't have anything to add right now, I have recently begun a PhD looking into exactly this subject. I will be assessing the success of the older methods (Kaiserling; Jore) and the more recent (Wentworth etc), as well as looking into potential improvements. Best wishes, Claire ******* Claire Smith (she/her) Graduate Teaching Assistant & PhD Candidate, Cole Museum of Zoology University of Reading c.e.smith at pgr.reading.ac.uk claire.smith at reading.ac.uk www.twitter.com/wetconservatrix -----Original Message----- From: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Simon Moore Sent: 18 September 2022 23:28 To: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Cc: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens Although I agree with everything that has been said, especially about the lability of pigments in fish; is there still a preferred method of preserving colour and particularly the really sensitive / fugitive pigments. Year ago, I was presented with a cuckoo wrasse and I tried the much-loved Kaiserling tripartite method and which uses some glycerine, carefully monitoring the pH of the solutions before and after fixation and during preservation. I noted that the colours lasted a few weeks before they started to alter - more monitoring of pH levels but not much change in pH (c. 0.2-0.3) but this may be enough to tip the balance against good colour preservation. Alas, this was a one-ff so I didn't have more specimens to try and improve the longevity of the colour preservation but at least it worked for a short while! What I am also asking, is there an improved method as yet? With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.natural-history-conservation.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=tycKg43fjqc4ZUV7ZcNlS6wmWJ3N1Ro%2Bi8NB%2BiTL6SM%3D&reserved=0 > On 18 Sep 2022, at 19:25, wrote: > > I rest my case... > > --Dries > > Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator > > Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 > (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting > address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: > A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl > > Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | > https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.n > hm.ac.uk%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60 > 265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7 > C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIj > oiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SKH > 5cNd2lMGokllXLvQrXpck2d5rmMbU5zB%2FtE7MNOo%3D&reserved=0 > Van: Nhcoll-l namens John E > Simmons > Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 20:09:59 > Aan: Maxine C > CC: NHCOLL-new > Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish > specimens > > I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: > 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. > 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). > 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. > > Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my book, Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons%2Fdp%2F1442229659&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=H8cQ5uJ6qAwx5VeTuY2WYpoia%2BvUWMsu2jdJtkPXLTs%3D&reserved=0). > > It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. > > There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): > 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. > 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). > 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). > 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. > 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. > > The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an > organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, > there are many variables that can affect color rendition in > photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the > equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, > always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to > make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) > without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many > color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: > https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww. > bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F714596-REG%2FTiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_C > olor_Separation_Guide.html%2F%3Fap%3Dy%26ap%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26 > lsft%3DBI%253A6879%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxap > xXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE&data=05%7C01%7C > c.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ff > a3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7 > CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXV > CI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ywMaBhKnPRodIPpX4ukMPzawf2yEMyfaKS > qiH9Gc804%3D&reserved=0 > > --John > > John E. Simmons > Writer and Museum Consultant > Museologica > and > Associate Curator of Collections > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University > and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de > Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). > In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. > > Any advice? Would resin work? > > Regards, > > Maxine > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail > man.yale.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fnhcoll-l&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.sm > ith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4e > cfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpb > GZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0 > %3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jyF7%2Bs0eF9SKJ23gvp4xL%2BMv%2Fk6ud3H6Xo > e%2FQmapqcQ%3D&reserved=0 > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spnhc.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RSuMUuoyVUl5om2FbndbCJTdDhnNeWSk3xFUjMxYPCE%3D&reserved=0 for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail > man.yale.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fnhcoll-l&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.sm > ith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4e > cfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpb > GZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0 > %3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jyF7%2Bs0eF9SKJ23gvp4xL%2BMv%2Fk6ud3H6Xo > e%2FQmapqcQ%3D&reserved=0 > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spnhc.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RSuMUuoyVUl5om2FbndbCJTdDhnNeWSk3xFUjMxYPCE%3D&reserved=0 for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmailman.yale.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fnhcoll-l&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jyF7%2Bs0eF9SKJ23gvp4xL%2BMv%2Fk6ud3H6Xoe%2FQmapqcQ%3D&reserved=0 _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spnhc.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RSuMUuoyVUl5om2FbndbCJTdDhnNeWSk3xFUjMxYPCE%3D&reserved=0 for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From Karen.Morton at perotmuseum.org Tue Sep 20 09:09:17 2022 From: Karen.Morton at perotmuseum.org (Karen Morton) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 13:09:17 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Fine Arts Insurance for incoming loans Message-ID: Dear Colleagues, Does anyone work at a museum that takes in loans of valuable objects, such as fine gems and minerals, for exhibit purposes? Does your insurance company have a value threshold that, if exceeded, requires an outside appraisal or bill of sale before it will insure the objects? If so, what is that threshold? For example, if a lender has a piece that they value above $250,000 (our current threshold), do they have to provide the museum and the insurance company an outside appraisal or receipt from the purchase of the specimen in order to prove the value and thus insure the specimen? Our insurance company instituted this requirement about 7 years ago and, as we once again update our Collections Management Policy we are wondering if this is standard practice. Since this went into effect, the value of specimens coming into the museum has far exceeded this threshold and the museum has difficulty getting lenders to comply. Obviously, if that is what our insurance company requires, then that is what the lender needs to provide and we are stuck with it. We are just looking for examples at other institutions to find out if their insurance companies have such a requirement and what the value limit is so that we can have intelligent conversations with the insurance company, administration, and our lenders. Thank you. Sincerely, Karen Morton Collections Manager Perot Museum of Nature and Science E karen.morton at perotmuseum.org P 214.756.5833 2201 N. Field Street, Dallas, TX 75201 P 214.428.5555 | F 214.428.5892| perotmuseum.org [pastedGraphic_1.png] 2201 N. Field Street, Dallas, TX 75201 | perotmuseum.org [pastedGraphic_2.png] [pastedGraphic_3.png] [pastedGraphic_4.png] [A picture containing text, sign Description automatically generated] This message is intended solely for the designated recipient(s), contains confidential information and may be subject to confidentiality agreement(s). Any further distribution of the contents of this message requires written consent from the author. Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorized. 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Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 1391 bytes Desc: image005.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image006.png Type: image/png Size: 63681 bytes Desc: image006.png URL: From abentley at ku.edu Tue Sep 20 09:31:25 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 13:31:25 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Claire Good luck. We look forward to your results. Attached are some additional resources should you need them. We look forward to your results being published. Andy ? ? A? :???????????? A? :???????????? A? : ?}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> ??? V??????????????? V??????????????? V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel:?(785) 864-3863 Fax:?(785) 864-5335? Email:?abentley at ku.edu?? ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu ? ? A? :???????????? A? :???????????? A? : ?}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> ??? V??????????????? V??????????????? V -----Original Message----- From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Claire Smith Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 2:53 AM To: Simon Moore ; a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Hi All, I have been watching this thread with interest, and while I don't have anything to add right now, I have recently begun a PhD looking into exactly this subject. I will be assessing the success of the older methods (Kaiserling; Jore) and the more recent (Wentworth etc), as well as looking into potential improvements. Best wishes, Claire ******* Claire Smith (she/her) Graduate Teaching Assistant & PhD Candidate, Cole Museum of Zoology University of Reading c.e.smith at pgr.reading.ac.uk claire.smith at reading.ac.uk https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fwetconservatrix&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9afc5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918433462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Aop38KTdKCyNKAnm7yhDnz%2BQWOMU4G5Cf%2FIA0pQBCGI%3D&reserved=0 -----Original Message----- From: Nhcoll-l [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Simon Moore Sent: 18 September 2022 23:28 To: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Cc: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: Preserve fish specimens Although I agree with everything that has been said, especially about the lability of pigments in fish; is there still a preferred method of preserving colour and particularly the really sensitive / fugitive pigments. Year ago, I was presented with a cuckoo wrasse and I tried the much-loved Kaiserling tripartite method and which uses some glycerine, carefully monitoring the pH of the solutions before and after fixation and during preservation. I noted that the colours lasted a few weeks before they started to alter - more monitoring of pH levels but not much change in pH (c. 0.2-0.3) but this may be enough to tip the balance against good colour preservation. Alas, this was a one-ff so I didn't have more specimens to try and improve the longevity of the colour preservation but at least it worked for a short while! What I am also asking, is there an improved method as yet? With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.natural-history-conservation.com%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9afc5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918433462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=LXlxWwIekwoYcSAZXNQz5VCeguRwmBfGovRD%2FsPGo60%3D&reserved=0 > On 18 Sep 2022, at 19:25, wrote: > > I rest my case... > > --Dries > > Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator > > Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 > (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting > address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: > A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl > > Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.n > %2F&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9af > c5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918433462% > 7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik > 1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4b2CYgF%2BYWcJH2%2FPExZ > av%2BDcP%2FURVchzhBM%2FBJw8wPY%3D&reserved=0 > hm.ac.uk%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60 > 265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7 > C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIj > oiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SKH > 5cNd2lMGokllXLvQrXpck2d5rmMbU5zB%2FtE7MNOo%3D&reserved=0 > Van: Nhcoll-l namens John E > Simmons > Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 20:09:59 > Aan: Maxine C > CC: NHCOLL-new > Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish > specimens > > I agree with Dirk--it is not possible to preserve the colors found in living fish (or any other organism) by preseCorvation in fluid preservatives. There are several factors to consider, including: > 1-Color comes from a combination of pigments (many of which are photosensitive or subject to alteration by the fixatives or preservatives) and the reflection and refraction of light, so that any shrinkage or swelling is likely to alter color even if the pigments are not affected. > 2-In most organisms, color is not stable. Some colors are temporal (depending on the time of year), affected by the environment, the age of the organism, or the time of life of the organism (for example, colors that show only during mating season). > 3-The perception of color of an organism by a human being may be very different from how the color is seen by other species. > > Over the last 200 years, there have been dozens of recipes published > for the preservation of color or restoration of color in preserved > tissues. The one element linking all of these publications is that > very few of them used an accurate color reference standard. Instead, a > researcher would look at the specimen weeks or months after > preservation and pronounce its colors to be lifelike without reference > to what the colors were at the moment of preservation. Without a color > reference, it is impossible to look at a specimen and claim that its > colors have not changed. I reviewed several of these recipes in my > book, Fluid Preservation: A Comprehensive Reference > (https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww > .amazon.com%2FFluid-Preservation-Comprehensive-John-Simmons%2Fdp%2F144 > 2229659&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908d > a9afc5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918433 > 462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTi > I6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NUJeEKVvF63mmWeOukG > kOf2DhSPyjKu0UknjFpO3UN8%3D&reserved=0 LjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=H8cQ5uJ6qAwx5VeTuY2WYpoia%2BvUWMsu2jdJtkPXLTs%3D&reserved=0). > > It is not possible to avoid swelling and shrinkage of specimens during preservation, either, but it can be minimized. The dimensional changes that an organism goes through during fixation and preservation are highly variable, even within a species (I reviewed the literature on dimensional changes during fixation and preservation in the above mentioned book as well). Dimensional changes result not only from the fixative and preservative chemicals used, but also how the specimens are handled, euthanized, the time interval between death and fixation or preservation, and the light exposure that a specimen is subjected to during the process of preservation. > > There are a few things you can do during preservation that will keep the change of color as well as dimensional changes at a minimum (but you cannot save the actual colors of the organism at the time of its death, and specimens will undergo body mass changes during preservation): > 1. Keep the specimen in the dark as much as possible (particularly away from sunlight, which is rich in ultraviolet radiation), both during fixation and subsequent preservation. > 2. Minimize the length of time the specimen is kept in a formaldehyde-based fixative (depending on the specimen size and surface-to-volume ratio, this may mean a few hours or a few days). > 3. Keep the specimen at cool (but not cold) temperatures (heat accelerates the chemical processes that cause color changes). > 4. Stage specimens through concentration steps of about 20% each as you move the specimen from the formaldehyde-based fixative to an alcohol-based preservative. > 5. Prepare fixative and preservative fluids using the cleanest water possible (ideally, deionized water). Do not use denatured alcohol. There is no evidence from controlled studies to indicate that glycerine will preserve colors any better than ethyl alcohol, and there are too many uncontrolled variables to make that assumption based on examination of specimens post-preservation. > > The only way to preserve an accurate record of the colors of an > organism at the moment of its death is to take photographs. However, > there are many variables that can affect color rendition in > photographs as well, such as light intensity, light color, and the > equipment you use. To be able to correct for these factors later, > always include a color scale in the photograph. It is not possible to > make accurate color corrections in images (whether analog or digital) > without having a scale in the original photograph. There are many > color scales you can get for use in the field, such as this one: > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9afc5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918589686%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RRBS%2BZrz2YPITLSgY6cIw6fw0DTtZuW78M4rpgdrfGk%3D&reserved=0. > bhphotovideo.com%2Fc%2Fproduct%2F714596-REG%2FTiffen_EK1527654T_Q_13_C > olor_Separation_Guide.html%2F%3Fap%3Dy%26ap%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26smp%3Dy%26 > lsft%3DBI%253A6879%26gclid%3DCjwKCAjwg5uZBhATEiwAhhRLHsmNShKFUMn2utxap > xXxbKQCGo_o1z68Xqmr2tMnLTxSDW6AJrX9LxoCcBoQAvD_BwE&data=05%7C01%7C > c.e.smith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ff > a3bc4ecfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7 > CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXV > CI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ywMaBhKnPRodIPpX4ukMPzawf2yEMyfaKS > qiH9Gc804%3D&reserved=0 > > --John > > John E. Simmons > Writer and Museum Consultant > Museologica > and > Associate Curator of Collections > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University > and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de > Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima > > > On Fri, Sep 16, 2022 at 7:44 AM Maxine C wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). > In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. > > Any advice? Would resin work? > > Regards, > > Maxine > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feur0 > 3.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fmail > &data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9afc5a > f8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918589686%7CU > nknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1ha > WwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0WcvkQD7F6Std%2BETfc3slWB2 > LrQ5bvHAEoNJgJtu7So%3D&reserved=0 > man.yale.edu%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fnhcoll-l&data=05%7C01%7Cc.e.sm > ith%40pgr.reading.ac.uk%7C8fabf60265c64da609ab08da99c51df7%7C4ffa3bc4e > cfc48c09080f5e43ff90e5f%7C0%7C0%7C637991369134142849%7CUnknown%7CTWFpb > GZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0 > %3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jyF7%2Bs0eF9SKJ23gvp4xL%2BMv%2Fk6ud3H6Xo > e%2FQmapqcQ%3D&reserved=0 > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. 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See https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spnhc.org%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cabentley%40ku.edu%7C53dac261791647519ce908da9afc5af8%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C637992705918589686%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=56KtJE25qyMBqYRj%2B6pwYTxEdqOSS6%2FXqAZldVQWgko%3D&reserved=0 for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Retention of color in specimens - chemicals and amounts.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 15134 bytes Desc: Retention of color in specimens - chemicals and amounts.docx URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: MACLEOD_VANDAM_paper_EN.PDF Type: application/pdf Size: 1514959 bytes Desc: MACLEOD_VANDAM_paper_EN.PDF URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Changes in Color.docx Type: application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document Size: 16549 bytes Desc: Changes in Color.docx URL: From christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu Tue Sep 20 11:32:46 2022 From: christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu (Chris Evelyn) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 08:32:46 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes Message-ID: Hello all, We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I Attached are some images of the current situation. Thank you for your assistance! Chris Christopher J. Evelyn Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration University of California Santa Barbara Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: turtle shell mold.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 3442272 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Turtle taxidermy mold.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 3570950 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Turtle_skull_mold.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 3593405 bytes Desc: not available URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Tue Sep 20 12:11:17 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 12:11:17 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Do not use bleach on skeletons--it will damage the bone and it is very difficult to remove completely (we know this from its past use to clean skeletons). Instead, clean the bones with a high concentration of ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol at concentrations of 70% or higher (I recommend using full-strength, 96%) is an excellent biocide, and the higher concentrations will evaporate quickly from the surface, reducing the chances of causing more damage to the bone. Keep in mind that any surface the mold is growing on will already be damaged by the mold, so adding chemicals to it can cause even more damage. Taxidermy specimens possibly can be vacuumed using HEPA filtered vacuum, but I will leave advice on that one to one of the conservators on the list who has experience removing mold from hair and feathers. The cardboard boxes should be removed and destroyed. It will be very difficult to remove all the mold from cardboard, and of mentioned the cardboard surface will have already been compromised by the mold growth. Be sure to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (lab coat, mask, and goggles if necessary) and work under a fume hood to prevent spread of the spores around the building. Anyone who has a compromised respiratory system (e.g., asthma, emphysema) should stay clear of the infested area and cleaning activities.it I have attached a paper on cleaning a similar mold outbreak that you may find useful. --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica *and* Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University *and* Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:52 AM Chris Evelyn wrote: > Hello all, > > We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. > The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd > love some feedback: > > 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) > 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) > 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean > them off?) I > > Attached are some images of the current situation. > > Thank you for your assistance! > > Chris > > Christopher J. Evelyn > Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher > Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration > University of California Santa Barbara > Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Thacker et al 2008-Mold removal and rehousing of the ichthyology and herpetology skeletal collections at the LACM.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1649226 bytes Desc: not available URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Tue Sep 20 12:12:17 2022 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 17:12:17 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Chris, You?ll probably get many responses over this. If the shells are robust enough, then a light spray with 70% ethanol will loosen and neutralise the mould so that it can be wiped away but if it has somewhat destabilised the scute layers, then it will be cotton buds dipped in alcohol. Once the scutes are dry and clean, then a light dressing with something like 10% (emulsion of) Optimalin will prevent the scutes from drying and delaminating. Bear in mid that Optimalin is an oil used in taxidermy but is much too sticky per se, hence the reason I dilute it. The water then slowly evaporates away allowing the oil to penetrate just far enough into the organic layers without leaving a sticky and dust-attractant residue. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 20 Sep 2022, at 16:32, Chris Evelyn wrote: > > Hello all, > > We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: > > 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) > 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) > 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I > > Attached are some images of the current situation. > > Thank you for your assistance! > > Chris > > Christopher J. Evelyn > Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher > Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration > University of California Santa Barbara > Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. From maru.digi at gmail.com Tue Sep 20 14:24:33 2022 From: maru.digi at gmail.com (Mariana Di Giacomo) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 14:24:33 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Chris, I am so sorry you're going through this, it is a very challenging problem to have. Mold is terrible. First of all, I would agree with John about the use of PPE, nothing is more important than people's health. Second, I also agree with his recommendation to discard the cardboard boxes. Just make sure that when you do that, you're not throwing away any important written information or labels that may be present in/on them. Third, John's recommendation about bone is excellent as well. Make sure you test the ethanol on the bone surface before you begin, to make sure it does not penetrate too deeply into the bone. The goal is for it to evaporate quickly, so avoid dunking bone in the ethanol and use other tools such as cotton swabs Fourth, bleach on taxidermy is not a good idea. It is a damaging chemical that will also bleach the specimens. Taxidermy is more complex to treat because you will have hair, feathers, skin, keratin, and painted surfaces and plant material on top of that. Ethanol can work in some cases but in others it may remove the paint, so you have to be extra cautious. HEPA vacuums with small attachments (and even cheesecloth or another barrier to avoid sucking up hair or feathers) are your friends for an initial cleanup but I would suggest collaborating with a conservator before doing anything. It doesn't mean you'll have to have all taxidermy treated by a conservator, but it may be that certain specimens that are more prone to damage need that kind of expertise. Let me know if you want to chat further. Finally, the best approach, as you probably know, is to avoid this in the first place, so it may be that you need to start thinking of mitigation strategies or talk to people that run the facilities, so you can avoid future similar situations. I'm also happy to provide any insight on preventive measures. Best of luck! Mariana *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD* *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum* Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mar, 20 sept 2022 a las 12:11, John E Simmons () escribi?: > Do not use bleach on skeletons--it will damage the bone and it is very > difficult to remove completely (we know this from its past use to clean > skeletons). > > Instead, clean the bones with a high concentration of ethyl alcohol. Ethyl > alcohol at concentrations of 70% or higher (I recommend using > full-strength, 96%) is an excellent biocide, and the higher concentrations > will evaporate quickly from the surface, reducing the chances of causing > more damage to the bone. Keep in mind that any surface the mold is growing > on will already be damaged by the mold, so adding chemicals to it can cause > even more damage. > > Taxidermy specimens possibly can be vacuumed using HEPA filtered vacuum, > but I will leave advice on that one to one of the conservators on the list > who has experience removing mold from hair and feathers. > > The cardboard boxes should be removed and destroyed. It will be very > difficult to remove all the mold from cardboard, and of mentioned the > cardboard surface will have already been compromised by the mold growth. > > Be sure to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (lab coat, mask, > and goggles if necessary) and work under a fume hood to prevent spread of > the spores around the building. Anyone who has a compromised respiratory > system (e.g., asthma, emphysema) should stay clear of the infested area and > cleaning activities.it > > I have attached a paper on cleaning a similar mold outbreak that you may > find useful. > > --John > > John E. Simmons > Writer and Museum Consultant > Museologica > *and* > Associate Curator of Collections > Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery > Penn State University > *and* > Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia > Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima > > > On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:52 AM Chris Evelyn > wrote: > >> Hello all, >> >> We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some >> mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so >> I'd love some feedback: >> >> 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) >> 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) >> 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean >> them off?) I >> >> Attached are some images of the current situation. >> >> Thank you for your assistance! >> >> Chris >> >> Christopher J. Evelyn >> Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher >> Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration >> University of California Santa Barbara >> Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation >> _______________________________________________ >> Nhcoll-l mailing list >> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. >> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. >> > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From samuel.bolton77 at googlemail.com Tue Sep 20 19:01:23 2022 From: samuel.bolton77 at googlemail.com (Samuel Bolton) Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2022 19:01:23 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Updates on the use of NFTs to 3D digitize natural history collections Message-ID: Dear all, I am reaching out to inform you all about two important updates regarding the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to generate much needed revenue for the 3D digitization of museum specimens. This is an idea that I first pitched on this listserve about a year ago on the back of our publication in *Megataxa* (https://mapress.com/mt/article/view/megataxa.6.2.2). But at the time there was one very important obstacle, which was wisely raised as a potential reason not to pursue this idea. This was that Ethereum, the main blockchain platform for minting NFTs, was still operating on proof of work. This meant that minting VEROs (3D model NFTs sourced from actual museum objects) would have been a very carbon intensive process. At the time, we pointed out that Ethereum was planning to soon make the switch to proof of stake, which is far less carbon intensive. But, as you may remember, there was warranted skepticism about this eventuality based on how long the transition had been stalled in previous years. We agreed that VEROs were not a sensible option for natural history museums unless this switch was made. Ethereum has now made the switch to proof of stake. https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/15/23329037/ethereum-pos-pow-merge-miners-environment The second important update is that we have already deployed a smart contract on the Ethereum network, which now means that any natural history museum can mint VEROs should they choose to do so. Of course, you don't have to use our smart contract to mint your VEROs. You can use a third party (which may already have deployed a suitable smart contract) or you can deploy a smart contract yourself if you have the knowhow to do so. But we urge caution. Third parties will typically charge a commission or fee above the basic cost of minting the VEROs, whereas Joe (my VERO collaborator) and I won't make a penny from the smart contract we have deployed. Moreover, different smart contracts will allow different standards to be implemented among collections. It also becomes far harder to avoid potential VERO duplicates if there are multiple smart contracts in place. A single smart contract will also make the collection experience as easy as possible for VERO collectors. They can readily observe every VERO that is on sale or that has been purchased. In order to avoid a wild west scenario, I strongly recommend that we all get behind one smart contract. Again, this does not need to be the smart contract we already deployed. Rather, one of the main purposes of deploying our smart contract was to show that this can be done without much effort (there are only two of us working on VEROs and my collaborator set up the smart contract in his spare time in a matter of weeks). We also wanted to provide a smart contract for people who are interested in being pioneers in this area. This is something I would love to do myself (as a curator of mites and as someone who has generated 3D models of mites) but, alas, I work for a regulatory agency, which precludes this possibility (at least for the time being). In any case, this process should be shaped by the whole museum community. But in the meantime, there is nothing to stop early birds from giving this a try if this is something that they are interested in: https://www.vero-nft.org/how-to-create-a-vero You may be aware that right now NFTs are going through growing pains, which can be partly attributed to the general volatility of cryptocurrency (which is likely to decrease with maturity). But these growing pains are also because of the low quality and ease of production of many NFTs that have flooded the cryptomarket. The majority of NFTs represent digital art, which can be produced very cheaply and quickly using algorithms, etc. Traditional NFTs therefore appear to be an almost infinite commodity with no connection to real world scarcity. The same cannot be said for VEROs that are sourced from museum specimens, especially type specimens. Therefore, VEROs provide an opportunity to create a type of NFT with value that should hold well as a potential investment. If you are interested in minting VEROs from your collection any time soon, please feel free to reach out to me (samuel.bolton77 at gmail.com) or my collaborator, Joe Cora (joecora at gmail.com), and we will help guide you through the process that we have also detailed out on the abovementioned website. Or please reach out to us if you are interested in being involved in this process in any way, perhaps because you would like to help ensure that this process is implemented in the most efficient, ethical and fool-proof way. There is no doubt in my mind that there are many discussions to be had as to what exactly should qualify as a VERO and what should not (this is an evolving process). If VEROs take off in any way, this is something that we should all be able to have a say in. And there is no reason why either I or Joe should have any more influence over this process than you. As we mention on our website, we have no wish to be the sole overseers of this process in the long run. And if VEROs (or something like this) do end up being widely used as a source of revenue for 3D digitization, the natural history museum community may benefit from a board of commissioners to help regulate this process. In the meantime, VEROs (or whatever we may end up calling them) have to begin somewhere if they are to begin at all. Best wishes to you all, Samuel Bolton ????????????????????????????????????. Samuel Bolton, Ph.D. Curator of Acari Florida State Collection of Arthropods Division of Plant Industry/Entomology Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Email: samuel.bolton77 at gmail.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Sep 20 23:00:45 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 03:00:45 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Message-ID: Hello everyone, Following on our conversation about mixing 70% EtOH, I am wondering if anyone purchases pre-mixed 70% instead of diluting it in-house? We are going through a lot of ethanol right now, and it would ease our work flow if we could cut the in-house mixing stage and just decant 70% straight out of a pre-mixed drum... but I suspect this may come at a cost (and perhaps not only financia?). I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Thanks! Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From roberta.salmaso at comune.verona.it Wed Sep 21 03:04:29 2022 From: roberta.salmaso at comune.verona.it (Roberta Salmaso) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 09:04:29 +0200 (CEST) Subject: [Nhcoll-l] cleaning acropora and spongia Message-ID: <1778993309.7257989.1663743869632.JavaMail.zimbra@comune.verona.it> Hello All, I have to clean a large (50x70 cm / 20x28 in), rather dusty Acropora and a couple of Spongia officinalis . Any advice? Or any paper on the topic? Thanks, Roberta -- Roberta Salmaso technician zoology dept. Musei Civici di Verona Museo di Storia Naturale lungadige Porta Vittoria 9 I - 37129 Verona +39 045 8079417-9400 https://museicivici.comune.verona.it/ [ http://www.facebook.com/MSNverona | www.facebook.com/MSNverona ] [ https://www.facebook.com/museostorianaturaleverona/ ] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Imuv MSN_nero_stampa.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 96560 bytes Desc: not available URL: From tschioette at snm.ku.dk Wed Sep 21 03:41:18 2022 From: tschioette at snm.ku.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Schi=F8tte?=) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:41:18 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, We have bought 70% for several years, and now we use 96% only for topping up. I don't know the price difference, but it has apparently not scared our budgets people (who are usually vigilant), and with regards to other ill effects I heard of none. Cheers Tom Tom Schi?tte Collection manager, Echinodermata & Mollusca Natural History Museum of Denmark (Zoology) Universitetsparken 15 DK 2100 Copenhagen OE +45 35 32 10 48 TSchioette at snm.ku.dk From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: 21. september 2022 05:01 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Hello everyone, Following on our conversation about mixing 70% EtOH, I am wondering if anyone purchases pre-mixed 70% instead of diluting it in-house? We are going through a lot of ethanol right now, and it would ease our work flow if we could cut the in-house mixing stage and just decant 70% straight out of a pre-mixed drum... but I suspect this may come at a cost (and perhaps not only financia?). I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Thanks! Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Wed Sep 21 04:24:49 2022 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:24:49 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, general aspects could be total volumes (different pricing, storage/DGR/safety requirements for different container sizes), control with what YOU want to dilute (cf. previsou discussions on de-ionised vs. distilled vs. tap-water if reliable and of certified/controlled quality), and potentially (especially in some EU-countries) the choice (or lack of it) be free to choose specific denaturants (or not). Those would be the most obvious that would jump into my mind immediately. With best wishes Dirk Am 21.09.2022 um 09:41 schrieb Tom Schi?tte: Hi Tonya, We have bought 70% for several years, and now we use 96% only for topping up. I don?t know the price difference, but it has apparently not scared our budgets people (who are usually vigilant), and with regards to other ill effects I heard of none. Cheers Tom Tom Schi?tte Collection manager, Echinodermata & Mollusca Natural History Museum of Denmark (Zoology) Universitetsparken 15 DK 2100 Copenhagen OE +45 35 32 10 48 TSchioette at snm.ku.dk From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: 21. september 2022 05:01 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Hello everyone, Following on our conversation about mixing 70% EtOH, I am wondering if anyone purchases pre-mixed 70% instead of diluting it in-house? We are going through a lot of ethanol right now, and it would ease our work flow if we could cut the in-house mixing stage and just decant 70% straight out of a pre-mixed drum? but I suspect this may come at a cost (and perhaps not only financia?). I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Thanks! Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bethanypalumbo at gmail.com Wed Sep 21 04:29:41 2022 From: bethanypalumbo at gmail.com (Bethany Palumbo) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 10:29:41 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] REMINDER- SPNHC call for nominations for Members-at-Large Message-ID: Dear SPNHC Members, The SPNHC is looking for 2 new Members-at-Large to join us on the committee. Are you enthusiastic, committed and inspired to further your involvement with the SPNHC? If so, then please consider nominating yourself today! What is a Member-at-Large? The role of Member-at-Large is to represent the general membership in the conduct of society business and you will be asked to perform additional tasks by the President. These will include assisting with administrative duties and/or additional projects to further the work of the society. The position of Member-at-Large is decided through an election and is a 3-year commitment. Further details on this role can be found here: https://spnhc.org/what-spnhc-does/governance/leadership-manual/member-at-large/ Please send your nominations to me off-list at bethanypalumbo at gmail.com and I will contact those nominated soon afterwards to begin the election process. All the best, Bethany Palumbo, SPNHC Elections Committee Chair -- Bethany Palumbo, ACR Head of Conservation Unit Statens Naturhistoriske Museum Universitetsparken 15, 2100 K?benhavn Twitter | @bethany_bug Instagram | @palumbo_conservation -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cwthomp at umich.edu Wed Sep 21 08:00:00 2022 From: cwthomp at umich.edu (Cody Thompson) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] U-M Vascular Plant Collection Manager Posting Message-ID: Please see the link below for a new job posting for a Collection Manager of Vascular Plants at the University of Michigan Herbarium! Take care, Cody https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/223925/res-museum-collection-manager 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 Website: codythompson.org 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From VTomlinson at nature.ca Wed Sep 21 09:12:35 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:12:35 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Chris, Everyone else has given you excellent advice: -never bleach -most importantly control the environment so it doesn?t happen again. Keep the rH below 60%. No matter how much you clean, mould can re-occur if the rH goes over 70%. -70% ethanol kills mould. However it also degreases. If it is important to maintain fat content, then just control the rH and vacuum off the visible mould. Possibly freeze things first. -Use a HEPA vac and place a screen between the item and the suction so you don?t suck bits off, or at least reduce the suction and have the nozzle a distance away. -Use a fume hood if possible, and/or use PPE. -Freezing can inactivate live mould, but it doesn?t kill spores. -Don?t keep the damaged packing. Val From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Chris Evelyn Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 11:33 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Greg Wahlert ; Katja Seltmann Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Hello all, We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I Attached are some images of the current situation. Thank you for your assistance! Chris Christopher J. Evelyn Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration University of California Santa Barbara Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmhess at umich.edu Wed Sep 21 09:26:23 2022 From: bmhess at umich.edu (Benjamin Hess) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 09:26:23 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Chris, I want to add a couple additional comments. I had a large mold issue with mammal skins and skeletons in the past. 1. *Cause *- Determine if the cause can be remedied after the mold treatment. We resolved a cabinet and collection airflow issue, which were the main issue causing this mold. 2. *PPE and containment* - Wear appropriate PPE and consider doing all treatment when possible within a fume hood or other localized exhaust system. 3. *Consult a conservator as needed* - All cardboard boxes and trays (despite how good they may look) must be discarded. Ethanol (70% or greater) will treat mold spores, but not do additional irreversible damage to specimens like bleach. Ask a conservator about the chemicals you plan to use, and potential issues about what is being treated. 4. *Treatment *- Consider a short soak of bone material to reach all mold spores. I treated museum study skins by brushing all surfaces with a toothbrush and ethanol. Use caution with taxidermy specimens (as noted above). 5. *Storage *- Any area where the moldy specimens were stored, must also be treated. We did an ethanol cleanse of our entire cabinet and all cabinet trays - we also replaced the cabinet gasket. Kind Regards, Ben On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 2:25 PM Mariana Di Giacomo wrote: > Dear Chris, > > I am so sorry you're going through this, it is a very challenging problem > to have. Mold is terrible. > > First of all, I would agree with John about the use of PPE, nothing is > more important than people's health. > Second, I also agree with his recommendation to discard the cardboard > boxes. Just make sure that when you do that, you're not throwing away any > important written information or labels that may be present in/on them. > Third, John's recommendation about bone is excellent as well. Make sure > you test the ethanol on the bone surface before you begin, to make sure it > does not penetrate too deeply into the bone. The goal is for it to > evaporate quickly, so avoid dunking bone in the ethanol and use other tools > such as cotton swabs > > Fourth, bleach on taxidermy is not a good idea. It is a damaging chemical > that will also bleach the specimens. Taxidermy is more complex to treat > because you will have hair, feathers, skin, keratin, and painted > surfaces and plant material on top of that. Ethanol can work in some cases > but in others it may remove the paint, so you have to be extra cautious. > HEPA vacuums with small attachments (and even cheesecloth or another > barrier to avoid sucking up hair or feathers) are your friends for an > initial cleanup but I would suggest collaborating with a conservator before > doing anything. It doesn't mean you'll have to have all taxidermy treated > by a conservator, but it may be that certain specimens that are more prone > to damage need that kind of expertise. Let me know if you want to chat > further. > > Finally, the best approach, as you probably know, is to avoid this in the > first place, so it may be that you need to start thinking of mitigation > strategies or talk to people that run the facilities, so you can avoid > future similar situations. I'm also happy to provide any insight on > preventive measures. > > Best of luck! > Mariana > > *Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD* > *Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum* > Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC > Secretary/Communications APOYOnline > > > > El mar, 20 sept 2022 a las 12:11, John E Simmons () > escribi?: > >> Do not use bleach on skeletons--it will damage the bone and it is very >> difficult to remove completely (we know this from its past use to clean >> skeletons). >> >> Instead, clean the bones with a high concentration of ethyl alcohol. >> Ethyl alcohol at concentrations of 70% or higher (I recommend using >> full-strength, 96%) is an excellent biocide, and the higher concentrations >> will evaporate quickly from the surface, reducing the chances of causing >> more damage to the bone. Keep in mind that any surface the mold is growing >> on will already be damaged by the mold, so adding chemicals to it can cause >> even more damage. >> >> Taxidermy specimens possibly can be vacuumed using HEPA filtered vacuum, >> but I will leave advice on that one to one of the conservators on the list >> who has experience removing mold from hair and feathers. >> >> The cardboard boxes should be removed and destroyed. It will be very >> difficult to remove all the mold from cardboard, and of mentioned the >> cardboard surface will have already been compromised by the mold growth. >> >> Be sure to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (lab coat, mask, >> and goggles if necessary) and work under a fume hood to prevent spread of >> the spores around the building. Anyone who has a compromised respiratory >> system (e.g., asthma, emphysema) should stay clear of the infested area and >> cleaning activities.it >> >> I have attached a paper on cleaning a similar mold outbreak that you may >> find useful. >> >> --John >> >> John E. Simmons >> Writer and Museum Consultant >> Museologica >> *and* >> Associate Curator of Collections >> Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery >> Penn State University >> *and* >> Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia >> Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima >> >> >> On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:52 AM Chris Evelyn < >> christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu> wrote: >> >>> Hello all, >>> >>> We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some >>> mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so >>> I'd love some feedback: >>> >>> 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) >>> 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) >>> 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean >>> them off?) I >>> >>> Attached are some images of the current situation. >>> >>> Thank you for your assistance! >>> >>> Chris >>> >>> Christopher J. Evelyn >>> Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher >>> Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration >>> University of California Santa Barbara >>> Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Nhcoll-l mailing list >>> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >>> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >>> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >>> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >>> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >>> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. >>> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> Nhcoll-l mailing list >> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu >> https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l >> >> _______________________________________________ >> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of >> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose >> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of >> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to >> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. >> Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. >> > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. > -- *Benjamin M. Hess | EEB Museums Registrar | **EEB Museums Safety Representative to the RMC * University of Michigan | LSA Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | Research Museums Center 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48108-2228 bmhess at umich.edu | 734-764-2432 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From VTomlinson at nature.ca Wed Sep 21 09:32:02 2022 From: VTomlinson at nature.ca (Valerie Tomlinson) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 13:32:02 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT]Re: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens In-Reply-To: <58ee086a7a864623a3946832a1663757@lumc.nl> References: <0d79bfcf5128466fa536362b974a775d@lumc.nl>, <58ee086a7a864623a3946832a1663757@lumc.nl> Message-ID: I just thought I?d add a comment on trying to preserve colour by embedding in resin. All resins yellow and discolour over time, so will affect the colour of what you are looking at in them. Polyester is likely to be visibly yellowed within 20 years unless kept in cold, dark, anoxic conditions. You?re better off keeping the specimen in cold, dark, anoxic conditions. Different resins age at different rates, but all of them age. Valerie Tomlinson From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Sent: Sunday, September 18, 2022 1:40 PM To: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de; cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT]Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens COURRIEL EXTERNE. Ne cliquez sur aucun lien ou pi?ce jointe ? moins que vous ne connaissiez l'exp?diteur. EXTERNAL EMAIL. Do not click any links or attachments unless you know the sender. Hi Dirk, Preserving the color of living fish does not seem to me a problem at all, as long as you nurture them well. ? I think the question of Maxine is (@Maxine, am I right?): What is the best fixation/preservation method to prevent further colour loss post-mortem. Glycerol preservation in combination with embedding in polyester could certainly be worthwhile to try out. I experienced myself some good results with regard to colour with the preservation of small sharks on 65% glycerol. In case of small fish (5-10 mm in length), fixation and preservation steps can be very short and thus giving quick results for comparison to the standard preservation fluids (ethanol/formalin). Additional embedding in polyester might even further stabilize the colour. Regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l > namens Dirk Neumann > Verzonden: zondag 18 september 2022 17:11:25 Aan: cutraccimaxine at gmail.com; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] Preserve fish specimens Dear Maxine, it is very difficult to preserve the colour of living fish; even if you follow Dries' recommendation and recipe, the colour in the preserved specimen will not be the same as in the living one. If the colour carries important information, e.g. to characterise or determine the species, it would be best to photograph the still living fish in a small photo tank, because as soon as the fish is dead, the colour usually fade within seconds or minutes. High resolution images allow to zoom in an even can give nuances of different melanophores. If you need this colour information for your research, you should make sure that you take the photos in a standardised setting. The SPNHC Wiki pages offer further infromation that might be useful https://spnhc.biowikifarm.net/wiki/Digital_Imaging, at the end there are links that direct you to specific sites/PDFs that provide further details on the setup. Hope this helps Dirk Am 18.09.2022 um 13:13 schrieb a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl: Dear Maxine, You could indeed do some experiments with glycerol to see if it would better preserve the colours. To avoid shrinkage, it is important that after fixation you transfer to glycerol by increasing concentration steps (e.g. 30-50-70%). A concentration between 65-70% should be sufficient to keep them well preserved and prevent fungal growth, provided that the RH in the room where the jars are kept does not exceed 70%. You might also want to embed them after a complete glycerol transfer (30-50-70-80-90-95-100-100%) in polyester resin. Before embedding them, you should get most of the glycerol off the surface by using paper or cotton towels and cotton swabs. Just before placing them in the unhardened polyester (3 layers: ground, middle embedding layer, and top layer), dip the specimens for about a minute or so in acetone and then cellosolve. This ensures that the polyester will bind to the skin of the fish. Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Maxine C Verzonden: vrijdag 16 september 2022 05:40:43 Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: [MOGELIJK SPAM ! *****] [Nhcoll-l] Preserve fish specimens Hi all, I'm working on a research project at the University of Hong Kong on fish biodiversity. We would like to preserve very small cryptobenthic fish species ( 5 - 10 mm in length). In the past, I've used formalin and ethanol 70% but I'd like to preserve the coloration. Any advice? Would resin work? Regards, Maxine _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst [https://www.nature.ca/sites/all/themes/realdecoy/images/splash/splash-logo.jpg] Saving the World with Evidence, Knowledge and Inspiration. (click to learn more) Sauver le monde avec des preuves, des connaissances et de l'inspiration. (cliquez pour en savoir plus) cmnEmailFooterDefault. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Wed Sep 21 10:09:31 2022 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:09:31 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Tonya This is very US centric but I am unaware of any vendor that sells 70% ethanol in large quantities like the 55 gallon drums of 95% ethanol we currently purchase. Most are molecular grade solutions that are very expensive ($400-1000 for 5 gallons). I must admit that I have not looked extensively but I would also be leery of pH, additives etc. of any solution that is purchased already mixed. Solutions like this would inevitably separate if left in storage for any length of time also and would still need to be thoroughly mixed before using I would suspect. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 10:01 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Hello everyone, Following on our conversation about mixing 70% EtOH, I am wondering if anyone purchases pre-mixed 70% instead of diluting it in-house? We are going through a lot of ethanol right now, and it would ease our work flow if we could cut the in-house mixing stage and just decant 70% straight out of a pre-mixed drum... but I suspect this may come at a cost (and perhaps not only financia?). I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Thanks! Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From ariel_woodward at fws.gov Wed Sep 21 10:46:46 2022 From: ariel_woodward at fws.gov (Woodward, Ariel M) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:46:46 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXTERNAL] Re: Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Chris, Everyone here has already given great advice. I'm just going to attach this paper that documents our (US Fish & Wildlife Forensic Lab) recent experience (2020) with tackling an extensive mold outbreak in our bird collection. We didn't have skeletons affected, but we had many taxidermy specimens, hopefully this should help! We describe the PPE used, the treatments we used/tried and which model of HEPA filter vacuum (highly recommend) we used. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! Cheers, Ariel --- Ariel M. Woodward (nee Gaffney), M.Sc. (she/her) Forensic Scientist / Ornithologist U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service | Office of Law Enforcem?ent National Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory 1490 E. Main Street | Ashland, OR 97520 Direct Phone Number: 541-488-6516 | Main Lab: 541-482-4191 (x516) ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Benjamin Hess Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 6:26 AM To: Chris Evelyn Cc: NHCOLL-new ; Katja Seltmann ; Greg Wahlert Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding. Dear Chris, I want to add a couple additional comments. I had a large mold issue with mammal skins and skeletons in the past. 1. Cause - Determine if the cause can be remedied after the mold treatment. We resolved a cabinet and collection airflow issue, which were the main issue causing this mold. 2. PPE and containment - Wear appropriate PPE and consider doing all treatment when possible within a fume hood or other localized exhaust system. 3. Consult a conservator as needed - All cardboard boxes and trays (despite how good they may look) must be discarded. Ethanol (70% or greater) will treat mold spores, but not do additional irreversible damage to specimens like bleach. Ask a conservator about the chemicals you plan to use, and potential issues about what is being treated. 4. Treatment - Consider a short soak of bone material to reach all mold spores. I treated museum study skins by brushing all surfaces with a toothbrush and ethanol. Use caution with taxidermy specimens (as noted above). 5. Storage - Any area where the moldy specimens were stored, must also be treated. We did an ethanol cleanse of our entire cabinet and all cabinet trays - we also replaced the cabinet gasket. Kind Regards, Ben On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 2:25 PM Mariana Di Giacomo > wrote: Dear Chris, I am so sorry you're going through this, it is a very challenging problem to have. Mold is terrible. First of all, I would agree with John about the use of PPE, nothing is more important than people's health. Second, I also agree with his recommendation to discard the cardboard boxes. Just make sure that when you do that, you're not throwing away any important written information or labels that may be present in/on them. Third, John's recommendation about bone is excellent as well. Make sure you test the ethanol on the bone surface before you begin, to make sure it does not penetrate too deeply into the bone. The goal is for it to evaporate quickly, so avoid dunking bone in the ethanol and use other tools such as cotton swabs Fourth, bleach on taxidermy is not a good idea. It is a damaging chemical that will also bleach the specimens. Taxidermy is more complex to treat because you will have hair, feathers, skin, keratin, and painted surfaces and plant material on top of that. Ethanol can work in some cases but in others it may remove the paint, so you have to be extra cautious. HEPA vacuums with small attachments (and even cheesecloth or another barrier to avoid sucking up hair or feathers) are your friends for an initial cleanup but I would suggest collaborating with a conservator before doing anything. It doesn't mean you'll have to have all taxidermy treated by a conservator, but it may be that certain specimens that are more prone to damage need that kind of expertise. Let me know if you want to chat further. Finally, the best approach, as you probably know, is to avoid this in the first place, so it may be that you need to start thinking of mitigation strategies or talk to people that run the facilities, so you can avoid future similar situations. I'm also happy to provide any insight on preventive measures. Best of luck! Mariana Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD Natural History Conservator, Yale Peabody Museum Associate Editor, Collection Forum, SPNHC Secretary/Communications APOYOnline El mar, 20 sept 2022 a las 12:11, John E Simmons (>) escribi?: Do not use bleach on skeletons--it will damage the bone and it is very difficult to remove completely (we know this from its past use to clean skeletons). Instead, clean the bones with a high concentration of ethyl alcohol. Ethyl alcohol at concentrations of 70% or higher (I recommend using full-strength, 96%) is an excellent biocide, and the higher concentrations will evaporate quickly from the surface, reducing the chances of causing more damage to the bone. Keep in mind that any surface the mold is growing on will already be damaged by the mold, so adding chemicals to it can cause even more damage. Taxidermy specimens possibly can be vacuumed using HEPA filtered vacuum, but I will leave advice on that one to one of the conservators on the list who has experience removing mold from hair and feathers. The cardboard boxes should be removed and destroyed. It will be very difficult to remove all the mold from cardboard, and of mentioned the cardboard surface will have already been compromised by the mold growth. Be sure to use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (lab coat, mask, and goggles if necessary) and work under a fume hood to prevent spread of the spores around the building. Anyone who has a compromised respiratory system (e.g., asthma, emphysema) should stay clear of the infested area and cleaning activities.it I have attached a paper on cleaning a similar mold outbreak that you may find useful. --John John E. Simmons Writer and Museum Consultant Museologica and Associate Curator of Collections Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery Penn State University and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima On Tue, Sep 20, 2022 at 11:52 AM Chris Evelyn > wrote: Hello all, We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I Attached are some images of the current situation. Thank you for your assistance! Chris Christopher J. Evelyn Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration University of California Santa Barbara Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Benjamin M. Hess | EEB Museums Registrar | EEB Museums Safety Representative to the RMC University of Michigan | LSA Ecology & Evolutionary Biology | Research Museums Center 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor MI 48108-2228 bmhess at umich.edu | 734-764-2432 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Fungus and Feathers-Mold outbreak-NFWFL.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 2815627 bytes Desc: Fungus and Feathers-Mold outbreak-NFWFL.pdf URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Wed Sep 21 10:59:50 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 14:59:50 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I wish to bring attention to an unfortunate misunderstanding that has crept into our field, or at least onto this discussion list. That is, thinking that alcohol solutions inevitably separate if left undisturbed. By definition, true solutions are in their lowest free energy state and cannot spontaneously separate. This is true for any two substances that remain mutually soluble over any range of temperatures and pressures they might be exposed to. This is certainly true of ethanol and isopropanol at any combination of temperature and pressure, at least certainly at any human-survivable combination of temperature and pressure. I suspect most ethanol suppliers would be willing to formulate to any desired percentage and could provide expected specifications for trace constituents of the resulting solution based on analyses of the components. It should not be hard to get cost quotations for that and compare those with in-house mixing costs. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 10:10 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Tonya This is very US centric but I am unaware of any vendor that sells 70% ethanol in large quantities like the 55 gallon drums of 95% ethanol we currently purchase. Most are molecular grade solutions that are very expensive ($400-1000 for 5 gallons). I must admit that I have not looked extensively but I would also be leery of pH, additives etc. of any solution that is purchased already mixed. Solutions like this would inevitably separate if left in storage for any length of time also and would still need to be thoroughly mixed before using I would suspect. Andy A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V Andy Bentley Ichthyology Collection Manager University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute Dyche Hall 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561 USA Tel: (785) 864-3863 Fax: (785) 864-5335 Email: abentley at ku.edu ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3093-1258 http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu A : A : A : }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> V V V From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2022 10:01 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] 70% ETOH in volume? Hello everyone, Following on our conversation about mixing 70% EtOH, I am wondering if anyone purchases pre-mixed 70% instead of diluting it in-house? We are going through a lot of ethanol right now, and it would ease our work flow if we could cut the in-house mixing stage and just decant 70% straight out of a pre-mixed drum... but I suspect this may come at a cost (and perhaps not only financia?). I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this. Thanks! Tonya ------------------------------------------------- Dr. Tonya M. Haff Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO +61(0)419569109 https://www.csiro.au/en/about/facilities-collections/collections/anwc -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Wed Sep 21 11:05:17 2022 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 11:05:17 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: A little clarification about Val's concerns: The reason I recommended using ethanol at a strength greater than 70% was to prevent it from penetrating into the bone (and thus degreasing it or otherwise affecting the tissues). Surface grease should be removed from bone in any case because it traps dust particles, which may be abrasive or acidic, and contaminate the specimen. I do not recommend soaking bone in water or any other chemical, as this will likely promote cracking as the bone goes through a hydration/dehydration cycle, and the mold spores will be on the surface of the bone, and are not likely to be so deep into the bone that soaking is required. Efforts should be directed to removing the mold growth from the surface using 95% ETOH and cotton or polyester swabs. Although I did not mention addressing the source of the mold problem, I agree with Val and the others who mentioned this that it is very important to determine as soon as possible what the source of the moisture is and address that problem immediately. --John On Wed, Sep 21, 2022 at 9:13 AM Valerie Tomlinson wrote: > . > > -70% ethanol kills mould. However it also degreases. If it is important to > maintain fat content, then just control the rH and vacuum off the visible > mould. Possibly freeze things first. > > Val > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From schaefer at amnh.org Wed Sep 21 12:52:25 2022 From: schaefer at amnh.org (Scott A Schaefer) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 16:52:25 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job posting-- AMNH Database Manager for Collections Message-ID: Dear List Members, The American Museum of Natural History is hiring a full-time Database Manager for Collections, responsible for leading and managing the AMNH research collections databases, systems, and programs. See the below link for job description, requirements, and application instructions. The position will remain open until filled. Please share widely. Questions may be directed to me by email. https://careers.amnh.org/postings/3172 __________________________________________ Scott A. Schaefer, Ph.D. Dean of Science for Collections, Exhibitions, and the Public Understanding of Science Director, Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics Curator and Professor American Museum of Natural History Central Park West @ 79th Street New York, NY 10024-5192 USA Office: 212-769-5652 Mobile: 215-570-2943 Email: schaefer at amnh.org Science at the Museum -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jgreen at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Wed Sep 21 13:45:30 2022 From: jgreen at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Green,Jennifer L) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 17:45:30 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] participation in a survey about archaeological oysters Message-ID: Survey Participation Wanted: Archaeology of the Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica): Collection and Curation Practices by North American Practitioners The purpose of this study (UF IRB 202201685) is to survey the diversity of practices related to recovery and curation of archaeological eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) specimens. We aim to understand the ways in which practitioners carry out various aspects of field design, laboratory analysis, and/or curation. Results from this survey will identify practices across institutions housing archaeological oysters including museums, universities, government and Tribal repositories, and private cultural resource firms. The broader impacts of this survey will highlight the commonalities and differences in curation practice as a foundation for discussing best practices in eastern oyster curation and collections management, as well as how to improve inter-institution research across archaeological oyster collections. The results of this study will have implications for other archaeological shell taxa and their long-term curation care. Participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. No identifying information will be shared as part of this study besides self-identified profession or professional status and type of institutional affiliation. No identifying information will be collected or connected with your responses, which will be anonymous. https://forms.gle/7ke4HKoKx3RL9dhn6 Thank you for your time and consideration on behalf of colleagues from the Florida Museum of Natural History. Jen Green Nicole Cannarozzi Michelle LeFebvre Neill Wallis Jen Green Collections Manager South Florida Archaeology and Ethnography Florida Museum of Natural History 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800 352-273-1923 https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/sflarch/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bfrable at ucsd.edu Wed Sep 21 14:51:27 2022 From: bfrable at ucsd.edu (Benjamin Frable) Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 11:51:27 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Assistant Professor/Curator of Fishes at University of Minnesota Message-ID: Hi all, Sharing this exciting position for a friend. Please check out the link below for more information. Do not ask me as I know nothing :) *Assistant Professor & Curator of Fishes* The Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and the Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota invite applications for a 9-month academic tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Ichthyology and Curator of Fishes. We welcome applicants working in any area of ichthyology with a focus on organismal biology, fish diversity, or fish conservation. Competitive applicants will have interests in developing a research program that integrates different approaches, such as computation, experimentation, field studies, genomics, morphometrics, modeling, natural history collections, or phylogenetics, among others. The successful candidate will develop a strong, extramurally funded research program in ichthyology; lead curation of the Fish Collection and the Mollusk Collection at the Bell Museum; contribute to the teaching mission of FWCB, including a course in ichthyology; advise undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers; participate in professional service; and engage in public outreach. The University of Minnesota is committed to diversity and cultural inclusiveness. Women and members of systematically excluded groups are strongly encouraged to apply. For a full position description, including qualifications; salary/benefits; information about FWCB, the Bell Museum, and the University of Minnesota; and how to apply, please visit https://fwcb.cfans.umn.edu/fish-curator-position . -- ><;';> ~ ><;';> ~ ><;';> ~ ><;';> ~ ><;';> ~ ><;';> Ben Frable Collection Manager of Marine Vertebrates Scripps Institution of Oceanography University of California San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0244 USA Office: 231 Vaughan Hall *|* Lab: 224 Vaughan Hall 858-534-2199 *|* 858-534-5306 fax *NEW* address for *FedEx, UPS, **DHL*: UCSD, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Ben Frable 0244 Vaughan Hall 224 7835 Trade St., Suite 100 San Diego, CA 92121 Pronouns: he/his Search the Collection: **NEW WEBSITE** *| *iDigBio *|* VertNet -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Mandy.Reid at Australian.Museum Wed Sep 21 21:17:00 2022 From: Mandy.Reid at Australian.Museum (Mandy Reid) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 01:17:00 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer Message-ID: We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don't have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don't know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australian.museum/media/dd/images/Sharks_at_the_Australian_Museum.5a18784.980e462.png] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Wed Sep 21 22:38:31 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 02:38:31 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Mandy, We have and do face similar fume hood bottlenecks. I will let others speak more specifically about soaking in water with a lid on, but we solved many of our problems by purchasing a 'portable' (well, moveable...it's on a stand on casters) fume hood specially fitted with formaldehyde filters and alarm. If this is of interest let me know and I'm happy to pass on supplier info, etc. Cheers, Tonya Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Ph: 0419569109 ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Mandy Reid Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:17 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don?t have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don?t know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australian.museum/media/dd/images/Sharks_at_the_Australian_Museum.5a18784.980e462.png] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Sep 22 01:42:14 2022 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 07:42:14 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <040f34f0-dbf7-6929-f611-8cb215fd124c@leibniz-lib.de> Hi Mandy and Tonya, Formalin solution is a technical solution of the gas in water until it is saturated (37% v/v or 40% w/v); above this the vapour pressure drives the gas out of the water, i.e., the gas escapes into the surrounding air. This effect is well observable when formalin-fixing specimens in hotter climates, where the formaldehyde gas that escaped from the solution is trapped below the lid of the container, and escapes from the container, each time the lid is opened (which can lead to a considerable reduction of the formaldehyde concentration in the fixation container). By leaving the lid on the jars, you may affect the off-gasing of the formaldehyde, but you could increase the water-changing intervals to mitigate this. Hope this helps Dirk Am 22.09.2022 um 04:38 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi Mandy, We have and do face similar fume hood bottlenecks. I will let others speak more specifically about soaking in water with a lid on, but we solved many of our problems by purchasing a 'portable' (well, moveable...it's on a stand on casters) fume hood specially fitted with formaldehyde filters and alarm. If this is of interest let me know and I'm happy to pass on supplier info, etc. Cheers, Tonya Collection Manager Australian National Wildlife Collection, CSIRO Ph: 0419569109 ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Mandy Reid Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:17 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don?t have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don?t know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australian.museum/media/dd/images/Sharks_at_the_Australian_Museum.5a18784.980e462.png] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: not available URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Thu Sep 22 09:56:47 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 13:56:47 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Mandy, The vapor pressure of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions that are less than 40%w/v is real (we can smell it) but considerably lower than the vapor pressure of water in the solution. Therefore, unless the surrounding atmosphere is very close to 100%RH (speculating, perhaps > 99%), then water will be leaving the solution faster than formaldehyde does. Therefore, keeping a lid on makes more sense than leaving it off if the goal is extracting formaldehyde while keeping formaldehyde concentration as low as possible in the solution. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:17 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don't have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don't know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [https://media.australian.museum/media/dd/images/Sharks_at_the_Australian_Museum.5a18784.980e462.png] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Thu Sep 22 19:02:51 2022 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2022 23:02:51 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Mandy, That is a great question - what, if any, is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions? My credibility, again if any, is with physical chemistry of solutions and ends abruptly at the solution-specimen interface. Going beyond that, I must defer to John, Dirk, et al. I do hope they will have some evidence based advice on what would be an ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde, recognizing that would likely depend on taxonomic group being preserved. Rob From: Mandy Reid Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2022 4:53 PM To: Robert Waller ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens ; Harry Leung Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Rob Thank you very much for that advice. That is really helpful. I also received the below response. Do you think flushing the formalin from tissues could reverse the cross linking and hence fixation of the specimen? It seems to me that if this is the case, rinsing the surface formalin and then transferring through an ethanol series would have exactly the same effect in the long term as soaking the specimen out in water, so I am not sure of the advantage of only rinsing the surface of the specimen as stated by Andrew below. It assumes that no liquids subsequently enter the specimen when I imagine it would ultimately reach equilibrium with the preservative. We don't go through an ethanol series because of the time involved and also because it would require huge volumes of ethanol. Do you have a recommended procedure for transferring specimens from formalin to ethanol or do you think simply soaking out in water (lids on) then placing straight in 80% ethanol is OK in terms of the longevity and integrity of the tissue? Cheers Mandy Hi Mandy, Interesting - we only wash the surface formalin off before running through stepping alcohol. The information we'd always worked to was that flushing all formalin out of the tissues was undesirable long term (especially with small fishes), as the cross-linking caused by formalin can be partially reversed. There is an equilibrium reaction between aldehyde & alcohol forming acetal & water. Do you have more recent and improved info on changing this process? I can't see Cheers Andrew >><<<)o> Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) Museum of New Zealand 04 381 7314 027 7339363 Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. From: Robert Waller > Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:57 PM To: Mandy Reid >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, The vapor pressure of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions that are less than 40%w/v is real (we can smell it) but considerably lower than the vapor pressure of water in the solution. Therefore, unless the surrounding atmosphere is very close to 100%RH (speculating, perhaps > 99%), then water will be leaving the solution faster than formaldehyde does. Therefore, keeping a lid on makes more sense than leaving it off if the goal is extracting formaldehyde while keeping formaldehyde concentration as low as possible in the solution. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:17 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don't have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don't know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [Image removed by sender.] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Thu Sep 22 20:00:45 2022 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2022 00:00:45 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: As usual, what a great thread! I learn a lot from you all regularly, so thanks everyone for the shared knowledge! Mandy maybe you don't need another fume hood, if keeping the lids on buckest closed is ok? But FYI and for others who have asked about our 'portable' fume hood... we purchased ours from Laftech Technologies last year. I've attached the quote (it's pricey - we're lucky we can afford it right now), which details which one and which filters we purchased. I know that there are other brands out there as well, and as I haven't used them I can't say that the one we have is the best, but so far it seems to function well (and it can be fitted with Formalin specific filters). Cheers, Tonya From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Robert Waller Sent: Friday, 23 September 2022 9:03 AM To: Mandy Reid ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens ; Harry Leung Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, That is a great question - what, if any, is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions? My credibility, again if any, is with physical chemistry of solutions and ends abruptly at the solution-specimen interface. Going beyond that, I must defer to John, Dirk, et al. I do hope they will have some evidence based advice on what would be an ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde, recognizing that would likely depend on taxonomic group being preserved. Rob From: Mandy Reid > Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2022 4:53 PM To: Robert Waller >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens >; Harry Leung > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Rob Thank you very much for that advice. That is really helpful. I also received the below response. Do you think flushing the formalin from tissues could reverse the cross linking and hence fixation of the specimen? It seems to me that if this is the case, rinsing the surface formalin and then transferring through an ethanol series would have exactly the same effect in the long term as soaking the specimen out in water, so I am not sure of the advantage of only rinsing the surface of the specimen as stated by Andrew below. It assumes that no liquids subsequently enter the specimen when I imagine it would ultimately reach equilibrium with the preservative. We don't go through an ethanol series because of the time involved and also because it would require huge volumes of ethanol. Do you have a recommended procedure for transferring specimens from formalin to ethanol or do you think simply soaking out in water (lids on) then placing straight in 80% ethanol is OK in terms of the longevity and integrity of the tissue? Cheers Mandy Hi Mandy, Interesting - we only wash the surface formalin off before running through stepping alcohol. The information we'd always worked to was that flushing all formalin out of the tissues was undesirable long term (especially with small fishes), as the cross-linking caused by formalin can be partially reversed. There is an equilibrium reaction between aldehyde & alcohol forming acetal & water. Do you have more recent and improved info on changing this process? I can't see Cheers Andrew >><<<)o> Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) Museum of New Zealand 04 381 7314 027 7339363 Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. From: Robert Waller > Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:57 PM To: Mandy Reid >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, The vapor pressure of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions that are less than 40%w/v is real (we can smell it) but considerably lower than the vapor pressure of water in the solution. Therefore, unless the surrounding atmosphere is very close to 100%RH (speculating, perhaps > 99%), then water will be leaving the solution faster than formaldehyde does. Therefore, keeping a lid on makes more sense than leaving it off if the goal is extracting formaldehyde while keeping formaldehyde concentration as low as possible in the solution. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:17 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don't have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don't know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [Image removed by sender.] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: LAFN220110 CSIRO ACT Tonya Haff PURAIR Basic Ductless Fume Cabinet P5-48 XT.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 1601275 bytes Desc: LAFN220110 CSIRO ACT Tonya Haff PURAIR Basic Ductless Fume Cabinet P5-48 XT.pdf URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Fri Sep 23 02:40:57 2022 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2022 08:40:57 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Indeed, Tonya, this developed into a very interesting threat and discussion (again)! Rob and I chatted a bit offline on concentrations and migration of the 'free' formaldehyde out of tissue matrixes yesterday. Andrew (answering to Mandy's post further down here), raises an important point, i.e. the size and amount of specimens that are stepped, and how long they may be exposed in the water without re-solving formaldehyde out of its covalent bounding with cellular components, proteins and membranes etc. and thus weakening the original fixation or even causing damage to delicate specimens. This could be small specimens, but also iso-osmotic marine invertebrates with weak integumentary systems. The dear colleagues at the MNHN around Marc Herbin presented very interesting details on observed damages on cellular level during the Fluid Preservation Conference in Paris, which has been published in Collection Forum recently (link). During the initial watering step, the aim is to mobilise the free, unbound formaldehyde to migrate from the higher concentration inside the organism into the water, which has the initial formaldehyde concentration of 0%. For small specimens, this initial exposure in water should not be longer than one day, or even be avoided at all, i.e. starting with a reasonably low alcohol concentration to avoid damage on the cellular level caused by the osmotic pressure. When the formaldehyde migrates into the water, its concentration in the water increases, and this increase can be noticed, e.g. by the typical formaldehyde smell, as Rob pointed out. At this point, the formaldehyde concentration in the water has reached a level, where the gas pressure drives it out of the water phase. The easiest way to reduce the concentration (and to avoid the formaldehyde to escape), is to change the water more frequently, i.e. in shorter intervals, or to let the water rinse through the container (preferably from below), as the formaldehyde solution that escapes from the specimen is heavier as the water and will layer at the bottom of the jar or container. But during the stepping in the alcohol ladder, 'free' formaldehyde is continued to be removed from the organism, as it follows passively with the water that is osmotically removed from the specimens. As Rob pointed out, the concentration difference is an important factor here, and thus it is not surprise, that the amount of formaldehyde that is removed with staging steps 0/20/40/60/70 or 0/30/50/70 may differ, and again, body size, amount of specimens and container size are relevant factors that have an influence. To answer Rob's question "what is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions": as least as possible, to avoid conservation issues in the preservation fluid, and to during (long-term) storage (e.g. formation of paraformaldehyde). What is the ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde during staging? It depends - there is no straight answer, as so often when discussing conservation issues. If your limitation is the capacity of the fume hood when removing 'free' formalin or transferring specimens from formalin into alcohol, you could e.g. use larger containers (with specimens inside being separated e.g. in soft nets net) and change the water more frequently, to avoid that the vapour pressure drives the formaldehyde gas out of the water. Perhaps this is a way forward, even though it definitely is not a straight forward answer! With best wishes Dirk Am 23.09.2022 um 02:00 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): As usual, what a great thread! I learn a lot from you all regularly, so thanks everyone for the shared knowledge! Mandy maybe you don?t need another fume hood, if keeping the lids on buckest closed is ok? But FYI and for others who have asked about our ?portable? fume hood? we purchased ours from Laftech Technologies last year. I?ve attached the quote (it?s pricey ? we?re lucky we can afford it right now), which details which one and which filters we purchased. I know that there are other brands out there as well, and as I haven?t used them I can?t say that the one we have is the best, but so far it seems to function well (and it can be fitted with Formalin specific filters). Cheers, Tonya From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Robert Waller Sent: Friday, 23 September 2022 9:03 AM To: Mandy Reid ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens ; Harry Leung Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, That is a great question ? what, if any, is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions? My credibility, again if any, is with physical chemistry of solutions and ends abruptly at the solution-specimen interface. Going beyond that, I must defer to John, Dirk, et al. I do hope they will have some evidence based advice on what would be an ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde, recognizing that would likely depend on taxonomic group being preserved. Rob From: Mandy Reid > Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2022 4:53 PM To: Robert Waller >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens >; Harry Leung > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Rob Thank you very much for that advice. That is really helpful. I also received the below response. Do you think flushing the formalin from tissues could reverse the cross linking and hence fixation of the specimen? It seems to me that if this is the case, rinsing the surface formalin and then transferring through an ethanol series would have exactly the same effect in the long term as soaking the specimen out in water, so I am not sure of the advantage of only rinsing the surface of the specimen as stated by Andrew below. It assumes that no liquids subsequently enter the specimen when I imagine it would ultimately reach equilibrium with the preservative. We don?t go through an ethanol series because of the time involved and also because it would require huge volumes of ethanol. Do you have a recommended procedure for transferring specimens from formalin to ethanol or do you think simply soaking out in water (lids on) then placing straight in 80% ethanol is OK in terms of the longevity and integrity of the tissue? Cheers Mandy Hi Mandy, Interesting ? we only wash the surface formalin off before running through stepping alcohol. The information we?d always worked to was that flushing all formalin out of the tissues was undesirable long term (especially with small fishes), as the cross-linking caused by formalin can be partially reversed. There is an equilibrium reaction between aldehyde & alcohol forming acetal & water. Do you have more recent and improved info on changing this process? I can?t see Cheers Andrew >><<<)o> Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) Museum of New Zealand 04 381 7314 027 7339363 Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter| Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. From: Robert Waller > Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:57 PM To: Mandy Reid >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, The vapor pressure of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions that are less than 40%w/v is real (we can smell it) but considerably lower than the vapor pressure of water in the solution. Therefore, unless the surrounding atmosphere is very close to 100%RH (speculating, perhaps > 99%), then water will be leaving the solution faster than formaldehyde does. Therefore, keeping a lid on makes more sense than leaving it off if the goal is extracting formaldehyde while keeping formaldehyde concentration as low as possible in the solution. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:17 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don?t have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don?t know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [Image removed by sender.] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: not available URL: From dlewis at iastate.edu Fri Sep 23 11:12:46 2022 From: dlewis at iastate.edu (Lewis, Deborah A [EEOB]) Date: Fri, 23 Sep 2022 15:12:46 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Maria, Running Moccasins, Pearson -- recipient of Iowa Women of Achievement Award, including for work for NAGPRA legislation Message-ID: Hello, all, Although she lived in Ames, Iowa, for her last 16 years, which has been my home since 1984, I was unaware of the work of Maria, Running Moccasins, Pearson (1932-2003) on Native American rights and respect -- that is, until I got a notification this week that she had been selected as one of four recipients of the 2022 Iowa Women of Achievement Award. Her fight to have Native American remains be undisturbed in a time when they were being removed for archaeological/anthropological study and public display was among her accomplishments. Her work in Iowa and nationally contributed to federal NAGPRA legislation enacted in 1990. Here is a link to her biographical information: Maria Pearson | Ames History Museum (scroll down past the list of other Ames residents of note). Best wishes, Deb Lewis Deborah Q. Lewis, Curator Ada Hayden Herbarium (ISC/IA) Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology (EEOB) Department Email: dlewis at iastate.edu 319 Bessey Hall Phone: 515-294-9499 Iowa State University FAX: 515-294-1337 2200 Osborn Drive Ames, IA 50011-4009 She/Her The Ada Hayden Herbarium: Celebrating 150+ Years (1870-2020) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl Sat Sep 24 05:51:05 2022 From: a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl (a.j.van_dam at lumc.nl) Date: Sat, 24 Sep 2022 09:51:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer In-Reply-To: References: , Message-ID: Dear All, In our museum, all the formaldehyde (4%) preserved anatomical specimens have been transferred to 65% glycerol. The first step in the protocol is to get rid of most of the formaldehyde by flushing the specimen in slowly running tap water. The duration depends on the size and shape of the specimen. The advantage of running water is that free formaldehyde extraction will go faster and because of the constant water flow, there is also less chance on microbial attack. In the Netherlands, our occupational health and safety dept. allows us to discard formalin through the drain as long as it is sufficiently diluted by the running tap water. Kind regards, Dries Andries J. van Dam | curator-conservator Anatomical Museum | Leiden University Medical Center | Building 3 (V3-32) P.O.Box 9600 | 2300 RC Leiden | The Netherlands Visiting address: Hippocratespad 21 | Tel: +31 (0)71 52 68356 | E-mail: A.J.van_Dam at lumc.nl Scientific associate | Natural History Museum London | http://www.nhm.ac.uk ________________________________ Van: Nhcoll-l namens Dirk Neumann Verzonden: vrijdag 23 september 2022 08:40:57 Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Onderwerp: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer Indeed, Tonya, this developed into a very interesting threat and discussion (again)! Rob and I chatted a bit offline on concentrations and migration of the 'free' formaldehyde out of tissue matrixes yesterday. Andrew (answering to Mandy's post further down here), raises an important point, i.e. the size and amount of specimens that are stepped, and how long they may be exposed in the water without re-solving formaldehyde out of its covalent bounding with cellular components, proteins and membranes etc. and thus weakening the original fixation or even causing damage to delicate specimens. This could be small specimens, but also iso-osmotic marine invertebrates with weak integumentary systems. The dear colleagues at the MNHN around Marc Herbin presented very interesting details on observed damages on cellular level during the Fluid Preservation Conference in Paris, which has been published in Collection Forum recently (link). During the initial watering step, the aim is to mobilise the free, unbound formaldehyde to migrate from the higher concentration inside the organism into the water, which has the initial formaldehyde concentration of 0%. For small specimens, this initial exposure in water should not be longer than one day, or even be avoided at all, i.e. starting with a reasonably low alcohol concentration to avoid damage on the cellular level caused by the osmotic pressure. When the formaldehyde migrates into the water, its concentration in the water increases, and this increase can be noticed, e.g. by the typical formaldehyde smell, as Rob pointed out. At this point, the formaldehyde concentration in the water has reached a level, where the gas pressure drives it out of the water phase. The easiest way to reduce the concentration (and to avoid the formaldehyde to escape), is to change the water more frequently, i.e. in shorter intervals, or to let the water rinse through the container (preferably from below), as the formaldehyde solution that escapes from the specimen is heavier as the water and will layer at the bottom of the jar or container. But during the stepping in the alcohol ladder, 'free' formaldehyde is continued to be removed from the organism, as it follows passively with the water that is osmotically removed from the specimens. As Rob pointed out, the concentration difference is an important factor here, and thus it is not surprise, that the amount of formaldehyde that is removed with staging steps 0/20/40/60/70 or 0/30/50/70 may differ, and again, body size, amount of specimens and container size are relevant factors that have an influence. To answer Rob's question "what is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions": as least as possible, to avoid conservation issues in the preservation fluid, and to during (long-term) storage (e.g. formation of paraformaldehyde). What is the ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde during staging? It depends - there is no straight answer, as so often when discussing conservation issues. If your limitation is the capacity of the fume hood when removing 'free' formalin or transferring specimens from formalin into alcohol, you could e.g. use larger containers (with specimens inside being separated e.g. in soft nets net) and change the water more frequently, to avoid that the vapour pressure drives the formaldehyde gas out of the water. Perhaps this is a way forward, even though it definitely is not a straight forward answer! With best wishes Dirk Am 23.09.2022 um 02:00 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): As usual, what a great thread! I learn a lot from you all regularly, so thanks everyone for the shared knowledge! Mandy maybe you don?t need another fume hood, if keeping the lids on buckest closed is ok? But FYI and for others who have asked about our ?portable? fume hood? we purchased ours from Laftech Technologies last year. I?ve attached the quote (it?s pricey ? we?re lucky we can afford it right now), which details which one and which filters we purchased. I know that there are other brands out there as well, and as I haven?t used them I can?t say that the one we have is the best, but so far it seems to function well (and it can be fitted with Formalin specific filters). Cheers, Tonya From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Robert Waller Sent: Friday, 23 September 2022 9:03 AM To: Mandy Reid ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens ; Harry Leung Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, That is a great question ? what, if any, is the optimum amount of formaldehyde to carry over into storage solutions? My credibility, again if any, is with physical chemistry of solutions and ends abruptly at the solution-specimen interface. Going beyond that, I must defer to John, Dirk, et al. I do hope they will have some evidence based advice on what would be an ideal residual concentration of formaldehyde, recognizing that would likely depend on taxonomic group being preserved. Rob From: Mandy Reid > Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2022 4:53 PM To: Robert Waller >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens >; Harry Leung > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Rob Thank you very much for that advice. That is really helpful. I also received the below response. Do you think flushing the formalin from tissues could reverse the cross linking and hence fixation of the specimen? It seems to me that if this is the case, rinsing the surface formalin and then transferring through an ethanol series would have exactly the same effect in the long term as soaking the specimen out in water, so I am not sure of the advantage of only rinsing the surface of the specimen as stated by Andrew below. It assumes that no liquids subsequently enter the specimen when I imagine it would ultimately reach equilibrium with the preservative. We don?t go through an ethanol series because of the time involved and also because it would require huge volumes of ethanol. Do you have a recommended procedure for transferring specimens from formalin to ethanol or do you think simply soaking out in water (lids on) then placing straight in 80% ethanol is OK in terms of the longevity and integrity of the tissue? Cheers Mandy Hi Mandy, Interesting ? we only wash the surface formalin off before running through stepping alcohol. The information we?d always worked to was that flushing all formalin out of the tissues was undesirable long term (especially with small fishes), as the cross-linking caused by formalin can be partially reversed. There is an equilibrium reaction between aldehyde & alcohol forming acetal & water. Do you have more recent and improved info on changing this process? I can?t see Cheers Andrew >><<<)o> Assistant Curator NE (Fishes) Museum of New Zealand 04 381 7314 027 7339363 Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter| Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. From: Robert Waller > Sent: Thursday, 22 September 2022 11:57 PM To: Mandy Reid >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: RE: Formalin transfer Hi Mandy, The vapor pressure of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions that are less than 40%w/v is real (we can smell it) but considerably lower than the vapor pressure of water in the solution. Therefore, unless the surrounding atmosphere is very close to 100%RH (speculating, perhaps > 99%), then water will be leaving the solution faster than formaldehyde does. Therefore, keeping a lid on makes more sense than leaving it off if the goal is extracting formaldehyde while keeping formaldehyde concentration as low as possible in the solution. Best, Rob From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Mandy Reid Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:17 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Cc: Rhiannon Stephens > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Formalin transfer We are currently working on a large project at the Australian Museum to transfer our entire mollusc collection out of formalin (in which it has been stored for historical reasons) and into ethanol for long term preservation. We normally soak each specimen lot out in 3 changes of water in a fume hood with lids left off the containers/vials etc. to assist with degassing of the formaldehyde in solution. Our problem is a bottleneck in our workflow due to limitations imposed by our fumehood work space. I am wondering whether others in the group have faced similar issues and whether soaking out can possibly be done in water but leaving the lids on the containers (hence could be done on a lab bench after pouring off the formalin in the fume hood)? We don?t have a way to measure residual formalin after the soaking-out process so don?t know whether or not this will be effective. Any advice would be much appreciated. Mandy Dr Mandy Reid Collection Manager | Malacology Australian Museum 1 William Street Sydney NSW 2010 Australia T 61 2 9320 6412 M 61 0431 829 842 [signature_357450491] Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube I respect and acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Australian Museum stands. [Image removed by sender.] The Australian Museum email disclaimer The views in this email are those of the user and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Museum. The information contained in this email message and any accompanying files is or may be confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, reliance, forwarding, printing or copying of this email or any attached files is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete it and notify the sender. The Australian Museum does not guarantee the accuracy of any information contained in this e-mail or attached files. As Internet communications are not secure, the Australian Museum does not accept legal responsibility for the contents of this message or attached files. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -- Dirk Neumann Collection Manager, Hamburg Postal address: Museum of Nature Hamburg Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change Dirk Neumann Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 20146 Hamburg +49 40 238 317 ? 628 d.neumann at lebniz-lib.de www.leibniz-lib.de -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -- Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversit?tswandels Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany Stiftung des ?ffentlichen Rechts; Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Gr?ter (Kaufm. Gesch?ftsf?hrer) Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 9543 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 823 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From spnhc2023program at calacademy.org Sun Sep 25 18:33:10 2022 From: spnhc2023program at calacademy.org (SPNHC 2023 Program) Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2022 15:33:10 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Deadline Extension and Announcement: SPNHC 2023 Call for Proposals Message-ID: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) 2023 38th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California 28 May - 2 June 2023 Deadline Extension: Call for Proposals The deadline to submit your proposals for Workshops and Symposia for SPNHC 2023 has been extended to September 30, 2022. We are also pleased to announce Workshop and Symposium facilitators from countries and communities not recently well represented at SPNHC (self identifying) will receive a discount at the time of registration. Submitters will be asked whether they wish to seek this discount and will be provided further instructions at the time of their acceptance. Submit your proposal HERE We sincerely hope you will all join us in San Francisco, California for SPNHC 2023. Our theme for 2023 is ?Taking the Long View?, encouraging all of us to envision the future for our field, our collections, and ourselves. We welcome proposals for workshops and symposia that will be conducted in a language other than English, however, we ask that you please submit your proposal in English. Please note the following Key Dates: Workshop/Symposia proposal submission deadline: 30 September 2022. Workshop/Symposia notification: 10 October 2022. Workshops will take place on 29 May 2023. Symposia will take place from 31 May - 1 June 2023 and will include Lightning Talks. Abstract submission will open 24 October 2022 and close on 09 January 2023. Please visit the SPNHC 2023 conference website for more information and to access Guidelines for Submissions . We look forward to receiving your proposals and seeing you in 2023! Contact us: Questions about the SPNHC 2023 program? We're happy to help. SPNHC2023program at calacademy.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de Mon Sep 26 10:20:04 2022 From: Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de (=?UTF-8?Q?Joachim=20H=C3=A4ndel?=) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2022 16:20:04 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6331B514020000B3000A38C5@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> Hello all, There is a study on mold on paper. (University of applied sciences and art Hildesheim, Study of Conservation and Restoration) It says that 70% ethanol must be used, The 30% water content transports the alcohol into the fungal cell, the proteins in the membrane are denatured and the metabolism of the molds is prevented. With higher percentage alcohol (> 70%), the water concentration is too low for transport into the cell. It was also shown that spraying with 70 % alcohol does not work. Apparently, the alcohol evaporates too quickly to enter the cells. At worst, additional mold growth may even occur due to the high water content. A bath in 70% alcohol was most effective. As I said - the study refers to mold on paper, but probably also applies to bones or e.g. insect specimens. Good luck Joachim -- Joachim Haendel Center of Natural Sciences Collections of the Martin Luther University - Entomological Collection - Domplatz 4 D-06099 Halle (Saale) Germany Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447 Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 248 Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de >>> Simon Moore 20.09.2022, 18:12 >>> Hi Chris, You?ll probably get many responses over this. If the shells are robust enough, then a light spray with 70% ethanol will loosen and neutralise the mould so that it can be wiped away but if it has somewhat destabilised the scute layers, then it will be cotton buds dipped in alcohol. Once the scutes are dry and clean, then a light dressing with something like 10% (emulsion of) Optimalin will prevent the scutes from drying and delaminating. Bear in mid that Optimalin is an oil used in taxidermy but is much too sticky per se, hence the reason I dilute it. The water then slowly evaporates away allowing the oil to penetrate just far enough into the organic layers without leaving a sticky and dust-attractant residue. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 20 Sep 2022, at 16:32, Chris Evelyn wrote: > > Hello all, > > We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: > > 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) > 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) > 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I > > Attached are some images of the current situation. > > Thank you for your assistance! > > Chris > > Christopher J. Evelyn > Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher > Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration > University of California Santa Barbara > Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of naturasociety. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Mon Sep 26 10:34:05 2022 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2022 14:34:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: ACTION REQUIRED: Disseminate Preparedness Info for Hurricane Ian In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Foley, Lori Sent: Monday, September 26, 2022 10:32 AM Subject: ACTION REQUIRED: Disseminate Preparedness Info for Hurricane Ian External Email - Exercise Caution HENTF members, Please share the following information with your members and constituents. Key Messages from the National Hurricane Center The following content is also available at HURRICANE IAN (noaa.gov) 1. Ian is expected to produce heavy rainfall and instances of flash flooding and possible mudslides in areas of higher terrain, particularly over Jamaica and Cuba. Considerable flooding impacts are possible later this week in west central Florida. Additional flash and urban flooding, and flooding on rivers across the Florida Peninsula and parts of the Southeast cannot be ruled out for later this week. 2. Life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected in portions of western Cuba beginning late today, and Ian is forecast to be at major hurricane strength when it is near western Cuba. Efforts to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. 3. Ian is expected to be a major hurricane in the eastern Gulf of Mexico during the middle of this week. Regardless of Ian's exact track and intensity, there is a risk of a life-threatening storm surge, hurricane force winds, and heavy rainfall along the west coast of Florida and the Florida Panhandle by the middle of this week. Tropical Storm and Hurricane Watches have been issued for a portion of the west coast of Florida and additional watches may be required later today. [cid:image001.png at 01D8D191.E4515C30] Key Messages from the Heritage Emergency National Task Force The following content is also available as a Word document and a PDF at https://culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf/resources/federal-resources-cultural-stewards-and-emergency-managers/ It's important that all individuals and cultural institutions prepare for possible strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding: * Track the storm via the National Hurricane Center, http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/. * Monitor information via the Florida Division of Emergency Management, https://www.floridadisaster.org/info. * Gather your staff and review your disaster plan today. No disaster plan? Put that at the top of the to-do list once the storm passes (and hope you didn't need it this time). * If you have a disaster plan, make sure everyone has a printed copy to take home. An electronic version may be useless if you lose power. * Make sure staff, volunteer, and board contact lists are up to date. Determine how you will communicate with one another before, during, and after the storm. * Make sure your insurance and disaster recovery vendor contact information is readily available. * If you don't already have up-to-date images (photographic/video) of your facility's exterior and interior, including storage areas, now's the time to take them. Being able to illustrate how your building and collections looked before damage will be helpful if the need arises to pursue recovery financing. * Back up electronic records and store the back-ups off-site or in the cloud. * Secure outdoor furniture, bike racks, book drops, etc. - anything that can become a projectile in strong winds. * Move collections that are in areas vulnerable to flooding - i.e., the floor, the basement - or susceptible to rain - near windows or under roofs. * If you have time, cut lengths of plastic sheeting to be able to throw them over shelves or equipment should the building envelope be compromised. * Know the location and shut-off procedures for water, electricity, and gas. * Review individual or family plans. You'll feel better attending to your organization knowing that your loved ones are safe. * For tips on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane, go to https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes. * Keep this 24/7 hotline number handy: 202.661.8068. The National Heritage Responders, a team of trained conservators and collections care professionals, are available 24/7 to provide advice. * Download FEMA fact sheets "After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures" and "Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms," available at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/save-family-treasures. * Familiarize yourself with the disaster declaration process in case one is declared for your state, https://www.fema.gov/disaster-declaration-process. Thank you, Lori Lori Foley Coordinator | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration | Resilience Mobile: (202) 826-6303 lori.foley at fema.dhs.gov culturalrescue.si.edu/hentf Federal Emergency Management Agency fema.gov [cid:image002.png at 01D8D191.E4515C30] [cid:image003.png at 01D8D191.E4515C30] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 91916 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 231606 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 20301 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: From sergio.montagud at gmail.com Tue Sep 27 05:20:46 2022 From: sergio.montagud at gmail.com (Sergio Montagud) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:20:46 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: <6331B514020000B3000A38C5@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> References: <6331B514020000B3000A38C5@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> Message-ID: Hello all, Thanks for all information apport here. I see the ethanol treatment is the best practice recommended for clean the specimens. Some years ago someone tell me that for clean the lenses and photographic material he employed isopropanol (2-propanol 99,9%). The technicians that work with electronics gadgets use it regularly for cleaning. It seems that the isopropanol can clean very similar than ethanol but it evaporates more quickly because is all pure (99%) and no water residual can oxidate the metal and electronic contacts. Since then, I use it regularly for clean my photographic material with best results. And one year ago we had a mold problem in the museum with a bird eggs collection. I used the isopropanol with a clean tis? paper to wash the egg surfaces and all gone Ok. No molds growth again and the eggs are very very clean. Also I use the isopropanol to clean insects before photografied. Profit this subject, someone knows is the isopropanol can affect some tissue or detailed material in natural history collections? Best wishes Sergio De: Nhcoll-l en nombre de Joachim H?ndel Fecha: lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2022, 16:20 Para: couteaufin at btinternet.com , christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu CC: wahlert at ccber.ucsb.edu , nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu , seltmann at ucsb.edu Asunto: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes Hello all, There is a study on mold on paper. (University of applied sciences and art Hildesheim, Study of Conservation and Restoration) It says that 70% ethanol must be used, The 30% water content transports the alcohol into the fungal cell, the proteins in the membrane are denatured and the metabolism of the molds is prevented. With higher percentage alcohol (> 70%), the water concentration is too low for transport into the cell. It was also shown that spraying with 70 % alcohol does not work. Apparently, the alcohol evaporates too quickly to enter the cells. At worst, additional mold growth may even occur due to the high water content. A bath in 70% alcohol was most effective. As I said - the study refers to mold on paper, but probably also applies to bones or e.g. insect specimens. Good luck Joachim -- Joachim Haendel Center of Natural Sciences Collections of the Martin Luther University - Entomological Collection - Domplatz 4 D-06099 Halle (Saale) Germany Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447 Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 248 Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de >>> Simon Moore 20.09.2022, 18:12 >>> Hi Chris, You?ll probably get many responses over this. If the shells are robust enough, then a light spray with 70% ethanol will loosen and neutralise the mould so that it can be wiped away but if it has somewhat destabilised the scute layers, then it will be cotton buds dipped in alcohol. Once the scutes are dry and clean, then a light dressing with something like 10% (emulsion of) Optimalin will prevent the scutes from drying and delaminating. Bear in mid that Optimalin is an oil used in taxidermy but is much too sticky per se, hence the reason I dilute it. The water then slowly evaporates away allowing the oil to penetrate just far enough into the organic layers without leaving a sticky and dust-attractant residue. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 20 Sep 2022, at 16:32, Chris Evelyn wrote: > > Hello all, > > We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: > > 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) > 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) > 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I > > Attached are some images of the current situation. > > Thank you for your assistance! > > Chris > > Christopher J. Evelyn > Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher > Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration > University of California Santa Barbara > Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de Tue Sep 27 07:18:09 2022 From: Joachim.Haendel at zns.uni-halle.de (=?UTF-8?Q?Joachim=20H=C3=A4ndel?=) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:18:09 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes In-Reply-To: References: <6331B514020000B3000A38C5@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> Message-ID: <6332DBF1020000B3000A3965@zuv12.verwaltung.uni-halle.de> Hello all, Yes - isopropanol is widely used in microscopy and histology. Mainly because the dehydrating effect of pure isopropanol (> 99%) is somewhat better than ethanol and it evaporates faster and without residues than (denatured) ethanol. In older European literature on microscopy, isopropanol is often referred as "Optal". But in the study I mentioned on mold on paper, however, it was shown that the fungicidal effect of ethanol is somewhat better than that of isopropanol. Best wishes Joachim -- Joachim Haendel Center of Natural Sciences Collections of the Martin Luther University - Entomological Collection - Domplatz 4 D-06099 Halle (Saale) Germany Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447 Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 248 Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de >>> Sergio Montagud 27.09.2022, 11:21 >>> Hello all, Thanks for all information apport here. I see the ethanol treatment is the best practice recommended for clean the specimens. Some years ago someone tell me that for clean the lenses and photographic material he employed isopropanol (2-propanol 99,9%). The technicians that work with electronics gadgets use it regularly for cleaning. It seems that the isopropanol can clean very similar than ethanol but it evaporates more quickly because is all pure (99%) and no water residual can oxidate the metal and electronic contacts. Since then, I use it regularly for clean my photographic material with best results. And one year ago we had a mold problem in the museum with a bird eggs collection. I used the isopropanol with a clean tis? paper to wash the egg surfaces and all gone Ok. No molds growth again and the eggs are very very clean. Also I use the isopropanol to clean insects before photografied. Profit this subject, someone knows is the isopropanol can affect some tissue or detailed material in natural history collections? Best wishes Sergio De: Nhcoll-l en nombre de Joachim H?ndel Fecha: lunes, 26 de septiembre de 2022, 16:20 Para: couteaufin at btinternet.com , christopher_evelyn at ucsb.edu CC: wahlert at ccber.ucsb.edu , nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu , seltmann at ucsb.edu Asunto: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Mold on specimens (skeletal, taxidermy) and cardboard boxes Hello all, There is a study on mold on paper. (University of applied sciences and art Hildesheim, Study of Conservation and Restoration) It says that 70% ethanol must be used, The 30% water content transports the alcohol into the fungal cell, the proteins in the membrane are denatured and the metabolism of the molds is prevented. With higher percentage alcohol (> 70%), the water concentration is too low for transport into the cell. It was also shown that spraying with 70 % alcohol does not work. Apparently, the alcohol evaporates too quickly to enter the cells. At worst, additional mold growth may even occur due to the high water content. A bath in 70% alcohol was most effective. As I said - the study refers to mold on paper, but probably also applies to bones or e.g. insect specimens. Good luck Joachim -- Joachim Haendel Center of Natural Sciences Collections of the Martin Luther University - Entomological Collection - Domplatz 4 D-06099 Halle (Saale) Germany Phone: +49 345 - 55 26 447 Fax: +49 345 - 55 27 248 Email: joachim.haendel at zns.uni-halle.de >>> Simon Moore 20.09.2022, 18:12 >>> Hi Chris, You?ll probably get many responses over this. If the shells are robust enough, then a light spray with 70% ethanol will loosen and neutralise the mould so that it can be wiped away but if it has somewhat destabiand clean, then a light dressing with something like 10% (emulsion of) Optimalin will prevent the scutes from drying and delaminating. Bear in mid that Optimalin is an oil used in taxidermy but is much too sticky per se, hence the reason I dilute it. The water then slowly evaporates away allowing the oil to penetrate just far enough into the organic layers without leaving a sticky and dust-attractant residue. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 20 Sep 2022, at 16:32, Chris Evelyn wrote: > > Hello all, > > We have a pretty serious mold issue. Everything in the room has some mold. The jars and surfaces can be cleaned but a few items are trickier so I'd love some feedback: > > 1) Skeletal specimens (will 10% bleach solution work?) > 2) taxidermy specimens (will 10% bleach work?) > 3) cardboard boxes with small specimens (replace the boxes or just clean them off?) I > > Attached are some images of the current situation. > > Thank you for your assistance! > > Chris > > Christopher J. Evelyn > Vertebrate Curatorial Manager & Asst. Researcher > Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration > University of California Santa Barbara > Ancestral Lands of the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation > _______________________________________________ > Nhcoll-l mailing list > Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l > > _______________________________________________ > NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of > Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose > mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of > natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to > society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. > Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. _______________________________________________ Nhcoll-l mailing list Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu https://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l _______________________________________________ NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information. Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From liathappleton at gmail.com Tue Sep 27 20:50:31 2022 From: liathappleton at gmail.com (Liath Appleton) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 19:50:31 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Opportunity. Associate Objects Conservator, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Message-ID: Dear Colleagues: I am delighted to announce that the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CMNH) is seeking an experienced, full-time Associate Objects Conservator to join our conservation department and work in a fast paced, multi-disciplinary environment. Candidates must have a minimum of 3 years of post-graduate experience working with archaeological materials, ideally wood, and a Master's degree in conservation, or equivalent experience. This is a two-year position?the conservator will join a project team working to de-install and conserve objects from the museum?s Walton Hall of Ancient Egypt. Qualifications: Bachelor?s degree is required. Master's in Conservation with a specialty in objects and a minimum of 3 years of post-graduate experience working with archaeological materials, or equivalent experience is also required. Ideal candidates will have experience with archaeological wood. The candidate should have strong communication and organizational skills and experience with researching the preservation of archaeological materials is preferred. Treatment practice and documentation must be of an exceptionally high standard. The position requires a focused individual who can work independently, as well as part of a cohesive team. The new Associate Conservator will work both independently and in association with the Conservator to assess water damage to the 40 ft. ancient Egyptian wooden boat in our care. They will work with museum staff to do whatever is needed to rehouse the boat in a stable environment, treat, prepare, and plan for its eventual exhibition in a new location. The conservator will undertake a range of treatments on the boat and other ancient Egyptian objects in our care to the highest level of quality, and to AIC ethical guidelines. The conservator will be responsible for documentation and treatment reports in accordance with AIC and CMNH standards. They will also be responsible for reviewing public facing content related to the museum?s conservation efforts on an as needed basis. The Associate Conservator will work collaboratively with the Conservator and others to conduct research, write academic papers, or prepare for conference presentations. The conservator will be required to work collaboratively and in an interdisciplinary way with other researchers at the museum and exhibits staff. Good communication skills are mandatory. Much of the conservation work and treatment will be done in the public view. The conservator must be able to speak and engage with the general public. Supervision of interns and volunteers is required. *Interested*? Please apply through the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh website: https://carnegiemuseums.org/opportunities/search-careers/ Thank you, Gretchen Anderson Conservator Carnegie Museum of Natural History AndersonG at carnegiemnh.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rose.s.leach at gmail.com Tue Sep 27 20:58:06 2022 From: rose.s.leach at gmail.com (Rose Leach) Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2022 19:58:06 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] In Need of Conservator/Preparator Photos Message-ID: <5B322A7A-851C-4228-996D-E0DCF177B700@gmail.com> Hello All, I am the curator of natural science at the Memphis Museum of Science and History, and we are working on a ?behind the scenes? exhibit where people can learn about the different methods of preservation. We are currently trying to gather photos showing conservators and preparators actively working to preserve specimens to incorporate into our exhibit, to showcase the diversity of folks doing awesome work. If you have any such photos you would like to contribute, please reach out, share, and let me know proper attributions so we can do so in the exhibit. Thank you! Cheers, Rose Rose Basom (she/her/hers) Curator of Natural Science Phone | 901-636-2410 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image0.png Type: image/png Size: 21231 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Andrea.Crowther at samuseum.sa.gov.au Tue Sep 27 22:46:02 2022 From: Andrea.Crowther at samuseum.sa.gov.au (Crowther, Andrea (SAM)) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 02:46:02 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job posting -- Director of South Australian Museum (Adelaide, Australia) Message-ID: OFFICIAL Hello all, The South Australian Museum (in Adelaide, Australia) is searching for a new Director. For information, please refer to the posting below. Please circulate widely with your Museum/Collections networks! https://www.underwoodexecutive.com.au/positions/director-sa-museum/ Dr. Andrea Crowther Senior Collection Manager, Biological Sciences (Marine Invertebrates) South Australian Museum M: 0466 792 257 Andrea.Crowther at samuseum.sa.gov.au -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From klh927 at gmail.com Wed Sep 28 10:11:20 2022 From: klh927 at gmail.com (Kasey Hamilton) Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 10:11:20 -0400 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Invitation to join Art Bio Matters Message-ID: Hi all, I'm posting to invite SPNCH members to join Art Bio Matters, an international community of curators/cultural historians, conservators, and scientists with a shared interest in biological materials found in cultural heritage. We'd love to connect with colleagues working with natural history collections. Any material that was once living can hold molecular information about its origin, manufacturing process, and degradation. Biological materials from animals and plants include bone/ivory, inlays (horn, tortoiseshell, etc.), hair/fur, glues, paint binders, surface coatings, residues, and more. Investigations of biological materials can help us to tell a more complete and informed story about an object, its manufacture, and its place in geography and time. Often overlooked, an understanding of biological materials serves to better interpret and contextualize museum collection items. Visit artbiomatters.org/about for more information on who we are, what we do, and what we believe. Joining ABM unlocks access to our Slack workspace, where you can connect with other ABM members, discuss topics of interest, and share research highlights, job postings, or upcoming events. You will also receive invitations to our featured speaker series and updates on our upcoming conference, ABM 2023. Visit artbiomatters.org and click ?JOIN? to become part of the community! -- *Kasey Hamilton *(she/her/hers) M.A., Objects Conservation UCLA/Getty Conservation Program '20 http://conservation.ucla.edu https://www.facebook.com/UCLAGettyProgram -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bethanypalumbo at gmail.com Thu Sep 29 05:27:36 2022 From: bethanypalumbo at gmail.com (Bethany Palumbo) Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2022 11:27:36 +0200 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Natural History Conservator Job Posting- Edmonton, Canada Message-ID: Hi all, The Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton is looking for a full time, permanent Natural History conservator. Here is the link: https://jobpostings.alberta.ca/job/Edmonton-Conservator%2C-Natural-History/563665117/ Closing date is Oct 17th, 2022. All the best from Copenhagen! -- Bethany Palumbo, ACR Head of Conservation Unit Statens Naturhistoriske Museum Universitetsparken 15, 2100 K?benhavn Twitter | @bethany_bug Instagram | @palumbo_conservation -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From HawksC at si.edu Fri Sep 30 13:55:08 2022 From: HawksC at si.edu (Hawks, Catharine) Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2022 17:55:08 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Position available - Anthropology Conservator at NMNH Message-ID: Please see the attached announcement for the position of Anthropology Conservator at the NMNH, Smithsonian Institution. Cathy Catharine Hawks Conservator Collections Program MRC 170 Rm M85-J National Museum of Natural History 10th Street & Constitution Ave NW Washington DC 20560 w 202.633.0835 or 4041 c 703 200 4370 hawksc at si.edu SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... 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