From jgoodwin at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Wed Feb 1 08:28:43 2023 From: jgoodwin at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Goodwin,Jillian) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2023 13:28:43 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Registration Open: 7th Annual Digital Data Conference Message-ID: [cid:d621e06a-8d4c-445e-a1c7-b0ad462beefc] iDigBio, the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA), and Arizona State University (ASU) are delighted to announce the 2023 Digital Data in Biodiversity Research Conference, 5-7 June, with this edition of the conference offering both in-person and virtual participation. We are anticipating a return to interpersonal interaction as well as continuing the option for remote engagement. The overall theme for the 2023 conference will be Leveraging Digital Data for Conservation, Ecology, Systematics, and Novel Biodiversity Research. Registration is now open! Register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/505164048267 Registration fees: In-person, Non-student Registration (including virtual participation): $100 In-person, Student Registration (including virtual participation): $50 Virtual Participation Only: *Optional * Optional virtual registration fees will support the digital format technology, the editing and publication of abstracts, and keeping the conference sustainable. Registration fees are optional for virtual participants but encouraged. When registering, those who wish not to make a financial contribution to the conference will have that option. Although registration is optional, your registration information, even if you opt out of the fee, will allow us to keep you updated about conference activities. Deadlines: Registration & Abstract submission opens on Eventbrite: February 1 Abstract submission deadline: April 26 Please watch for further announcements and program developments on the conference announcement page: https://www.idigbio.org/content/digital-data-2023-leveraging-digital-data-service-conservation-ecology-systematics Accommodation & Travel: https://www.idigbio.org/content/digital-data-2023-logistics For further information or to ensure that you are on the conference email list, please contact Gil Nelson (gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu) or Jill Goodwin (jgoodwin at floridamuseum.ufl.edu) at iDigBio. Jillian Goodwin iDigBio Conference Manager Florida Museum of Natural History 508-887-6043 www.idigbio.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: AdvertisementResized.png Type: image/png Size: 281697 bytes Desc: AdvertisementResized.png URL: From hphenrystewart at gmail.com Wed Feb 1 10:39:20 2023 From: hphenrystewart at gmail.com (Hannah Powles) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2023 15:39:20 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] =?utf-8?b?4pyJ77iPIEFuIEludml0YXRpb24g4oCTIERBTSBh?= =?utf-8?q?nd_Museums/Technology_for_Museums_2023?= Message-ID: Hello everyone, Our two co-located virtual events, DAM and Museums 2023 and Technology for Museums 2023, start in just one week's time! I hope you can join us and members of the museums, cultural heritage and DAM/Tech community on February 9. We are pleased to welcome 2,000+ attendees from over 75 countries. Registration is *FREE* for GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) professionals! Sign up here: https://na.eventscloud.com/museums-and-technology-2023 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ At DAM and Museums, you?ll learn how today's infrastructure and technology supports art and culture, and how a Digital Asset Management system is becoming the creative link between technology and art. Your ticket also includes full access to Technology for Museums, where we?ll examine how the world?s leading cultural institutions are using innovative digital solutions to manage their collections better. Here's a preview of what to expect: ? Quickfire Presentations with the Milwaukee Art Museum and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum ? Managing Digital Assets and Exploring the Collections at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum ? The Changes, Challenges and Learnings ? How Do You Create a Museum Experience Expressive of Hans Christian Andersen's Literary Universe when Fairy Tales and Museums Seem to be Opposites? ? Earthly Technologies & Martian Stories ? Combining the Phygital and Digital to Create a New Perspective with Carnegie Science Center ? Celebrating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change?s 55th Anniversary Through Digital Transformation of its Rich Archive and Ongoing Work to Educate DAM and Museums Agenda: https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/dam-and-museums-2023/agenda/day-1 Technology for Museums Agenda: https://www.henrystewartconferences.com/events/technology-for-museums-2023/agenda/day-1 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I also wanted to share some blogs from our speakers and an article from our partner JCC: ? Stimulating Imagination ? Henrik L?bker (CEO of the H.C. Andersen's House): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/stimulating-imagination-henrik-l%25C3%25BCbker/?trackingId=FPED8ZjFS%2BSbj%2BRI7R%2B8Cw%3D%3D ? The Case for Custom DEI Taxonomies In Your Museum DAM ? Sharon Mizota (DEI Metadata Consultant): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/case-custom-dei-taxonomies-your-museum-dam-sharon-mizota/?trackingId=RwULSaGGQBiZO2NY3Y0vVQ%3D%3D ? Q&A: Sharon Mizota, Speaker at Digital Asset Management For Museums Conference ? https://jingculturecrypto.com/qa-sharon-mizota-speaker-at-digital-asset-management-for-museums-conference/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I hope you can join us and please do reach out if you have any questions. Kind regards, Hannah Hannah Powles Marketing Executive Henry Stewart Events www.DAMusers.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From PALMERL at si.edu Wed Feb 1 11:18:35 2023 From: PALMERL at si.edu (Palmer, Lisa) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2023 16:18:35 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: ACTION REQUEST: Public Assistance available for 9 counties in AL In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: fyi From: Kaneko, Nana Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 10:53 AM Subject: ACTION REQUEST: Public Assistance available for 9 counties in AL External Email - Exercise Caution Dear HENTF Members, HENTF has only learned of a few impacts to cultural institutions and arts organizations in Alabama, but the smallest organizations may not know who to contact for assistance. Please reach out to your Alabama members and constituents with the following information: A major disaster declaration for Alabama was declared on January 15. All categories of Public Assistance (PA) have just opened up for 9 AL counties: Autauga, Barbour, Chambers, Conecuh, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Hale, and Tallapoosa. Private non-profit cultural institutions and arts organizations in these counties are now eligible to apply for repair of their facility as well as of any damaged collections materials. Additional resources: * Cultural institutions and arts organizations affected by the flooding can call the National Heritage Responders hotline: 202.661.8068. The National Heritage Responders, a team of trained conservators and collections care professionals administered by the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, are available 24/7 to provide phone advice and guidance. * Members of the public who have questions about saving family heirlooms can email the National Heritage Responders at NHRpublichelpline at culturalheritage.org * HENTF's Save Your Family Treasures guidance is available at https://www.fema.gov/assistance/save-family-treasures. Here you can find the downloadable FEMA fact sheets "After the Flood: Advice for Salvaging Damaged Family Treasures" and "Salvaging Water-Damaged Family Valuables and Heirlooms," available in multiple languages. Thank you, Nana Nana Kaneko, Ph.D. Specialist | Heritage Emergency National Task Force Office of Environmental Planning & Historic Preservation 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 01D9362B.31F3B890] -------------- 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: From abraczi1 at msu.edu Wed Feb 1 11:40:49 2023 From: abraczi1 at msu.edu (Abraczinskas, Laura) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2023 16:40:49 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Message-ID: Hello, Does anyone have information about the use of germicidal lighting in museums and effects on collections? I learned today that a device known as "Indigo-Clean" is scheduled to be installed in the Museum's classroom. This is a space where specimens (mainly birds, mammals, and vertebrate fossils) are displayed and placed on tables for students to examine during weekly lab sessions. The lights are described as LED Luminaires. A university engineer provided the following information and links. " Indigo-Clean operates at 405nm which is just outside of UV range. UV is 100 to 400nm. Please use the link for detailed information on this technology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0 https://kenall.com/Kenall-Files/Product-Files/Sell-Sheets/Indigo-Clean-Technology-Millenium-SimpleSeal_sellsheet.pdf I'd appreciate any advice or information! Thanks and best, Laura Laura Abraczinskas Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Collections Manager, Vertebrate Collections Michigan State University Museum 409 West Circle Drive East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA (517) 355-1290 (Office) Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg-Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From w.shepherd at swiftcurrent.ca Wed Feb 1 12:59:44 2023 From: w.shepherd at swiftcurrent.ca (William Shepherd) Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2023 17:59:44 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hello Laura, The use of 405 nm wavelengths as a virucide is new to me, but it's outside my knowledge base. However, these bulbs are within the visible light spectrum so I believe your biggest concern will be the overall light levels. Being that this is a classroom I'm guessing items are in there for short periods of time and are not super significant/delicate. CCI (https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/agents-deterioration/light.html) has some information, but you'll need to determine light levels for your specific usage. Light damage is cumulative so even if the classroom has higher levels than recommended, as long as they are stored in dark or low light levels the long-term damage may even out. Ultimately, you have to determine how long you want the items to last and what their expected lifespan is. William Shepherd (he/him/his) Collections Officer Swift Current Museum 44 Robert Street West Swift Current, Saskatchewan, S9H 4M9 Phone: 306-778-4815 In the spirit of respect and reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are on Treaty 4 territory, the ancestral land of the Cree, Anishinabek, Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota Nations and the homelands of the M?tis people. [cid:image001.jpg at 01D93633.EB280200] Collection: https://saskcollections.org/swiftcurrent/ Archives: https://memorysask.ca/swift-current-museum Library: https://www.librarything.com/profile/SwiftCurrentMuseum Website: http://www.swiftcurrent.ca/museum From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Abraczinskas, Laura Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2023 10:41 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space You don't often get email from abraczi1 at msu.edu. Learn why this is important Hello, Does anyone have information about the use of germicidal lighting in museums and effects on collections? I learned today that a device known as "Indigo-Clean" is scheduled to be installed in the Museum's classroom. This is a space where specimens (mainly birds, mammals, and vertebrate fossils) are displayed and placed on tables for students to examine during weekly lab sessions. The lights are described as LED Luminaires. A university engineer provided the following information and links. " Indigo-Clean operates at 405nm which is just outside of UV range. UV is 100 to 400nm. Please use the link for detailed information on this technology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0 https://kenall.com/Kenall-Files/Product-Files/Sell-Sheets/Indigo-Clean-Technology-Millenium-SimpleSeal_sellsheet.pdf I'd appreciate any advice or information! Thanks and best, Laura Laura Abraczinskas Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Collections Manager, Vertebrate Collections Michigan State University Museum 409 West Circle Drive East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA (517) 355-1290 (Office) Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg-Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 29157 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From rw at protectheritage.com Thu Feb 2 15:25:10 2023 From: rw at protectheritage.com (Robert Waller) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 20:25:10 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Laura, I have no experience with these lights but I am skeptical of their value in a classroom setting. The risk to museum specimens of using lights having more short-wave (actinic, i.e. powerful) light will be a small, but certain increase in changes (damage) to sensitive museum specimens. I can imagine such lights having some (perhaps even significant) effect in reducing viral, bacterial, and fungal loads in high person-density spaces with low ventilation rates. It seems reasonable to expect their effectiveness to drop rapidly at lower concentrations of infectious agents as person-density and activity levels (hence breathing rates) are reduced and adequate ventilation is provided. While this light may have health advantages in gymnasium locker rooms, I expect it would offer little or no health improvements in classrooms while resulting in a small but certain increase in risk to specimens. Understand I am not an authority on health matters but some quick Fermi-like considerations of expected benefits and risks lead us to expect these lights are not appropriate for museum classrooms. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Abraczinskas, Laura Sent: February 1, 2023 11:41 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Hello, Does anyone have information about the use of germicidal lighting in museums and effects on collections? I learned today that a device known as "Indigo-Clean" is scheduled to be installed in the Museum's classroom. This is a space where specimens (mainly birds, mammals, and vertebrate fossils) are displayed and placed on tables for students to examine during weekly lab sessions. The lights are described as LED Luminaires. A university engineer provided the following information and links. " Indigo-Clean operates at 405nm which is just outside of UV range. UV is 100 to 400nm. Please use the link for detailed information on this technology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0 https://kenall.com/Kenall-Files/Product-Files/Sell-Sheets/Indigo-Clean-Technology-Millenium-SimpleSeal_sellsheet.pdf I'd appreciate any advice or information! Thanks and best, Laura Laura Abraczinskas Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Collections Manager, Vertebrate Collections Michigan State University Museum 409 West Circle Drive East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA (517) 355-1290 (Office) Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg-Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Feb 2 15:57:48 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 21:57:48 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Laura, why are those Indigo-Celan lights at all? To lower a potential (COVID) virus load in the classroom, or for some other reason? With best wishes Dirk Am 02.02.2023 um 21:25 schrieb Robert Waller: Hi Laura, I have no experience with these lights but I am skeptical of their value in a classroom setting. The risk to museum specimens of using lights having more short-wave (actinic, i.e. powerful) light will be a small, but certain increase in changes (damage) to sensitive museum specimens. I can imagine such lights having some (perhaps even significant) effect in reducing viral, bacterial, and fungal loads in high person-density spaces with low ventilation rates. It seems reasonable to expect their effectiveness to drop rapidly at lower concentrations of infectious agents as person-density and activity levels (hence breathing rates) are reduced and adequate ventilation is provided. While this light may have health advantages in gymnasium locker rooms, I expect it would offer little or no health improvements in classrooms while resulting in a small but certain increase in risk to specimens. Understand I am not an authority on health matters but some quick Fermi-like considerations of expected benefits and risks lead us to expect these lights are not appropriate for museum classrooms. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Abraczinskas, Laura Sent: February 1, 2023 11:41 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Hello, Does anyone have information about the use of germicidal lighting in museums and effects on collections? I learned today that a device known as ?Indigo-Clean? is scheduled to be installed in the Museum?s classroom. This is a space where specimens (mainly birds, mammals, and vertebrate fossils) are displayed and placed on tables for students to examine during weekly lab sessions. The lights are described as LED Luminaires. A university engineer provided the following information and links. ? Indigo-Clean operates at 405nm which is just outside of UV range. UV is 100 to 400nm. Please use the link for detailed information on this technology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0 https://kenall.com/Kenall-Files/Product-Files/Sell-Sheets/Indigo-Clean-Technology-Millenium-SimpleSeal_sellsheet.pdf I?d appreciate any advice or information! Thanks and best, Laura Laura Abraczinskas Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Collections Manager, Vertebrate Collections Michigan State University Museum 409 West Circle Drive East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA (517) 355-1290 (Office) Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg?Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. _______________________________________________ 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 WILSONR at si.edu Thu Feb 2 16:13:13 2023 From: WILSONR at si.edu (Wilson, Robert) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 21:13:13 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I'd be especially concerned for specimens where someone might want to take skin swabs for the presence of microbiota. -Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2023 3:58 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Laura, why are those Indigo-Celan lights at all? To lower a potential (COVID) virus load in the classroom, or for some other reason? With best wishes Dirk Am 02.02.2023 um 21:25 schrieb Robert Waller: Hi Laura, I have no experience with these lights but I am skeptical of their value in a classroom setting. The risk to museum specimens of using lights having more short-wave (actinic, i.e. powerful) light will be a small, but certain increase in changes (damage) to sensitive museum specimens. I can imagine such lights having some (perhaps even significant) effect in reducing viral, bacterial, and fungal loads in high person-density spaces with low ventilation rates. It seems reasonable to expect their effectiveness to drop rapidly at lower concentrations of infectious agents as person-density and activity levels (hence breathing rates) are reduced and adequate ventilation is provided. While this light may have health advantages in gymnasium locker rooms, I expect it would offer little or no health improvements in classrooms while resulting in a small but certain increase in risk to specimens. Understand I am not an authority on health matters but some quick Fermi-like considerations of expected benefits and risks lead us to expect these lights are not appropriate for museum classrooms. Rob From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Abraczinskas, Laura Sent: February 1, 2023 11:41 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Hello, Does anyone have information about the use of germicidal lighting in museums and effects on collections? I learned today that a device known as "Indigo-Clean" is scheduled to be installed in the Museum's classroom. This is a space where specimens (mainly birds, mammals, and vertebrate fossils) are displayed and placed on tables for students to examine during weekly lab sessions. The lights are described as LED Luminaires. A university engineer provided the following information and links. " Indigo-Clean operates at 405nm which is just outside of UV range. UV is 100 to 400nm. Please use the link for detailed information on this technology. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97797-0 https://kenall.com/Kenall-Files/Product-Files/Sell-Sheets/Indigo-Clean-Technology-Millenium-SimpleSeal_sellsheet.pdf I'd appreciate any advice or information! Thanks and best, Laura Laura Abraczinskas Pronouns: She, Her, Hers Collections Manager, Vertebrate Collections Michigan State University Museum 409 West Circle Drive East Lansing, Michigan 48824 USA (517) 355-1290 (Office) Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabeg-Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on Land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. _______________________________________________ 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 WILSONR at si.edu Thu Feb 2 16:54:30 2023 From: WILSONR at si.edu (Wilson, Robert) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 21:54:30 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Recall: Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Message-ID: Wilson, Robert would like to recall the message, "[Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space". From WILSONR at si.edu Thu Feb 2 16:59:48 2023 From: WILSONR at si.edu (Wilson, Robert) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 21:59:48 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Recall: Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space Message-ID: Wilson, Robert would like to recall the message, "[Nhcoll-l] Inquiry about installing Germicidal Lighting device (405nm) in museum space". From leklund at calacademy.org Fri Feb 3 00:17:29 2023 From: leklund at calacademy.org (Laura Eklund) Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2023 21:17:29 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] REMINDER: Monday deadline for SPNHC 2023 abstract submissions Message-ID: [image: SPNHC 2023 Logo_circle_layers_reduced size.jpg] *Monday is the deadline for SPNHC 2023 abstract submissions!* That's right, submissions for talks and posters closes at 5pm PST this Monday, February 6. The Local Organizing Committee does not anticipate extending the deadline so be sure to get your abstracts in on time. - Submit an abstract - Program information - Questions? Email us at spnhc2023program at calacademy.org We look forward to receiving your abstracts and seeing you in San Francisco! Thank you, The SPNHC 2023 Conference Committee -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SPNHC 2023 Logo_circle_layers_reduced size.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 56026 bytes Desc: not available URL: From katrina.menard at uconn.edu Fri Feb 3 10:56:07 2023 From: katrina.menard at uconn.edu (Menard, Katrina) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 15:56:07 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor Message-ID: Hi Everyone, What vendor do you recommend using for purchasing bulk volumes of archival screw-topped glass vials in 1-8 dram sizes? In 2021 we wrote a proposal to re-curate our rubber-stopper vials into archival glass screw-top vials using a quote from Bioquip, since it was a verified vendor that we had success with in the past and had rates that were some of the lowest for bulk vial purchasing. However, now that Bioquip is out of business, I was curious what companies you all are using instead with archival lids (the ones with the PE cone liners). We?re hoping to resubmit with a new quote, but I haven?t found a vender that is comparable. Thank you for any insight you might have, Katrina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Katrina Menard (she/her) Collection Manager, Invertebrates Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3043 email: katrina.menard at uconn.edu Zootaxa Section Editor: Miroidea -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cjohnson at amnh.org Fri Feb 3 10:59:03 2023 From: cjohnson at amnh.org (Christine Johnson) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 15:59:03 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Katrina, Maybe take a look at Oberk. https://www.oberk.com/FullSearchResults?q=glass%20vials Chris Chris Johnson, Ph.D. | Curatorial Associate | Division of Invertebrate Zoology | American Museum of Natural History| 200 Central Park West | NYC NY 20024 | Tel 212 769 5605 | cjohnson at amnh.org Looking to see if IZ has a specimen? Search first on our IZ online database! Digitizing Terrestrial Polyneoptera at AMNH (NSF-PEN grant) Digitizing Marine Invertebrates at AMNH (NSF-TCN grant) Managing Editor, Entomologica Americana Associate Editor, Journal of Negative Results ? EEB From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Menard, Katrina Sent: Friday, February 3, 2023 10:56 AM To: NHCOLL-L Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor EXTERNAL SENDER Hi Everyone, What vendor do you recommend using for purchasing bulk volumes of archival screw-topped glass vials in 1-8 dram sizes? In 2021 we wrote a proposal to re-curate our rubber-stopper vials into archival glass screw-top vials using a quote from Bioquip, since it was a verified vendor that we had success with in the past and had rates that were some of the lowest for bulk vial purchasing. However, now that Bioquip is out of business, I was curious what companies you all are using instead with archival lids (the ones with the PE cone liners). We?re hoping to resubmit with a new quote, but I haven?t found a vender that is comparable. Thank you for any insight you might have, Katrina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Katrina Menard (she/her) Collection Manager, Invertebrates Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3043 email: katrina.menard at uconn.edu Zootaxa Section Editor: Miroidea -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Fri Feb 3 11:02:12 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 16:02:12 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: We also use O.Berk, mostly for jars rather than vials, but Fisher Scientific's pricing can be comparable. 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 Christine Johnson Sent: Friday, February 3, 2023 10:59 AM To: Menard, Katrina ; NHCOLL-L Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor External. Hi Katrina, Maybe take a look at Oberk. https://www.oberk.com/FullSearchResults?q=glass%20vials Chris Chris Johnson, Ph.D. | Curatorial Associate | Division of Invertebrate Zoology | American Museum of Natural History| 200 Central Park West | NYC NY 20024 | Tel 212 769 5605 | cjohnson at amnh.org Looking to see if IZ has a specimen? Search first on our IZ online database! Digitizing Terrestrial Polyneoptera at AMNH (NSF-PEN grant) Digitizing Marine Invertebrates at AMNH (NSF-TCN grant) Managing Editor, Entomologica Americana Associate Editor, Journal of Negative Results - EEB From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Menard, Katrina Sent: Friday, February 3, 2023 10:56 AM To: NHCOLL-L > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor EXTERNAL SENDER Hi Everyone, What vendor do you recommend using for purchasing bulk volumes of archival screw-topped glass vials in 1-8 dram sizes? In 2021 we wrote a proposal to re-curate our rubber-stopper vials into archival glass screw-top vials using a quote from Bioquip, since it was a verified vendor that we had success with in the past and had rates that were some of the lowest for bulk vial purchasing. However, now that Bioquip is out of business, I was curious what companies you all are using instead with archival lids (the ones with the PE cone liners). We're hoping to resubmit with a new quote, but I haven't found a vender that is comparable. Thank you for any insight you might have, Katrina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Katrina Menard (she/her) Collection Manager, Invertebrates Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3043 email: katrina.menard at uconn.edu Zootaxa Section Editor: Miroidea -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Fri Feb 3 11:03:50 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 16:03:50 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Katrina We have been using Fisher Scientific for some time but then we get institutional discounts given that they are a preferred vendor to our University. I would encourage you to seek out similar arrangements at UConn. https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/type-1-class-a-borosilicate-glass-clear-sample-vial-fitted-caps/p-8000317 There are other vendors who sell through Fisher too. Just search for screw top vials. 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 Menard, Katrina Sent: Friday, February 3, 2023 9:56 AM To: NHCOLL-L Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor Hi Everyone, What vendor do you recommend using for purchasing bulk volumes of archival screw-topped glass vials in 1-8 dram sizes? In 2021 we wrote a proposal to re-curate our rubber-stopper vials into archival glass screw-top vials using a quote from Bioquip, since it was a verified vendor that we had success with in the past and had rates that were some of the lowest for bulk vial purchasing. However, now that Bioquip is out of business, I was curious what companies you all are using instead with archival lids (the ones with the PE cone liners). We?re hoping to resubmit with a new quote, but I haven?t found a vender that is comparable. Thank you for any insight you might have, Katrina ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dr. Katrina Menard (she/her) Collection Manager, Invertebrates Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Connecticut Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3043 email: katrina.menard at uconn.edu Zootaxa Section Editor: Miroidea -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Fri Feb 3 18:06:39 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 23:06:39 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Reminder: Kick-off Webinar & Discussion on the Need for a Specimen Management Plan Requirement In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Please join representatives from the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) and the U.S. Culture Collection Network (USCCN) for a joint webinar discussion on the need for a Specimen Management Plan requirement in research proposals that generate living or preserved specimens. Recommended by the National Academies report on biological collections in 2020, this requirement is now supported by the CHIPS and Science Act. Join us for a discussion about the elements of a specimen management plan and its benefits to various stakeholder communities. Hosted by: American Institute of Biological Sciences & Natural Science Collections Alliance Time Feb 7, 2023 02:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register here: https://burkinc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_owIQo-nXQoqh9v35ePQi8w 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From chair at natsca.org Mon Feb 6 05:18:23 2023 From: chair at natsca.org (Chair NatSCA) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2023 10:18:23 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Reminder - NatSCA 2023 abstract deadline today! Message-ID: ***Abstract deadline 6th February 2023*** ***Hybrid digital / in person conference*** *NatSCA Conference 2023 - Call for Papers & Save the Date! * The Annual Conference & AGM of the Natural Sciences Collections Association will be held on Thursday 27th and Friday 28th April 2023. Stoke-on-Trent Museums will be hosting the conference at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery UK. The conference will include gallery and collection tours, presentations, poster sessions and the annual AGM. *So how do we actually do all this?Hopeful futures and turning theory into practice for big issues in natural history collections* This is the ?How To?? conference for people working with natural history collections. The last few years have seen unprecedented changes in the expectations for what the museum sector can deliver. Global and local social and environmental issues have coincided to reinforce the needs of museums to consider their reinvention and relevance. These have brought many opportunities for exciting developments, but as we work to take positive action for and with our audiences ? often centred on wellbeing ? the people working and volunteering in the sector have been placed under pressures that impact their own wellness, making clear we need to support each other and look after ourselves too. The #NatSCA2023 conference invites proposals for presentations on a broad range of themes that will spin hope from these subjects. We seek ideas from the natural history collections community and beyond, with the aim that we will come away feeling better. For example, have you developed practices or concepts that relate to: - Supporting worker wellbeing? - Engaging audiences with the climate and biodiversity crises? - Work towards social justice, restitution and decolonisation with collections and audiences? - The cost-of-living crisis? We would like to hear from anyone and everyone who uses natural science collections to interact with important global topics. This conference intends to offer an opportunity to share the best ideas and approaches to working with collections and audiences. We will prioritise papers that focus on sharing ideas, tools and guidance rather than simply reporting results ? so please try to reflect this in your abstract. You may even consider beginning your presentation title with ?How to?? While we have a focus on natural science collections, we recognise that we can learn from others in the wider museum sector and we welcome submissions from anyone who wishes to share techniques and ideas with broader relevance and application. *Papers can be presented in any of several formats:* A 20 minute presentation (consisting of a 15 minute talk followed by 5 minutes of Q&A), a 5 minute lightning talk or a poster stand. Talks can be presented in person or by submission of a pre-recorded presentation, with the option of Q&A then being conducted over live video stream (Zoom). *Please complete your abstract using the form. * For in-person presentations, the *conference fee for the day of your talk will be waived.* You may claim* travel and accommodation expenses of up to ?150* following submission of a write-up of your paper to the NatSCA Editor. *Deadline for submission:* 5pm GMT Monday 6th February *Please send your abstract to:* conference at natsca.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu Mon Feb 6 08:15:31 2023 From: gnelson at floridamuseum.ufl.edu (Nelson,Gil) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2023 13:15:31 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Webinar Invitation: Biological Collections Action Center In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: You are invited to a series of webinars focused on Envisioning a Biological Collections Action Center as proposed in the recent NASEM report (see list of organizers below) and authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act passed by the U.S. Congress last summer. The webinars are scheduled for 7, 14, and 21 March 2023. See below for details. All webinars will be held from 1-2 p.m. Eastern. Webinars will be open to all and will be recorded. Recordings will be posted here following the event: https://www.idigbio.org/wiki/index.php/Envisioning_a_Biological_Collections_Action_Center. Webinar 1: March 7, 2023 Visions of an Action Center from NASEM Report Authors: Pam Soltis (moderator), Andy Bentley, and Barbara Thiers Webinar 2: March 14, 2023 Visions of an Action Center from NASEM Report Authors: Pam Soltis (moderator), Joe Cook, Scott Edwards, Talia Karim, Shirley Pomponi Webinar 3: March 21, 2023 Responses to the NASEM report with presentations from the Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections (IWGSC), AIBS, and BCoN Speakers include: Scott Miller, Kevin Hackett, and Diane DiEuliis (IWGSC), Jyotsna Pandey (AIBS), and Breda Zimkus (BCoN). Registration Webinars will be held via Zoom. Register here: https://ufl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YYB5rbCOR3WKHxkYMQh3Ng#/registration Organizers: John Bates, Carol Butler, Matt Borths, Joe Cook, Libby Ellwood, Jillian Goodwin, David Jennings, Gil Nelson, Jyotsna Pandey, Emily Sessa, Pam Soltis, Breda Zimkus 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 lls94 at cornell.edu Mon Feb 6 15:15:55 2023 From: lls94 at cornell.edu (Leslie L Skibinski) Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2023 20:15:55 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] John W. Wells Grants-in-Ais of Research announcement Message-ID: The Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) invites applications from undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers for the 2023 John W. Wells Grants-in-Aid of Research Program to support collections-based research in any field of paleontology. The program awards grants of up to $500 to visit PRI's collections. This grant honors John W. Wells (1907 - 1994), past President of the PRI Board of Trustees, a long-time geology faculty member at Cornell University, and one of the world's leading authorities on fossil and living corals. PRI houses one of the largest collections of invertebrate fossils in North America, with particular strengths in Cenozoic mollusks from the Western Hemisphere, and marine invertebrates of the northeastern U.S., especially the Devonian of central New York. Applications should include a brief (one-page) description of the research project, a budget justification, and a letter of recommendation. Application deadline is March 15, 2023. Please e-mail your application material or any questions to Dr. Gregory P. Dietl, Curator of Cenozoic Invertebrates at gpd3 at cornell.edu. Leslie L. Skibinski Collection Manager Paleontological Research Institution 1259 Trumansburg Road Ithaca, New York 14850 Phone: (607) 273-6623 ext. 128 Fax: (607) 273-6620 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From HawksC at si.edu Tue Feb 7 03:22:37 2023 From: HawksC at si.edu (Hawks, Catharine) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2023 08:22:37 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Call for participation in NFPA survey regarding storage of wet collections Message-ID: Please see the attached call for participation in a survey about storage of wet collections. This is part of a major international effort to address fire protection for these collections. Cathy Catharine Hawks (she, her) 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... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: NFPA_CallforPart.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 371151 bytes Desc: NFPA_CallforPart.pdf URL: From HawksC at si.edu Tue Feb 7 05:34:04 2023 From: HawksC at si.edu (Hawks, Catharine) Date: Tue, 7 Feb 2023 10:34:04 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] New publication on incorporating safety in emergency preparedness and response Message-ID: https://aiha-assets.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com/AIHA/resources/White-Papers/Cultural-Heritage-Emergency-Response-White-Paper.pdf Cathy Catharine Hawks (she, her) 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... URL: From L.Phelan at kew.org Wed Feb 8 10:15:26 2023 From: L.Phelan at kew.org (Lauren Phelan) Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2023 15:15:26 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Hypsilofodon foxii Message-ID: Hi everyone, I'm currently researching a Hypsilofodon foxii cast from the Grant Museum of Zoology in London, UK as part of my master's in museum studies. Do you have or know of any casts or articulated skeletons of this species in your collections? I'm especially interested in collections in the US. If so, please get in touch. Please reply to tcrnlph at ucl.ac.uk Many thanks, Lauren ________________________________ The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body with exempt charitable status, whose principal place of business is at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AE, United Kingdom. The information contained in this email and any attachments is intended solely for the addressee(s) and may contain confidential or legally privileged information. If you have received this message in error, please return it immediately and permanently delete it. Do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this email or in any attachment. Any views expressed in this email do not necessarily reflect the opinions of RBG Kew. Any files attached to this email have been inspected with virus detection software by RBG Kew before transmission, however you should carry out your own virus checks before opening any attachments. RBG Kew accepts no liability for any loss or damage which may be caused by software viruses. Disclaimer The information contained in this communication from the sender is confidential. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking action in relation of the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. This email has been scanned for viruses and malware, and may have been automatically archived by Mimecast Ltd, an innovator in Software as a Service (SaaS) for business. Providing a safer and more useful place for your human generated data. Specializing in; Security, archiving and compliance. To find out more visit the Mimecast website. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Thu Feb 9 11:27:16 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2023 16:27:16 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] FW: Mid Atlantic Malacologists meeting - Saturday 15 April 2023 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: External. The Mid-Atlantic Malacologists meeting is back! Please join us in person on Saturday 15 April 2023 for the first post-COVID and post-Renovation MAM meeting. We will meet at the recently re-opened Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, at 4840 Kennett Pike in Wilmington, DE 19807. There is plenty of parking on site and hotels in the area if you need accommodations. This informal, one-day event is designed to facilitate contact among professional, amateur, and student biologists who study mollusks. All aspects of molluscan research and collections are welcome topics for discussion. There are no dues, officers, abstracts, or publications associated with the meeting. We spend the day getting caught up on What's Happening Now in molluscan biology and meeting new people. Doors open at 9 am for coffee and breakfast (provided). Talks start around 9:30 and go until about 4:30 with a break for lunch. Presentations (15 minutes max.) are very informal and may include new or continuing research activities, collections, or trip reports. We can also accommodate a few posters if you prefer. The DelMNS collection and library are available before or during the meeting. Interested participants should make arrangements with Mr. Alex Kittle, Sr. Mollusk Collection Manager (akittle at delmns.org). If you will be coming, please RSVP to Liz (eshea at delmns.org) by Monday, April 3rd so we have a headcount for breakfast and coffee. Participants are not required to give a presentation to attend, but if you plan to give a talk or poster, please provide a title or topic when you RSVP. Best wishes, Liz Shea Elizabeth K. Shea, Ph.D. Director of Collections and Curator of Mollusks Delaware Museum of Nature & Science Formerly the Delaware Museum of Natural History 4840 Kennett Pike | Wilmington, DE 19807 Ph: 302-658-9111 | Fx: 302-658-2610 www.delmns.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Feb 9 12:00:11 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2023 18:00:11 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Call for participation in NFPA survey regarding storage of wet collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: ... here is the direct link to the survey: https://forms.gle/tNyCRgKRQsBeu9Uh8. This survey aims to discover the potential for global harmonization for the NFPA fire code Thus it would be good if many would participate. Thanks for your input and with best wishes Dirk Am 07.02.2023 um 09:22 schrieb Hawks, Catharine: Please see the attached call for participation in a survey about storage of wet collections. This is part of a major international effort to address fire protection for these collections. Cathy Catharine Hawks (she, her) 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 _______________________________________________ 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 mflannery at calacademy.org Fri Feb 10 18:17:25 2023 From: mflannery at calacademy.org (Moe Flannery) Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2023 15:17:25 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] SPNHC 2023 Travel Grants available, Application deadline February 28th Message-ID: [image: SPNHC box logo.png] The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) is offering travel grants for the 2023 SPNHC Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, USA 28th May-2nd June 2023. Any SPNHC member who works in fields related to the management and preservation/conservation of natural history collections may apply; we especially encourage students and emerging professionals. SPNHC members from the following countries are strongly encouraged to apply?Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. APPLICATION DEADLINE: February 28, 2023, COB (close of business your local time) Applicants must be members of the Society. Members who have received a SPNHC Conference Travel Grant within the last five (5) years are not eligible. While not required, applicants who have been accepted to do a presentation or poster and are first author will be given priority. Currently there are two travel grants available?the Fitzgerald Travel Grant and the Christine Allen Travel Grant . There are multiple Fitzgerald travel grants available and one Christine Allen grant available. Other travel grants may be available as SPNHC receives sponsorships to fund additional grants. Please check back periodically for updates. Applications are also available on the SPNHC conference website . For additional information, contact Elise V. LeCompte, Chair, SPNHC Travel Grants Program, lecompte at flmnh.ufl.edu. To become a SPNHC member, please visit https://spnhc.wildapricot.org/join-us . SPNHC 2023 Diamond Sponsors [image: Delta - New Color _Tagline.png] [image: Picturae-logo.png] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Delta - New Color _Tagline.png Type: image/png Size: 14759 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: SPNHC box logo.png Type: image/png Size: 11611 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Picturae-logo.png Type: image/png Size: 94582 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kamakos at verizon.net Fri Feb 10 18:34:58 2023 From: kamakos at verizon.net (Kathryn Makos) Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2023 18:34:58 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] NEW Safety White Paper on Cultural Heritage Emergency Preparedness and Response References: <003001d93da8$4a34bab0$de9e3010$.ref@verizon.net> Message-ID: <003001d93da8$4a34bab0$de9e3010$@verizon.net> Cultural Heritage Emergency Preparedness and Response: Guidelines for the OEHS Professional (AIHA White Paper) is a NEW safety guidance document authored by a team of Health and Safety Professionals and Collection Care Professionals, each with career-long experience in emergency management. It can be found on the AIHA Healthier Workplaces https://healthierworkplaces.org/consumer-health-safety-disaster-preparedness -mold-resources/disaster-response-preparedness-resources-consumers under Support Documents. Take a look also at the other AIHA resources related to emergency management. Kathryn Makos, MPH CIH (Retired:Smithsonian Institution) Past Chair, AIHA Museum & Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Mon Feb 13 12:29:33 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2023 17:29:33 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] The Need for a Specimen Management Plan Requirement: Webinar Recording Available, Input Sought Message-ID: Representatives from the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) and the U.S. Culture Collection Network (USCCN), in partnership with AIBS and the Natural Science Collections Alliance, held a webinar on February 7 on the need for a Specimen Management Plan requirement in research proposals that generate living or preserved specimens. Recommended by the National Academies' report on biological collections in 2020, this requirement was supported by the recently enacted CHIPS and Science Act. Webinar panelists discussed the elements of a specimen management plan and its benefits to various stakeholder communities. If you missed the program, the recording is now available online, along with a record of the written Q&A during the webinar (please add any additional questions you may want answered or thoughts you have on the proposal). Additionally, the webinar organizers are soliciting feedback on the webinar and their proposal regarding implementation of the specimen management plan requirement. They would like to hear from a wide range of stakeholders in the research, collections, and policy communities. Please fill out this survey by March 10, 2023 to share your thoughts. Thanks Andy (on behalf of BCoN) 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Mon Feb 13 19:22:05 2023 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:22:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions Message-ID: Hello all, I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage - I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. First, I would love to know people's thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I'm talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they're in. This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. Finally, we have slides of different sizes - a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. 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 d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Tue Feb 14 01:28:03 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 07:28:03 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <96135384-7526-24ab-7323-3037d6204342@leibniz-lib.de> Hi Tonya, all you ever wanted to know about microslides, but never dared to ask is brilliantly summarised in Birger Neuhaus' bible on microslides. This opus was not exclusively compiled by Briger alone, but is co-authored by Thomas Schmid and Jens Riedel at the German Federal Institute of Material Research and Testing. Free download of this 173 page-opus: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/files/42332/Zootaxa.pdf As the embedding medium ages, it would be recommended to digitise all slides when rehousing / handling them to secure their scientific value. Preferably, the slides should be stores horizontally, not vertical (e.g. by putting boxes upright). Wooden boxes may off-gas formaldehyde and may be less preferable. Cardboard may have the disadvantage of providing a perfect but difficult to monitor habitat for (paper) silverfish. Hope this helps, Dirk Am 14.02.2023 um 01:22 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hello all, I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage ? I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. First, I would love to know people?s thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I?m talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they?re in. This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. Finally, we have slides of different sizes ? a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. 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. -- **** 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 couteaufin at btinternet.com Tue Feb 14 04:31:59 2023 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 09:31:59 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions In-Reply-To: <96135384-7526-24ab-7323-3037d6204342@leibniz-lib.de> References: <96135384-7526-24ab-7323-3037d6204342@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: Hi Tonya, Part of my career at the NHM in London was as a(n) histologist and micro-anatomist. In this role I had to label my slides as well, giving details of the specimen and of the stain and mountant! For those slides the use a natural mountant like Canada Balsam or Euparal, the slides were always kept flat and even after 20 years, the cover slips can still very slowly creep if stored on their sides! Man-made mountants will set quite quickly and may be stored on their sides quite safely but they have the problem of not being archival and can bleach away the dyes or even dissolve away the specimen. However, if yours are old and have stood the test of time, then side storage shouldn?t be an issue. I still have my old college histology slides from c. 1970 and they?re still in good condition. Do have a look at Birger?s opus on the subject as this is explained. 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 Feb 2023, at 06:28, Dirk Neumann wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > all you ever wanted to know about microslides, but never dared to ask is brilliantly summarised in Birger Neuhaus' bible on microslides. This opus was not exclusively compiled by Briger alone, but is co-authored by Thomas Schmid and Jens Riedel at the German Federal Institute of Material Research and Testing. > > Free download of this 173 page-opus: https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-bam/files/42332/Zootaxa.pdf > > As the embedding medium ages, it would be recommended to digitise all slides when rehousing / handling them to secure their scientific value. Preferably, the slides should be stores horizontally, not vertical (e.g. by putting boxes upright). Wooden boxes may off-gas formaldehyde and may be less preferable. Cardboard may have the disadvantage of providing a perfect but difficult to monitor habitat for (paper) silverfish. > > Hope this helps, > Dirk > > > Am 14.02.2023 um 01:22 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): >> Hello all, >> >> >> >> I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage ? I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. >> >> >> >> First, I would love to know people?s thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I?m talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they?re in. >> >> >> >> This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. >> >> >> >> Finally, we have slides of different sizes ? a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? >> >> >> >> Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. >> >> >> >> 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. >> > > > -- > **** > > 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PastedGraphic-2.tiff Type: image/tiff Size: 38900 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: MA logo.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 19375 bytes Desc: not available URL: From eric.lazo-wasem at yale.edu Tue Feb 14 09:12:18 2023 From: eric.lazo-wasem at yale.edu (Lazo-Wasem, Eric) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 14:12:18 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, I am sure you have heard enough already, but I will throw in my thoughts having addressed the situation recently. We received two grants grant to clean, rehouse, and digitize nearly 50,000 slides amassed over more than 150 years. In fact, some were made from European specimens in the 1850s, and ours were housed in every conceivable type of slide trays or boxes. Slides ranged from cardboard (with fragment mounts), plastics (paleo thin sections) and glass (whole mounts, appendages, thin and thick sections). Most of the pre-1900 slides were in filthy wooden boxes that had been in the basement of out museum since the 1920s. Here is what I have learned from all this: To handle variable slides, we purchased trays with tabs that house 1" x 3", 2" x 3", and for the odd sizes no tabs (plastic or magnetic dividers can isolate slides to keep from moving). Only balsam stood the test of time as a mounting medium. Glycerin and glycerin jelly routinely failed no matter how well sealed, synthetic medium such as Permount crystallizes even in good storage conditions, and lactic acid based mountants will continue to clear until the specimen is only visible with DIC microscopy. Slides can be cleaned with DO or distilled water using a swab. We had an army of students paid to do this under the watchful eye of a conservator. Slides stored any way other than flat in a tray will creep over time. Wooden boxes or slide cabinets not only off-gas, but create huge problems with dust and dirt, often by erosion as slides or trays are withdrawn. Not seemingly a problem at first, but use these for 50 years or more and the residual dirt is considerable. Plastic boxes can work well, but they must be marked carefully - I can't tell you how many times I have seen box opened wrong and 100 slides fall from their slots in a terrible mess - I have done this myself! When available, resources permitting, cabinets with powder coated finishes, including the slide trays, work well. To get away from the traditional problem of labelling, especially when there is no room left on the slide, we printed a 1" x 3" (or 2" x 3") label with all relevant data and placed it under the slide (slides held in place with tabs, so nothing can slip). This was especially helpful in the case of type slides (thousands) were we can instantly see the relevant citation history, etc. without first consulting the database. Lastly, we use storage codes for our cube slide cabinets, referencing cabinet (we have 27 that hold up to 2400 slides each) and tray number. With the labelling indicated above, it is easy to find a particular slide or slides as needed. Best, Eric Eric A. Lazo-Wasem, Senior Collections Manager Division of Invertebrate Zoology Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University 170 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06520 (203) 432-3784 ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) Sent: Monday, February 13, 2023 7:22 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions Hello all, I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage ? I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. First, I would love to know people?s thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I?m talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they?re in. This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. Finally, we have slides of different sizes ? a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. 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 langane at si.edu Tue Feb 14 09:44:22 2023 From: langane at si.edu (Langan, Esther) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 14:44:22 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi all, This is a great conversation, especially because In the near(ish) future our division and the fish division will begin this endeavor with our histology collections. The thing we will grapple with most, however, is long-term storage of associated paraffin blocks. Does anyone have good suggestions for these collections, or has anyone already cracked this nut? I've not looked recently into this storage issue, but years ago the only things I encountered were flimsy plastic or cardboard storage boxes with drawers used by the medical industry. Tonya, sorry to partially hijack your query, but hoping this related question will be useful to you as well! Best, Esther Esther M. Langan (she/hers) Acting Collection Manager Division of Amphibians & Reptiles tel 301.238.1057 langane at si.edu https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/amphibians-reptiles SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) complies with all U.S. export and sanctions laws, as well as fish, wildlife and other regulations applicable to the importation and exportation of specimens and research materials. Please consider the country of origin and nature of any specimen, sample, object or material shipped to NMNH, and if applicable, ensure that it is properly licensed and otherwise compliant with U.S. law prior to shipment. From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Lazo-Wasem, Eric Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 9:12 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Tonya, I am sure you have heard enough already, but I will throw in my thoughts having addressed the situation recently. We received two grants grant to clean, rehouse, and digitize nearly 50,000 slides amassed over more than 150 years. In fact, some were made from European specimens in the 1850s, and ours were housed in every conceivable type of slide trays or boxes. Slides ranged from cardboard (with fragment mounts), plastics (paleo thin sections) and glass (whole mounts, appendages, thin and thick sections). Most of the pre-1900 slides were in filthy wooden boxes that had been in the basement of out museum since the 1920s. Here is what I have learned from all this: To handle variable slides, we purchased trays with tabs that house 1" x 3", 2" x 3", and for the odd sizes no tabs (plastic or magnetic dividers can isolate slides to keep from moving). Only balsam stood the test of time as a mounting medium. Glycerin and glycerin jelly routinely failed no matter how well sealed, synthetic medium such as Permount crystallizes even in good storage conditions, and lactic acid based mountants will continue to clear until the specimen is only visible with DIC microscopy. Slides can be cleaned with DO or distilled water using a swab. We had an army of students paid to do this under the watchful eye of a conservator. Slides stored any way other than flat in a tray will creep over time. Wooden boxes or slide cabinets not only off-gas, but create huge problems with dust and dirt, often by erosion as slides or trays are withdrawn. Not seemingly a problem at first, but use these for 50 years or more and the residual dirt is considerable. Plastic boxes can work well, but they must be marked carefully - I can't tell you how many times I have seen box opened wrong and 100 slides fall from their slots in a terrible mess - I have done this myself! When available, resources permitting, cabinets with powder coated finishes, including the slide trays, work well. To get away from the traditional problem of labelling, especially when there is no room left on the slide, we printed a 1" x 3" (or 2" x 3") label with all relevant data and placed it under the slide (slides held in place with tabs, so nothing can slip). This was especially helpful in the case of type slides (thousands) were we can instantly see the relevant citation history, etc. without first consulting the database. Lastly, we use storage codes for our cube slide cabinets, referencing cabinet (we have 27 that hold up to 2400 slides each) and tray number. With the labelling indicated above, it is easy to find a particular slide or slides as needed. Best, Eric Eric A. Lazo-Wasem, Senior Collections Manager Division of Invertebrate Zoology Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University 170 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06520 (203) 432-3784 ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Monday, February 13, 2023 7:22 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions Hello all, I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage - I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. First, I would love to know people's thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I'm talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they're in. This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. Finally, we have slides of different sizes - a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. 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 Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Feb 14 18:25:21 2023 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2023 23:25:21 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Esther, Don't worry about hijacking, we have paraffin blocks too! Which right now we store in HDPE tubes within glass jars (when the blocks are small) or simply dry in glass jars when the specimens are larger...but we don't have many so storage efficiency hasn't been an issue. I too would love to know of other people's experiences/thoughts. Cheers, Tonya From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Langan, Esther Sent: Wednesday, 15 February 2023 1:44 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions Hi all, This is a great conversation, especially because In the near(ish) future our division and the fish division will begin this endeavor with our histology collections. The thing we will grapple with most, however, is long-term storage of associated paraffin blocks. Does anyone have good suggestions for these collections, or has anyone already cracked this nut? I've not looked recently into this storage issue, but years ago the only things I encountered were flimsy plastic or cardboard storage boxes with drawers used by the medical industry. Tonya, sorry to partially hijack your query, but hoping this related question will be useful to you as well! Best, Esther Esther M. Langan (she/hers) Acting Collection Manager Division of Amphibians & Reptiles tel 301.238.1057 langane at si.edu https://naturalhistory.si.edu/research/amphibians-reptiles SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Facebook | Twitter | Instagram The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) complies with all U.S. export and sanctions laws, as well as fish, wildlife and other regulations applicable to the importation and exportation of specimens and research materials. Please consider the country of origin and nature of any specimen, sample, object or material shipped to NMNH, and if applicable, ensure that it is properly licensed and otherwise compliant with U.S. law prior to shipment. From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Lazo-Wasem, Eric Sent: Tuesday, February 14, 2023 9:12 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions External Email - Exercise Caution Hi Tonya, I am sure you have heard enough already, but I will throw in my thoughts having addressed the situation recently. We received two grants grant to clean, rehouse, and digitize nearly 50,000 slides amassed over more than 150 years. In fact, some were made from European specimens in the 1850s, and ours were housed in every conceivable type of slide trays or boxes. Slides ranged from cardboard (with fragment mounts), plastics (paleo thin sections) and glass (whole mounts, appendages, thin and thick sections). Most of the pre-1900 slides were in filthy wooden boxes that had been in the basement of out museum since the 1920s. Here is what I have learned from all this: To handle variable slides, we purchased trays with tabs that house 1" x 3", 2" x 3", and for the odd sizes no tabs (plastic or magnetic dividers can isolate slides to keep from moving). Only balsam stood the test of time as a mounting medium. Glycerin and glycerin jelly routinely failed no matter how well sealed, synthetic medium such as Permount crystallizes even in good storage conditions, and lactic acid based mountants will continue to clear until the specimen is only visible with DIC microscopy. Slides can be cleaned with DO or distilled water using a swab. We had an army of students paid to do this under the watchful eye of a conservator. Slides stored any way other than flat in a tray will creep over time. Wooden boxes or slide cabinets not only off-gas, but create huge problems with dust and dirt, often by erosion as slides or trays are withdrawn. Not seemingly a problem at first, but use these for 50 years or more and the residual dirt is considerable. Plastic boxes can work well, but they must be marked carefully - I can't tell you how many times I have seen box opened wrong and 100 slides fall from their slots in a terrible mess - I have done this myself! When available, resources permitting, cabinets with powder coated finishes, including the slide trays, work well. To get away from the traditional problem of labelling, especially when there is no room left on the slide, we printed a 1" x 3" (or 2" x 3") label with all relevant data and placed it under the slide (slides held in place with tabs, so nothing can slip). This was especially helpful in the case of type slides (thousands) were we can instantly see the relevant citation history, etc. without first consulting the database. Lastly, we use storage codes for our cube slide cabinets, referencing cabinet (we have 27 that hold up to 2400 slides each) and tray number. With the labelling indicated above, it is easy to find a particular slide or slides as needed. Best, Eric Eric A. Lazo-Wasem, Senior Collections Manager Division of Invertebrate Zoology Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University 170 Whitney Avenue New Haven, CT 06520 (203) 432-3784 ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l > on behalf of Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) > Sent: Monday, February 13, 2023 7:22 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions Hello all, I wonder if any of you have experience with archival microscope slide storage - I have a few long-term slide storage questions. We have a lot of histological and other microscope slides that need to be rehoused - for some preferably in boxes and others preferably in slide cabinets. First, I would love to know people's thoughts on whether or not there a problem with storing slides in slide boxes long-term? I'm talking about the type where the slides are on their edge, not laying flat. If it is not a problem, is it acceptable to use polystyrene boxes in this case? They seem to be the only ones I can (easily) find online, but I know that polystyrene is not an archival material. I also have slides that are stored flat in boxes, but they too need to be rehoused because of a problem with mould growing in the cardboard boxes they're in. This leads me to also ask if any of you have good references or suggestions for the best way to transfer slides from boxes into slide cabinets? Or more to the point, what is the best way to manage the data about each slide, which is often written on a piece of paper or cardboard in the slide box itself? I see this as a both risky and time consuming part of rehousing the slides. Finally, we have slides of different sizes - a standard side and an extra wide size. Do any of you have thoughts on if there is an ideal way (or an ideal box) to house such slides? Your thoughts and advise would be, as usual, very welcome. 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 Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Tue Feb 14 22:26:11 2023 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 03:26:11 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Message-ID: Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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 d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Wed Feb 15 02:14:59 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 08:14:59 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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 tschioette at snm.ku.dk Wed Feb 15 04:46:56 2023 From: tschioette at snm.ku.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Schi=F8tte?=) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 09:46:56 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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 prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Feb 15 08:07:40 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:07:40 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: The metal tray system described here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337950870_An_improved_design_for_the_storage_of_fluid-preserved_specimens_in_small_to_medium-sized_containers can be customized to any shelf width. It is cheap (any metal fabricator can make it) and works really well. It helps if your collection is organized by catalog number rather than systematically, but in any case is a huge improvement over bottles on shelves in terms of efficiency and safety in use. It's the same idea as what Tom describes, but does not use wood. 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 Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu Wed Feb 15 08:39:08 2023 From: rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu (Rob Robins) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:39:08 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Feb 15 09:23:10 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:23:10 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I support Rob's approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: * Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate "wet lab"). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. * A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens... * Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you'll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn't, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it's all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we've had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From tschioette at snm.ku.dk Wed Feb 15 09:46:57 2023 From: tschioette at snm.ku.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Schi=F8tte?=) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:46:57 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <2b9b727b6f24423ea06de4888b1a7cae@snm.ku.dk> Yes, I think the metal trays will be preferable to our wooden ones. The sides of the trays are thinner, and for a 1 m long shelf you win 6 cm space if you have four trays. 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: Callomon,Paul Sent: 15. februar 2023 14:08 To: Tom Schi?tte ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The metal tray system described here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337950870_An_improved_design_for_the_storage_of_fluid-preserved_specimens_in_small_to_medium-sized_containers can be customized to any shelf width. It is cheap (any metal fabricator can make it) and works really well. It helps if your collection is organized by catalog number rather than systematically, but in any case is a huge improvement over bottles on shelves in terms of efficiency and safety in use. It's the same idea as what Tom describes, but does not use wood. 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 Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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 abentley at ku.edu Wed Feb 15 11:03:18 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 16:03:18 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Most fire marshals here in the US will not allow wooden trays or trays of any kind. Wood is flammable and as such should not be allowed in alcohol facilities as an added combustible (we are also not allowed any cardboard boxes or the like). Trays also prevent water from sprinkler systems from being able to penetrate through upper shelves to lower shelves to extinguish a potential fire. Here at KU we have shelves that are 430mm deep in compactors and some static shelves (our storage facility is not a uniform shape and thus precludes all computerized shelves. We also have earthquake bars on the front of our shelves which would prevent the use of trays as they would be very hard to get out. Our shelves are spaced 270mm apart throughout the collection with spaces below static shelves for tanks and larger jars. There is very little toppling risk with the jar sizes and shelf liners that we use here. See attached images I feel that collection spaces are always a balance between management and use and finding a happy middle ground that allows for both effectively. I feel like a jar size arrangement errs too far to the management side thus making the collection less useful. I understand the issues of space and growth and that our collection is not growing as rapidly as some but there are other ways of resolving the taxonomy situation. You can use a storage field (or storage tree in Specify) as a proxy for any taxonomic changes in the collection negating having to move anything while still keeping your taxonomy up to date. However, eager to see how Rob's new system works. My two cents 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 Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 3:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: KU shelves1.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1037917 bytes Desc: KU shelves1.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: KU shelves2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 986737 bytes Desc: KU shelves2.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: KU shelves3.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 936749 bytes Desc: KU shelves3.jpg URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Wed Feb 15 11:07:11 2023 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 11:07:11 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear *scala naturae* of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann wrote: > Hi Tonya, > > we recommend in our book > > (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich > we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large > jars on such such shelves. > > Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are > larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves > (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special > heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. > > If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase > the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the > number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small > jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual > inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff > time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. > > Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles > and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but > you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow > as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is > higher. > > If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I > would choose 300 mm deep shelves. > > Hope this helps > Dirk > > > Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): > > Hi again everyone, > > > > We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired > depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves > are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger > containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but > before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or > very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various > sizes and smaller drums. > > > > Thanks in advance for your input! > > > > 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 listNhcoll-l at mailman.yale.eduhttps://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 > _______________________________________________ > 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 kamakos at verizon.net Wed Feb 15 11:41:43 2023 From: kamakos at verizon.net (Kathryn Makos) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 11:41:43 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] PDF attached instead AIHA Cultural Heritage Emergency Prep and Response References: <002301d9415c$63ae1510$2b0a3f30$.ref@verizon.net> Message-ID: <002301d9415c$63ae1510$2b0a3f30$@verizon.net> Cathy Hawks and I have tried to post this but each time our links appear in NHCOLL as unusable. Either partially hyperlinked or converted to long links that go nowhere. This hasn't happened to other places we've advertised this document so I apologize. Would the webmaster direct us to current instructions for accurately posting links to NHCOLL-L? Meanwhile, if I do this right, the pdf will be attached. Kathryn Makos, MPH CIH (Retired:Smithsonian Institution) Past Chair, AIHA Museum & Cultural Heritage Industry Working Group -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Cultural-Heritage-Emergency-Response-White-Paper.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 682306 bytes Desc: not available URL: From stessier at nature.ca Wed Feb 15 12:34:08 2023 From: stessier at nature.ca (=?utf-8?B?U3TDqXBoYW5pZSBUZXNzaWVy?=) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:34:08 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] [EXT]Re: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tonya, We use a mobile compactor system to house our fluid-preserved collection and it works quite well. For the fish collection (~ 64,000 lots), we use the two lower shelves for larger jars, we keep small stainless-steel tanks (114 L) on dollies on the lowest shelf, and the smaller jars (? 4 L) are kept on the top four shelves. We do not keep jars in boxes but rather have earthquake restraint bars on our shelving units (see attached images). The shelves are 47 cm (18 ? inches) deep with a width of ~91 cm (36 inches), and that gives us enough space for different jar sizes without compromising safety. We house fluid-preserved specimens in several separate rooms to comply with the fire regulations stipulating a maximum of 18,800 litres of flammable liquid per room. For the comparatively smaller herpetological collection (~38,00 jars), many jars are kept in corrugated plastic sheet bins that were custom-made for the CMN collections. This collection is grouped by jar size for each species (or lowest taxonomic level) and although it saves up space, I find it somewhat harder to locate specimens quickly when they are separated by size on a shelf. Please let me know if you?d like more info. Cheers, Stephanie St?phanie Tessier Collections Manager, Vertebrate Zoology Gestionnaire des collections, zoologie des vert?br?s Canadian Museum of Nature / Mus?e canadien da la nature 613 364-4087 stessier at nature.ca From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Bentley, Andrew Charles Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 11:03 AM To: Tom Schi?tte ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [EXT]Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections 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. Most fire marshals here in the US will not allow wooden trays or trays of any kind. Wood is flammable and as such should not be allowed in alcohol facilities as an added combustible (we are also not allowed any cardboard boxes or the like). Trays also prevent water from sprinkler systems from being able to penetrate through upper shelves to lower shelves to extinguish a potential fire. Here at KU we have shelves that are 430mm deep in compactors and some static shelves (our storage facility is not a uniform shape and thus precludes all computerized shelves. We also have earthquake bars on the front of our shelves which would prevent the use of trays as they would be very hard to get out. Our shelves are spaced 270mm apart throughout the collection with spaces below static shelves for tanks and larger jars. There is very little toppling risk with the jar sizes and shelf liners that we use here. See attached images I feel that collection spaces are always a balance between management and use and finding a happy middle ground that allows for both effectively. I feel like a jar size arrangement errs too far to the management side thus making the collection less useful. I understand the issues of space and growth and that our collection is not growing as rapidly as some but there are other ways of resolving the taxonomy situation. You can use a storage field (or storage tree in Specify) as a proxy for any taxonomic changes in the collection negating having to move anything while still keeping your taxonomy up to date. However, eager to see how Rob?s new system works. My two cents 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 Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 3:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don?t risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don?t fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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 [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: Shelves_CMNfish2.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 1431499 bytes Desc: Shelves_CMNfish2.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Shelves_CMNfish.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 45869 bytes Desc: Shelves_CMNfish.jpg URL: From deanhend at austin.utexas.edu Wed Feb 15 12:59:56 2023 From: deanhend at austin.utexas.edu (Hendrickson Dean) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 17:59:56 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We?re very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John?s point 1 ? it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu Wed Feb 15 13:32:53 2023 From: rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu (Rob Robins) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:32:53 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and Melissa's paper. Rob Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We're very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John's point 1 - it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: image003.gif URL: From simmons.johne at gmail.com Wed Feb 15 13:51:38 2023 From: simmons.johne at gmail.com (John E Simmons) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:51:38 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: I believe that one of Paul's messages inadvertently did not go to nhcoll-l, so I have reposted it below, along with my response. The reason that we did not include a tray option in *Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections *is because the use of trays on shelving is so rarely allowed. As Andy pointed out, trays impede the flow of water from overhead sprinkler systems. It is important to keep in mind that international fire codes do not address the storage of fluid-preserved specimens. Code regulations are focussed on the storage of bulk alcohol (usually full-strength and in large containers) and the storage of retail liquor (which is rarely more than 40% ETOH). No matter what fire code your local official use, there will be interpretations made to accommodate fluid-preserved specimens. The interpretations vary widely. For example, when the fluid collection facility was built at the University of Kansas, we were not allowed to store alcohol below grade (below ground level) because alcohol vapors are heavier than air and would accumulate below ground. However, below grade storage has been allowed in other places in the US, using the same fire code, interpreted by different officials. In the case of KU, we were fortunate that one of the architects became very interested in the project and helped us negotiate many of the objections made by our local fire marshall (although not all--we were still forced to go with 100% air make-up which was both overkill and a huge maintenance headache). So, the fact that one place allows trays does not mean others will, and we could find very few collections anywhere in the world that were allowed to use them (there are collections using metal, wood, or cardboard trays that have thus far escaped close inspection by fire officials). It is not that we did not like Paul's idea, it is that it is not practical in most places. But if you can talk your local fire marshall into allowing it, the trays are very useful. *Here is Paul's earlier post:* To John?s first point ? a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don?t reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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* On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM Rob Robins wrote: > What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and > Melissa?s paper. > > > Rob > > > > Robert H. Robins > > Collection Manager > > Division of Ichthyology > > [image: FLMNH Fishes logo email small] > > Florida Museum > > 1659 Museum Rd. > > Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 > > Office: (352) 273-1957 > > rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu > > > > The UF Fish Collection is moving: > > https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ > > > > Search the Collection: > > http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ > > > > Search samples suitable for dna analysis: > > https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ > > > > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l * On Behalf Of *Hendrickson > Dean > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM > *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections > > > > *[External Email]* > > I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space > crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish > collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more > compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on > jar-size- and catalog-number. We?re very happy with the results so far, and > coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy > solution to John?s point 1 ? it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor > our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still > consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of > jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all > recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More > details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as > Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An > Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a > Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 > > (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of > the presentation). > > > > Dean > > [image: Fishes of Texas] > *Dean > A. Hendrickson*, Ph.D. (he/him/his) > > Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center > > , University of Texas > > , > > Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 > > Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid > > / lab > > / collection > > / zoom > > > > > *From:* Nhcoll-l *On Behalf Of *John > E Simmons > *Sent:* Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM > *To:* Dirk Neumann > *Cc:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu > *Subject:* Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections > > > > The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the > idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in > support of the advice that has already been offered that should be > mentioned: > > > > 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements > (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a > negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is > sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and > specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars > because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could > immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, > particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is > not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? > With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in > back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up > and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal > or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the > containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection > (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time > (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered > when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection > needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. > > > > 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not > phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic > arrangements do is simply re-create the linear *scala naturae* of > Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for > better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points > out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to > examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were > smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a > world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use > of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to > serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently > store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to > accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. > > > > --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: > > Hi Tonya, > > > > we recommend in our book > > (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich > we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large > jars on such such shelves. > > > > Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are > larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves > (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special > heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. > > > > If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase > the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the > number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small > jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual > inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff > time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. > > > > Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles > and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but > you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow > as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is > higher. > > > > If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I > would choose 300 mm deep shelves. > > > > Hope this helps > > Dirk > > > > > > Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): > > Hi again everyone, > > > > We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired > depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves > are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger > containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but > before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or > very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various > sizes and smaller drums. > > > > Thanks in advance for your input! > > > > 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. > > > > -- > > ****** > > > > *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. > > _______________________________________________ > 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: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: not available URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Feb 15 13:58:39 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 18:58:39 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Fwd: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: ________________________________ From: Callomon,Paul Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:07:55 PM To: John E Simmons Subject: RE: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections To John?s first point ? a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don?t reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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 John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 11:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tschioette at snm.ku.dk Wed Feb 15 14:06:58 2023 From: tschioette at snm.ku.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Schi=F8tte?=) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:06:58 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements Message-ID: I can see the very good points in Rob's and Paul's suggestions for arrangement. The reason I would nevertheless hesitate to adopt a non-taxonomic system is that the majority of work done on the material in the collections is taxonomic or somehow related to taxonomy. Taking material out for such work will be far more time consuming if the lots are arranged after numbers or size. Once when I was revising a genus of small snails I visited a collection that was arranged after catalog numbers. Following some unholy natural law, all the little glass tubes with the specimens of that genus were placed in different jars of hundreds of glass tubes, and always at the bottom of the jars with a pile of interesting, but (for my purpose) frustratingly irrelevant lots from other genera on top of them. But yes, it saves space, and yes, I would very much like to prevent people from inserting unregistered material in the collection, so I do see the good points. Cheers Tom From: Callomon,Paul Sent: 15. februar 2023 15:23 To: Rob Robins ; Tom Schi?tte ; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements I support Rob's approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: - Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate "wet lab"). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. - A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens... - Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you'll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn't, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it's all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we've had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Feb 15 14:13:19 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:13:19 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: In the SPNHC paper, I discussed this very point. Closed trays are a no-no as they trap alcohol. Ours do not; they have broadly open corners that drain front and back in four places, sending spilled alcohol to the floor in a very efficient way by not cascading it through multiple tiers of shelving (and thus allowing more time and space for evaporation, the most dangerous aspect of a spill) but instead sending it to the drains by the most direct route. I did nevertheless point out that some fire codes might require the trays to have perforations in their bases too. We designed this system with these factors in mind, not in ignorance of them. It is far safer in every respect than individual containers on shelves. 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 John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:52 PM To: Rob Robins Cc: Hendrickson Dean ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. I believe that one of Paul's messages inadvertently did not go to nhcoll-l, so I have reposted it below, along with my response. The reason that we did not include a tray option in Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections is because the use of trays on shelving is so rarely allowed. As Andy pointed out, trays impede the flow of water from overhead sprinkler systems. It is important to keep in mind that international fire codes do not address the storage of fluid-preserved specimens. Code regulations are focussed on the storage of bulk alcohol (usually full-strength and in large containers) and the storage of retail liquor (which is rarely more than 40% ETOH). No matter what fire code your local official use, there will be interpretations made to accommodate fluid-preserved specimens. The interpretations vary widely. For example, when the fluid collection facility was built at the University of Kansas, we were not allowed to store alcohol below grade (below ground level) because alcohol vapors are heavier than air and would accumulate below ground. However, below grade storage has been allowed in other places in the US, using the same fire code, interpreted by different officials. In the case of KU, we were fortunate that one of the architects became very interested in the project and helped us negotiate many of the objections made by our local fire marshall (although not all--we were still forced to go with 100% air make-up which was both overkill and a huge maintenance headache). So, the fact that one place allows trays does not mean others will, and we could find very few collections anywhere in the world that were allowed to use them (there are collections using metal, wood, or cardboard trays that have thus far escaped close inspection by fire officials). It is not that we did not like Paul's idea, it is that it is not practical in most places. But if you can talk your local fire marshall into allowing it, the trays are very useful. Here is Paul's earlier post: To John's first point - a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don't reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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 On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM Rob Robins > wrote: What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and Melissa's paper. Rob Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We're very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John's point 1 - it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. _______________________________________________ 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: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: image002.gif URL: From rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu Wed Feb 15 14:32:10 2023 From: rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu (Rob Robins) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:32:10 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Tom, This is a valid concern on its face, but in practice it is actually often the opposite. As just one example, I have spent an entire day looking for 10 of 963 lots of a common species (Lepomis marginatus) in a phylogenetically arranged collection. In a container sized barcoded collection, I need only ask the database the location of the 10 lots and with absolute certainty, go to retrieve them from their known locations. Contrast this with trying to keep 10 numbers in one's head while simultaneously visually scanning a dozen or more full shelves. One effectively ends up emptying all the shelves, especially after the collection has grown dense. Yes, many requests are for one or two specimen lots. But again, barcode container size proves more efficient or at least as simple as the exact location is known before the search begins. Best wishes, Rob P.S. This is to say nothing of the problem inflicted on searches by synonymy, whereby a single taxon might be store in multiple locations throughout the phylogeny (e.g., Notrois venustus vs. Cyprinella venusta, etc...). Presuming one knows to look under multiple names in the first place.... Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:07 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements [External Email] I can see the very good points in Rob's and Paul's suggestions for arrangement. The reason I would nevertheless hesitate to adopt a non-taxonomic system is that the majority of work done on the material in the collections is taxonomic or somehow related to taxonomy. Taking material out for such work will be far more time consuming if the lots are arranged after numbers or size. Once when I was revising a genus of small snails I visited a collection that was arranged after catalog numbers. Following some unholy natural law, all the little glass tubes with the specimens of that genus were placed in different jars of hundreds of glass tubes, and always at the bottom of the jars with a pile of interesting, but (for my purpose) frustratingly irrelevant lots from other genera on top of them. But yes, it saves space, and yes, I would very much like to prevent people from inserting unregistered material in the collection, so I do see the good points. Cheers Tom From: Callomon,Paul > Sent: 15. februar 2023 15:23 To: Rob Robins >; Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements I support Rob's approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: * Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate "wet lab"). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. * A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens... * Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you'll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn't, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it's all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we've had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Wed Feb 15 14:44:08 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:44:08 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Not to harp on this, but the problem Tom raises with multiple lots being in jars together was also discussed in the SPNHC paper on our tray system. This arrangement is common in collections, but unsatisfactory for more reasons than just that it can make getting to the lot you're after a messy pain. By adopting trays you can transfer small lots from collective jars to individual 4- or 6-dram vials that would be a nightmare if stood up loose on open shelving but that are convenience itself in racks. This is how a lot of wet insects are stored. One thing we got wrong, however, was to assume that transferring, say, 12 lots from cotton-stoppered shell vials in a single 16-ounce jar to individual vials as above would increase the overall alcohol volume. On the contrary, it actually decreases it, as the spandrel spaces between the shell vials are no longer there, together with the alcohol that was above the enclosed vials. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:32 PM To: Tom Schi?tte ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements External. Hi Tom, This is a valid concern on its face, but in practice it is actually often the opposite. As just one example, I have spent an entire day looking for 10 of 963 lots of a common species (Lepomis marginatus) in a phylogenetically arranged collection. In a container sized barcoded collection, I need only ask the database the location of the 10 lots and with absolute certainty, go to retrieve them from their known locations. Contrast this with trying to keep 10 numbers in one's head while simultaneously visually scanning a dozen or more full shelves. One effectively ends up emptying all the shelves, especially after the collection has grown dense. Yes, many requests are for one or two specimen lots. But again, barcode container size proves more efficient or at least as simple as the exact location is known before the search begins. Best wishes, Rob P.S. This is to say nothing of the problem inflicted on searches by synonymy, whereby a single taxon might be store in multiple locations throughout the phylogeny (e.g., Notrois venustus vs. Cyprinella venusta, etc...). Presuming one knows to look under multiple names in the first place.... Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:07 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements [External Email] I can see the very good points in Rob's and Paul's suggestions for arrangement. The reason I would nevertheless hesitate to adopt a non-taxonomic system is that the majority of work done on the material in the collections is taxonomic or somehow related to taxonomy. Taking material out for such work will be far more time consuming if the lots are arranged after numbers or size. Once when I was revising a genus of small snails I visited a collection that was arranged after catalog numbers. Following some unholy natural law, all the little glass tubes with the specimens of that genus were placed in different jars of hundreds of glass tubes, and always at the bottom of the jars with a pile of interesting, but (for my purpose) frustratingly irrelevant lots from other genera on top of them. But yes, it saves space, and yes, I would very much like to prevent people from inserting unregistered material in the collection, so I do see the good points. Cheers Tom From: Callomon,Paul > Sent: 15. februar 2023 15:23 To: Rob Robins >; Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements I support Rob's approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: - Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate "wet lab"). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. - A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens... - Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you'll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn't, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it's all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we've had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From emily.braker at colorado.edu Wed Feb 15 14:57:44 2023 From: emily.braker at colorado.edu (Emily M. Braker) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:57:44 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: Hi All, We updated our Herpetology Collection shelving several years ago and opted to decrease depth from 18" (457 mm) to 15" (381 mm). This was largely based on the fact that the 15" depth could accommodate two of our largest sized jar (gallon) shelved one in front of the other, whereas the deeper shelves did not add sufficient depth to add a third, so the additional 3" felt a bit like "lost space." This, combined with the fact that deeper shelves tend to hamper visual monitoring, as well as the gained aisle space provided by 15" shelves - which can now accommodate a wheelchair and large cart - tipped the scale towards a narrowed footprint. Note that slim profile static shelves should be bracketed to walls or to one another back-to-back to reduce tip risk. We also added earthquake bars (photo attached). Cheers, Emily Emily Braker Vertebrate Collections Manager, Zoology Section University of Colorado Museum of Natural History 265 UCB, Bruce Curtis Building Boulder, CO 80309-0218 Phone: 303-492-8466 http://www.colorado.edu/cumuseum/research-collections/vertebrates From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Callomon,Paul Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 12:13 PM To: John E Simmons ; Rob Robins Cc: Hendrickson Dean ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In the SPNHC paper, I discussed this very point. Closed trays are a no-no as they trap alcohol. Ours do not; they have broadly open corners that drain front and back in four places, sending spilled alcohol to the floor in a very efficient way by not cascading it through multiple tiers of shelving (and thus allowing more time and space for evaporation, the most dangerous aspect of a spill) but instead sending it to the drains by the most direct route. I did nevertheless point out that some fire codes might require the trays to have perforations in their bases too. We designed this system with these factors in mind, not in ignorance of them. It is far safer in every respect than individual containers on shelves. 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 John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:52 PM To: Rob Robins > Cc: Hendrickson Dean >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. I believe that one of Paul's messages inadvertently did not go to nhcoll-l, so I have reposted it below, along with my response. The reason that we did not include a tray option in Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections is because the use of trays on shelving is so rarely allowed. As Andy pointed out, trays impede the flow of water from overhead sprinkler systems. It is important to keep in mind that international fire codes do not address the storage of fluid-preserved specimens. Code regulations are focussed on the storage of bulk alcohol (usually full-strength and in large containers) and the storage of retail liquor (which is rarely more than 40% ETOH). No matter what fire code your local official use, there will be interpretations made to accommodate fluid-preserved specimens. The interpretations vary widely. For example, when the fluid collection facility was built at the University of Kansas, we were not allowed to store alcohol below grade (below ground level) because alcohol vapors are heavier than air and would accumulate below ground. However, below grade storage has been allowed in other places in the US, using the same fire code, interpreted by different officials. In the case of KU, we were fortunate that one of the architects became very interested in the project and helped us negotiate many of the objections made by our local fire marshall (although not all--we were still forced to go with 100% air make-up which was both overkill and a huge maintenance headache). So, the fact that one place allows trays does not mean others will, and we could find very few collections anywhere in the world that were allowed to use them (there are collections using metal, wood, or cardboard trays that have thus far escaped close inspection by fire officials). It is not that we did not like Paul's idea, it is that it is not practical in most places. But if you can talk your local fire marshall into allowing it, the trays are very useful. Here is Paul's earlier post: To John's first point - a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don't reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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 On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM Rob Robins > wrote: What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and Melissa's paper. Rob Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We're very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John's point 1 - it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. _______________________________________________ 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: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2262 bytes Desc: image003.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: new_shelving.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 174422 bytes Desc: new_shelving.JPG URL: From zachary.valois at gmail.com Wed Feb 15 15:00:20 2023 From: zachary.valois at gmail.com (Zachary Valois) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 13:00:20 -0700 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Nhcoll-l Digest, Vol 129, Issue 2 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dr. Menard, and others - Paula Cushing recently got me onto a California-based company called Acme Vial. I have found them shockingly affordable and easy to work with. https://www.acmevial.com/ Best, Zachary Valois St. George, Utah On Fri, Feb 10, 2023 at 4:18 PM wrote: > > 5. Vial vendor (Menard, Katrina) > 6. Re: Vial vendor (Christine Johnson) > 7. Re: Vial vendor (Callomon,Paul) > 8. Re: Vial vendor (Bentley, Andrew Charles) > > > > ------------------------------ > > * Message: 5* > Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 15:56:07 +0000 > * From: "Menard, Katrina" >* > To: NHCOLL-L > Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor > > Hi Everyone, > > What vendor do you recommend using for purchasing bulk volumes of archival > screw-topped glass vials in 1-8 dram sizes? > > In 2021 we wrote a proposal to re-curate our rubber-stopper vials into > archival glass screw-top vials using a quote from Bioquip, since it was a > verified vendor that we had success with in the past and had rates that > were some of the lowest for bulk vial purchasing. However, now that Bioquip > is out of business, I was curious what companies you all are using instead > with archival lids (the ones with the PE cone liners). We?re hoping to > resubmit with a new quote, but I haven?t found a vender that is comparable. > > Thank you for any insight you might have, > > Katrina > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Dr. Katrina Menard (she/her) > Collection Manager, Invertebrates > Ecology & Evolutionary Biology > University of Connecticut > Unit 3043, 75 N. Eagleville Rd. > Storrs, CT 06269-3043 > email: katrina.menard at uconn.edu > > Zootaxa Section Editor: Miroidea > > > ------------------------------ > > * Message: 6* > Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 15:59:03 +0000 > * From: Christine Johnson >* > To: "Menard, Katrina" , NHCOLL-L > > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor > > Hi Katrina, > > Maybe take a look at Oberk. > > https://www.oberk.com/FullSearchResults?q=glass%20vials > > Chris > > > Chris Johnson, Ph.D.< > https://www.amnh.org/research/staff-directory/christine-johnson> | > Curatorial Associate | Division of Invertebrate Zoology< > https://www.amnh.org/research/invertebrate-zoology> | American Museum of > Natural History| 200 > Central Park West | NYC NY 20024 | Tel 212 769 5605 | cjohnson at amnh.org > > > ------------------------------ > *Message: 7* > Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 16:02:12 +0000 > * From: "Callomon,Paul" >* > To: Christine Johnson , "Menard, Katrina" > , NHCOLL-L > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor > Message-ID: > < > BL0PR01MB52209B214D20DE0200548AAAC3D79 at BL0PR01MB5220.prod.exchangelabs.com > > > > We also use O.Berk, mostly for jars rather than vials, but Fisher > Scientific's pricing can be comparable. > > > 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 > > ------------------------------ > > * Message: 8* > Date: Fri, 3 Feb 2023 16:03:50 +0000 > * From: "Bentley, Andrew Charles" >* > To: "Menard, Katrina" , NHCOLL-L > > Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Vial vendor > > Katrina > > We have been using Fisher Scientific for some time but then we get > institutional discounts given that they are a preferred vendor to our > University. I would encourage you to seek out similar arrangements at > UConn. > > > https://www.fishersci.com/shop/products/type-1-class-a-borosilicate-glass-clear-sample-vial-fitted-caps/p-8000317 > > There are other vendors who sell through Fisher too. Just search for > screw top vials. > > 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< > http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu/> > A : A : A : > }<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<(((_?>.,.,.,.}<)))_?> > V V V > > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From tschioette at snm.ku.dk Wed Feb 15 15:12:49 2023 From: tschioette at snm.ku.dk (=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tom_Schi=F8tte?=) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:12:49 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Yes Paul, your arguments are irrefutable, and I will probably not have any big problems with surrendering, when you combine with metal trays with open corners. One inbuilt prerequisite for it all is of course that you can muster the economy and work force to have the whole collection digitally cataloged. 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: Callomon,Paul Sent: 15. februar 2023 20:44 To: Rob Robins ; Tom Schi?tte ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements Not to harp on this, but the problem Tom raises with multiple lots being in jars together was also discussed in the SPNHC paper on our tray system. This arrangement is common in collections, but unsatisfactory for more reasons than just that it can make getting to the lot you're after a messy pain. By adopting trays you can transfer small lots from collective jars to individual 4- or 6-dram vials that would be a nightmare if stood up loose on open shelving but that are convenience itself in racks. This is how a lot of wet insects are stored. One thing we got wrong, however, was to assume that transferring, say, 12 lots from cotton-stoppered shell vials in a single 16-ounce jar to individual vials as above would increase the overall alcohol volume. On the contrary, it actually decreases it, as the spandrel spaces between the shell vials are no longer there, together with the alcohol that was above the enclosed vials. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:32 PM To: Tom Schi?tte >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements External. Hi Tom, This is a valid concern on its face, but in practice it is actually often the opposite. As just one example, I have spent an entire day looking for 10 of 963 lots of a common species (Lepomis marginatus) in a phylogenetically arranged collection. In a container sized barcoded collection, I need only ask the database the location of the 10 lots and with absolute certainty, go to retrieve them from their known locations. Contrast this with trying to keep 10 numbers in one's head while simultaneously visually scanning a dozen or more full shelves. One effectively ends up emptying all the shelves, especially after the collection has grown dense. Yes, many requests are for one or two specimen lots. But again, barcode container size proves more efficient or at least as simple as the exact location is known before the search begins. Best wishes, Rob P.S. This is to say nothing of the problem inflicted on searches by synonymy, whereby a single taxon might be store in multiple locations throughout the phylogeny (e.g., Notrois venustus vs. Cyprinella venusta, etc...). Presuming one knows to look under multiple names in the first place.... Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:07 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements [External Email] I can see the very good points in Rob's and Paul's suggestions for arrangement. The reason I would nevertheless hesitate to adopt a non-taxonomic system is that the majority of work done on the material in the collections is taxonomic or somehow related to taxonomy. Taking material out for such work will be far more time consuming if the lots are arranged after numbers or size. Once when I was revising a genus of small snails I visited a collection that was arranged after catalog numbers. Following some unholy natural law, all the little glass tubes with the specimens of that genus were placed in different jars of hundreds of glass tubes, and always at the bottom of the jars with a pile of interesting, but (for my purpose) frustratingly irrelevant lots from other genera on top of them. But yes, it saves space, and yes, I would very much like to prevent people from inserting unregistered material in the collection, so I do see the good points. Cheers Tom From: Callomon,Paul > Sent: 15. februar 2023 15:23 To: Rob Robins >; Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements I support Rob's approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: - Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate "wet lab"). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. - A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens... - Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you'll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn't, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it's all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we've had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections "start" with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing "devolves" to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be "made." (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection's 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish - on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real - when staff can't "fit" a jar on a shelf - I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results - all in an effort to keep one "group" of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you'd like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don't risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don't fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From cbills at umnh.utah.edu Wed Feb 15 15:56:00 2023 From: cbills at umnh.utah.edu (Christy Bills) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 20:56:00 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: While we are on the topic of fluid collections, I have some small vials of alcohol-preserved invertebrates (circa 1940-1960) that have diminishing or discolored fluid levels. I'd like to figure out the concentration of alcohol in them before preceding with adding more. I see Anton Paar has a great variety of densitometers with a great variety of price tags. Has anyone actually done this with small invertebrate vials and have suggestions? Or am I overthinking this? Do any invertebrate collection managers have a written protocol for "topping up" their specimens? Thanks for any suggestions. (I do have the new Best Practices book on order and the 2014 edition on my desk). -Christy Bills ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:12 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements Yes Paul, your arguments are irrefutable, and I will probably not have any big problems with surrendering, when you combine with metal trays with open corners. One inbuilt prerequisite for it all is of course that you can muster the economy and work force to have the whole collection digitally cataloged. 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: Callomon,Paul Sent: 15. februar 2023 20:44 To: Rob Robins ; Tom Schi?tte ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements Not to harp on this, but the problem Tom raises with multiple lots being in jars together was also discussed in the SPNHC paper on our tray system. This arrangement is common in collections, but unsatisfactory for more reasons than just that it can make getting to the lot you?re after a messy pain. By adopting trays you can transfer small lots from collective jars to individual 4- or 6-dram vials that would be a nightmare if stood up loose on open shelving but that are convenience itself in racks. This is how a lot of wet insects are stored. One thing we got wrong, however, was to assume that transferring, say, 12 lots from cotton-stoppered shell vials in a single 16-ounce jar to individual vials as above would increase the overall alcohol volume. On the contrary, it actually decreases it, as the spandrel spaces between the shell vials are no longer there, together with the alcohol that was above the enclosed vials. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:32 PM To: Tom Schi?tte >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements External. Hi Tom, This is a valid concern on its face, but in practice it is actually often the opposite. As just one example, I have spent an entire day looking for 10 of 963 lots of a common species (Lepomis marginatus) in a phylogenetically arranged collection. In a container sized barcoded collection, I need only ask the database the location of the 10 lots and with absolute certainty, go to retrieve them from their known locations. Contrast this with trying to keep 10 numbers in one?s head while simultaneously visually scanning a dozen or more full shelves. One effectively ends up emptying all the shelves, especially after the collection has grown dense. Yes, many requests are for one or two specimen lots. But again, barcode container size proves more efficient or at least as simple as the exact location is known before the search begins. Best wishes, Rob P.S. This is to say nothing of the problem inflicted on searches by synonymy, whereby a single taxon might be store in multiple locations throughout the phylogeny (e.g., Notrois venustus vs. Cyprinella venusta, etc?). Presuming one knows to look under multiple names in the first place?. Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 2:07 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements [External Email] I can see the very good points in Rob?s and Paul?s suggestions for arrangement. The reason I would nevertheless hesitate to adopt a non-taxonomic system is that the majority of work done on the material in the collections is taxonomic or somehow related to taxonomy. Taking material out for such work will be far more time consuming if the lots are arranged after numbers or size. Once when I was revising a genus of small snails I visited a collection that was arranged after catalog numbers. Following some unholy natural law, all the little glass tubes with the specimens of that genus were placed in different jars of hundreds of glass tubes, and always at the bottom of the jars with a pile of interesting, but (for my purpose) frustratingly irrelevant lots from other genera on top of them. But yes, it saves space, and yes, I would very much like to prevent people from inserting unregistered material in the collection, so I do see the good points. Cheers Tom From: Callomon,Paul > Sent: 15. februar 2023 15:23 To: Rob Robins >; Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: RE: Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections: taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements I support Rob?s approach. Organizing wet collections systematically has serious disadvantages in terms of fragmented expansion space that only get worse as the collection grows. Some points: - Under most US fire codes, you are not allowed to open containers or work on their contents in the same space as that within which the collection is stored (you need a separate ?wet lab?). As the specimens must be removed for inspection anyway there is thus little advantage in organizing your storage facility by taxonomy. Arrangements by catalog number and/or container size make far more sense, and even a spreadsheet will do as a retrieval guide. It also means that retrieval and return of lots does not require taxonomic knowledge or guide books (physical or digital) that have to be constantly updated. - A further disadvantage of taxonomic arrangements in wet collections is that is hard to tell when something is missing, or when someone has added an uncataloged container to a genus or family. We discovered hundreds of such instances when we recently converted our wet general invertebrates from a systematic to a catalog-number arrangement. Roughly ten percent of the bottles had been placed there over the decades by curators without entering them in the catalog. We had no way of knowing they were there. Some were type specimens? - Systematics change, and if that matters to you then you?ll have to take the time and risk of physically reorganizing things periodically (risk, because whenever you move jars they can get dropped). If it doesn?t, then why have that arrangement in the first place? Now, with our trayed catalog-number arrangement, we can tell if something has been removed and not returned, and it is impossible to put uncataloged material into the sequence. We also know exactly how much remaining free shelf space we have at any given time, as it?s all at one end and not dispersed in pockets at the ends of thousands of genera. Incidentally, we?ve had a catalog-number arrangement in our wet mollusks since 1976. Databases are not new. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Rob Robins Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 8:39 AM To: Tom Schi?tte >; Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. Hi Tonya et al., Related to shelf depth is of course the height at which you space the shelves in your new facility. Many collections ?start? with all shelves spaced at a minimum meant to accommodate the largest jar in common use. For many in the U.S. that is 1 gallon jar (~4 liters) of approximately 300mm height. The trouble with this approach of course is that as the collection grows, shelf spacing ?devolves? to lower heights as managers take pains to accommodate growth (and they are pains). This is an easy trap to fall into, as at least in fishes, most fish and fish lots are small, and collections grow and space must be ?made.? (E.g., a recent randomized survey of 65 of our 5,286 shelves projects that of the UF Fish Collection?s 178,000 containers, 67,032 are 4oz jars (118 ml)). Inevitably, this course of action leads to conflicts whereby still more new materials in large jars need to be placed on shelves that can no longer accommodate them. At least if one is to try and maintain a semblance of current phylogenetic order (something few, if any large collections accomplish ? on those that do inevitably, only for a short moment in time). ( The cost to specimens is real ? when staff can?t ?fit? a jar on a shelf ? I have seen specimens crammed into containers too small for their proper keeping, sometimes with disastrous results ? all in an effort to keep one ?group? of fishes together on the same shelf space). At UF we are implementing a barcode driven, container size arrangement of the UF Fish Collection. Just a handful of the benefits include: a true inventory of the collection as it moves, updated in real time; an enormous space savings that extends the life of the facility by decades, no more large scale collection shifts, and an always current phylogeny of fishes exported to data aggregators from our Specify database. If you?d like more details about our plans and the challenges and results to date, please don?t hesitate to contact me. Best wishes, Rob Robins Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Tom Schi?tte Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 4:47 AM To: Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace) >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] Hi Tonya, In Copenhagen we (generally) use shelves that are 500 mm deep. The problems that Dirk outlined with deep shelves is solved by having jars placed in wooden trays that are 500 x 235 mm (and 70 mm tall). The whole tray can be taken out for topping up, and we don?t risk toppling other jars if we reach for one at the inner part of the shelf. Moreover we have the benefit that we can put labels about contents on the outer end of the tray. Larger jars that don?t fit in the trays or on the shelves are put on bottom shelves with double or triple height. For some historical reason one of our collections uses the system in a slightly downscaled version with smaller shelf depth and therefore shorter trays. The principle remains the same, though. 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: 15. februar 2023 04:26 To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: From dyanega at gmail.com Wed Feb 15 17:29:09 2023 From: dyanega at gmail.com (Douglas Yanega) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 14:29:09 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Taxonomic vs. catalog-number arrangements In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <7f46b9ee-ecba-3399-f708-b17f20bd3c31@gmail.com> For different sorts of collections, different approaches can be more or less efficient. In our insect collection, with >4 millions specimens, out of which around 560,000 have GUID labels, tracking using database numbers is not only going to fail for 85% of the collection, but the physical organization of unit trays in drawers in cabinets makes retrieval very straightforward if you know a taxon name. There is always space to add new taxa in appropriate locations, and changes in classification - which are fairly common - are almost never significantly disruptive. Shifting unit trays or drawers around is typically a task that takes a few minutes, rarely more, and *not* having to track, in a database, where things are moved to or from actually saves a lot of time. Specimens mounted on microscope slides and stored in boxes are easy to navigate without digitized links to their physical locations, as long as the boxes are labeled and organized sensibly. Herbaria, with manila folders and herbarium sheets, also function pretty well when just organized taxonomically. On the other hand, our spider collection was organized by a previous curator into thousands of small vials within hundreds of larger jars, on shelves, each jar containing a single family. It is easy to find where a family is, but if it's a family that occupies more than one jar, and you want a certain genus or species, it becomes increasingly hopeless as the number of jars of that family increases. If we ever were to try to database the spider collection, it would probably involve putting a GUID on each jar lid, and recording which vials are in which jars. The majority of vials in a jar will not have their GUIDs visible, however, and only the jars in the front of each shelf will have their GUIDs visible, so even that system is still problematic, though better than guesswork. Those of us who deal with things in jars and vials and shelves do, I think, face very different challenges from those who do not. The point is that some of this depends on the nature of the storage system, which seems to be central to this particular discussion thread, but a *lot* depends on the scaling. If every single specimen-containing unit in your collection is databased, that is a luxury that many of us will never have. It's taken us 25 years to get 560,000 units databased (the unit in this case being an insect pin, sometimes a slide), and that's around 15% of our collection. Considering that we have no external funding to do the bulk of this, that we are averaging over 20,000 specimens databased a year is pretty remarkable, but it's still a drop in the proverbial bucket. Relying upon a database to track specimens is not practical under these circumstances. Bear in mind also that in arthropods, any collection that has around 75-80% of their specimens identified to genus or species is doing exceptionally well; in most collections the percentage is lower than that, so fine-scale tracking is not as valuable. If you want to know where to find unidentified specimens of family X, all you need to know is where family X is located (assuming those specimens are all in one place, as is the case with taxonomically-arranged collections). In some families, there can be 50,000 unidentified specimens, and at that scale it's not worth the effort required to track each one individually, and it would be utterly impossible to show a visiting researcher all 50,000 specimens if they were scattered at random in the collection and you had to locate them one at a time using a locator database. If your unidentified material of family X never exceeds, say, 20 specimens (or specimen-containing units), then sure, extracting 20 of them from random locations in your collection might not seem like so terrible a chore. Peace, -- Doug Yanega Dept. of Entomology Entomology Research Museum Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314 skype: dyanega phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's) https://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From Alastair.Graham at csiro.au Wed Feb 15 17:56:55 2023 From: Alastair.Graham at csiro.au (Graham, Alastair (NCMI, Hobart)) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2023 22:56:55 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: G'day everyone This has been a very interesting discussion. One thing that should be considered, is lighting. The deeper the shelf, the more difficult it is to achieve adequate lighting at the back of the shelf, or when you have many jars on the shelf. Lighting can be influenced by the height between your shelves. If your shelves are widely separated, then lighting may not be a problem, compared to tightly spaced shelves. Most collections tend to keep their shelving tightly spaced, to maximise storage space. Shelves are spaced to allow reasonable access to the jars. However, you do not want many shelves to have lots of space above the jars (and below the shelf above). Otherwise you are just wasting space. Another thing to consider is the weight rating of the shelf. More jars means more weight, which could mean higher gauge steel, for wider shelves. Cheers Al Alastair (Al) Graham Fish Collection Manager Australian National Fish Collection National Research Collections Australia CSIRO National Collections and Marine Infrastructure P: +61 3 6232 5351 | M: +61 (0) 419 756 411 | F: +61 3 6232 5000 alastair.graham at csiro.au | www.csiro.au Address: Castray Esplanade, Hobart Tas 7000, Australia Post: GPO Box 1538, Hobart Tas 7001, Australia From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Emily M. Braker Sent: Thursday, 16 February 2023 6:58 AM To: Callomon,Paul ; John E Simmons ; Rob Robins Cc: Hendrickson Dean ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections Hi All, We updated our Herpetology Collection shelving several years ago and opted to decrease depth from 18" (457 mm) to 15" (381 mm). This was largely based on the fact that the 15" depth could accommodate two of our largest sized jar (gallon) shelved one in front of the other, whereas the deeper shelves did not add sufficient depth to add a third, so the additional 3" felt a bit like "lost space." This, combined with the fact that deeper shelves tend to hamper visual monitoring, as well as the gained aisle space provided by 15" shelves - which can now accommodate a wheelchair and large cart - tipped the scale towards a narrowed footprint. Note that slim profile static shelves should be bracketed to walls or to one another back-to-back to reduce tip risk. We also added earthquake bars (photo attached). Cheers, Emily Emily Braker Vertebrate Collections Manager, Zoology Section University of Colorado Museum of Natural History 265 UCB, Bruce Curtis Building Boulder, CO 80309-0218 Phone: 303-492-8466 http://www.colorado.edu/cumuseum/research-collections/vertebrates From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Callomon,Paul Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 12:13 PM To: John E Simmons >; Rob Robins > Cc: Hendrickson Dean >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In the SPNHC paper, I discussed this very point. Closed trays are a no-no as they trap alcohol. Ours do not; they have broadly open corners that drain front and back in four places, sending spilled alcohol to the floor in a very efficient way by not cascading it through multiple tiers of shelving (and thus allowing more time and space for evaporation, the most dangerous aspect of a spill) but instead sending it to the drains by the most direct route. I did nevertheless point out that some fire codes might require the trays to have perforations in their bases too. We designed this system with these factors in mind, not in ignorance of them. It is far safer in every respect than individual containers on shelves. 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 John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:52 PM To: Rob Robins > Cc: Hendrickson Dean >; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. I believe that one of Paul's messages inadvertently did not go to nhcoll-l, so I have reposted it below, along with my response. The reason that we did not include a tray option in Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections is because the use of trays on shelving is so rarely allowed. As Andy pointed out, trays impede the flow of water from overhead sprinkler systems. It is important to keep in mind that international fire codes do not address the storage of fluid-preserved specimens. Code regulations are focussed on the storage of bulk alcohol (usually full-strength and in large containers) and the storage of retail liquor (which is rarely more than 40% ETOH). No matter what fire code your local official use, there will be interpretations made to accommodate fluid-preserved specimens. The interpretations vary widely. For example, when the fluid collection facility was built at the University of Kansas, we were not allowed to store alcohol below grade (below ground level) because alcohol vapors are heavier than air and would accumulate below ground. However, below grade storage has been allowed in other places in the US, using the same fire code, interpreted by different officials. In the case of KU, we were fortunate that one of the architects became very interested in the project and helped us negotiate many of the objections made by our local fire marshall (although not all--we were still forced to go with 100% air make-up which was both overkill and a huge maintenance headache). So, the fact that one place allows trays does not mean others will, and we could find very few collections anywhere in the world that were allowed to use them (there are collections using metal, wood, or cardboard trays that have thus far escaped close inspection by fire officials). It is not that we did not like Paul's idea, it is that it is not practical in most places. But if you can talk your local fire marshall into allowing it, the trays are very useful. Here is Paul's earlier post: To John's first point - a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don't reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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 On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM Rob Robins > wrote: What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and Melissa's paper. Rob Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We're very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John's point 1 - it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing 'go' I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. _______________________________________________ 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: 4940 bytes Desc: image001.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2262 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Feb 16 01:45:04 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 07:45:04 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: <0f0c187b-22c8-3616-bc61-0b5831e24399@leibniz-lib.de> Hi all, as always a very interesting discussion, however it moved away a bit from Tonya's original question. Besides all understanding for space constraints and needed pragmatic solutions to encounter them, when you plan a new storage building it is worth spreading the collection in a way that minimises staff time for monitoring and maintenance as best as possible. Sometime there are reasons, why you cannot achieve this, but when compacting a collection right from the start, future growth of the collection is confronted with severe challenges from the beginning. Also, compacting a collection might not be the cheaper solution, because this increases the structural allowances for the floor loads, which usually increases the the costs significantly, without gaining that much additional overall space in total. Also, the rails increase the need for IPM. As John mentioned, the original aim of the workshop and the subsequent book publication was to develop baselines for optimal storage. Of course we will be confronted with various reasons or limitations that require us to compromise, but this should not be a baseline or best practice you want to meet in the first place. With best wishes Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 20:13 schrieb Callomon,Paul: In the SPNHC paper, I discussed this very point. Closed trays are a no-no as they trap alcohol. Ours do not; they have broadly open corners that drain front and back in four places, sending spilled alcohol to the floor in a very efficient way by not cascading it through multiple tiers of shelving (and thus allowing more time and space for evaporation, the most dangerous aspect of a spill) but instead sending it to the drains by the most direct route. I did nevertheless point out that some fire codes might require the trays to have perforations in their bases too. We designed this system with these factors in mind, not in ignorance of them. It is far safer in every respect than individual containers on shelves. 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 John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:52 PM To: Rob Robins Cc: Hendrickson Dean ; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections External. I believe that one of Paul's messages inadvertently did not go to nhcoll-l, so I have reposted it below, along with my response. The reason that we did not include a tray option in Best Practices in the Preservation and Management of Fluid-Preserved Biological Collections is because the use of trays on shelving is so rarely allowed. As Andy pointed out, trays impede the flow of water from overhead sprinkler systems. It is important to keep in mind that international fire codes do not address the storage of fluid-preserved specimens. Code regulations are focussed on the storage of bulk alcohol (usually full-strength and in large containers) and the storage of retail liquor (which is rarely more than 40% ETOH). No matter what fire code your local official use, there will be interpretations made to accommodate fluid-preserved specimens. The interpretations vary widely. For example, when the fluid collection facility was built at the University of Kansas, we were not allowed to store alcohol below grade (below ground level) because alcohol vapors are heavier than air and would accumulate below ground. However, below grade storage has been allowed in other places in the US, using the same fire code, interpreted by different officials. In the case of KU, we were fortunate that one of the architects became very interested in the project and helped us negotiate many of the objections made by our local fire marshall (although not all--we were still forced to go with 100% air make-up which was both overkill and a huge maintenance headache). So, the fact that one place allows trays does not mean others will, and we could find very few collections anywhere in the world that were allowed to use them (there are collections using metal, wood, or cardboard trays that have thus far escaped close inspection by fire officials). It is not that we did not like Paul's idea, it is that it is not practical in most places. But if you can talk your local fire marshall into allowing it, the trays are very useful. Here is Paul's earlier post: To John?s first point ? a metal tray system solves all the problems of shelf depth. You don?t reach in to pull up and look at containers behind the first row, you pull the tray out instead. As long as you only have a maximum of two rows of containers, you can eyeball everything instantly for condition, fully addressing the point he makes about planning for maintenance cycles. Sadly, the recent Fluid-preserved Biological Collections book did not mention these systems at all, despite our design and its advantages having been published by SPNHC. As for collection density, fire-rated space in existing buildings is expensive to create and rarely possible to expand. Like it or not, to stay in code you often have to find ways to fit more into an existing space. We did that, in the form of a cheap and practicable upgrade to existing shelving of any kind. 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 On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM Rob Robins > wrote: What we are doing at UF is a direct outgrowth of reading Adam, Dean and Melissa?s paper. Rob Robert H. Robins Collection Manager Division of Ichthyology [FLMNH Fishes logo email small] Florida Museum 1659 Museum Rd. Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 Office: (352) 273-1957 rhrobins at flmnh.ufl.edu The UF Fish Collection is moving: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/fish/ Search the Collection: http://specifyportal.flmnh.ufl.edu/fishes/ Search samples suitable for dna analysis: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/grr/holdings/ From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 1:00 PM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections [External Email] I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We?re very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John?s point 1 ? it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. _______________________________________________ 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. -- **** 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 4940 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: not available URL: From Joosep.Sarapuu at loodusmuuseum.ee Thu Feb 16 08:59:01 2023 From: Joosep.Sarapuu at loodusmuuseum.ee (Joosep Sarapuu) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:59:01 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation Message-ID: Dear all, We are looking for screw caps for vials in fluid perservation collection but there are many choices that are possible to order. Can somebody please suggest which of them are the best for fluid specimen vials? [cid:image001.png at 01D9421F.9568C0F0][cid:image002.png at 01D9421F.9568C0F0] Sincerely, Joosep Sarapuu Estonian Museum of Natural History -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 79496 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 105881 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Feb 16 09:45:01 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 15:45:01 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Hi Joosep, I would avoid any silicone and especially rubber inlays. If possible, prefer PE inlays. Also, I am not sure if these Macherey & Nagel vials are designed for long term storage, or for lab use. When in Munich, I inherited different research collections with such lids - and they were mostly deteriorated. Better choose pharmaceutical glassware like those wide-neck jars, e.g. from gerresheimer; these are distributed by many resellers https://www.gerresheimer.com/katalog/produkte/pharmazeutische-primarverpackungen/flaschen-und-flaschchen-aus-glas/produktportfolio-europa/flaschen-flaschchen-und-tiegel-aus-behalterglas/weithalsglaser.html Hope this helps Dirk Am 16.02.2023 um 14:59 schrieb Joosep Sarapuu: Dear all, We are looking for screw caps for vials in fluid perservation collection but there are many choices that are possible to order. Can somebody please suggest which of them are the best for fluid specimen vials? [cid:part1.0NWorITV.AsUKpssK at leibniz-lib.de][cid:part2.YWUn0x5g.wYBtAn8Q at leibniz-lib.de] Sincerely, Joosep Sarapuu Estonian Museum of Natural History _______________________________________________ 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 79496 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 105881 bytes Desc: not available URL: From prc44 at drexel.edu Thu Feb 16 09:53:04 2023 From: prc44 at drexel.edu (Callomon,Paul) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 14:53:04 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I agree with Dirk - your list seems to show lab caps, made to be disposable (and some of them to have needles stuck through them). For our screw-top vials (4- and 6-dram) and some small jars (2-ounce) we use phenolic resin caps with polypropylene "coneseal" inserts, and these work very well. A foam (F217) liner as Dirk recommends will also work. Paper or foil liners are not recommended. Note that phenolic caps should not be immersed in alcohol, as they leach into the fluid. However, they are otherwise extremely stable and durable, at least at small (up to 40mm) diameters. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 9:45 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation External. Hi Joosep, I would avoid any silicone and especially rubber inlays. If possible, prefer PE inlays. Also, I am not sure if these Macherey & Nagel vials are designed for long term storage, or for lab use. When in Munich, I inherited different research collections with such lids - and they were mostly deteriorated. Better choose pharmaceutical glassware like those wide-neck jars, e.g. from gerresheimer; these are distributed by many resellers https://www.gerresheimer.com/katalog/produkte/pharmazeutische-primarverpackungen/flaschen-und-flaschchen-aus-glas/produktportfolio-europa/flaschen-flaschchen-und-tiegel-aus-behalterglas/weithalsglaser.html Hope this helps Dirk Am 16.02.2023 um 14:59 schrieb Joosep Sarapuu: Dear all, We are looking for screw caps for vials in fluid perservation collection but there are many choices that are possible to order. Can somebody please suggest which of them are the best for fluid specimen vials? [cid:image001.png at 01D941EC.32A9B3D0][cid:image002.png at 01D941EC.32A9B3D0] Sincerely, Joosep Sarapuu Estonian Museum of Natural History _______________________________________________ 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 79496 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 105881 bytes Desc: image002.png URL: From d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Thu Feb 16 09:59:58 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2023 15:59:58 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <86823755-69b7-c53c-2e2d-0cb902cd4783@leibniz-lib.de> ... phenolic resin caps may cause trouble in the long run for collections in the EU, as the common denaturant is MEK, and aggressive ketone. In this case, it would be better to use PFTE or PP caps. The PE inlays in the caps for the wide-neck jars are not foamed (see screenshot), lids are have standardised sizes and can be replaced easily (did have issues for over 20 years - compared to Copenhagen jars) All the best Dirk [cid:part1.Lsq2uP70.LjJgcMPk at leibniz-lib.de] Am 16.02.2023 um 15:53 schrieb Callomon,Paul: I agree with Dirk ? your list seems to show lab caps, made to be disposable (and some of them to have needles stuck through them). For our screw-top vials (4- and 6-dram) and some small jars (2-ounce) we use phenolic resin caps with polypropylene ?coneseal? inserts, and these work very well. A foam (F217) liner as Dirk recommends will also work. Paper or foil liners are not recommended. Note that phenolic caps should not be immersed in alcohol, as they leach into the fluid. However, they are otherwise extremely stable and durable, at least at small (up to 40mm) diameters. Paul Callomon Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates ________________________________ Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170 From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Dirk Neumann Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2023 9:45 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Screw caps for fluid preservation External. Hi Joosep, I would avoid any silicone and especially rubber inlays. If possible, prefer PE inlays. Also, I am not sure if these Macherey & Nagel vials are designed for long term storage, or for lab use. When in Munich, I inherited different research collections with such lids - and they were mostly deteriorated. Better choose pharmaceutical glassware like those wide-neck jars, e.g. from gerresheimer; these are distributed by many resellers https://www.gerresheimer.com/katalog/produkte/pharmazeutische-primarverpackungen/flaschen-und-flaschchen-aus-glas/produktportfolio-europa/flaschen-flaschchen-und-tiegel-aus-behalterglas/weithalsglaser.html Hope this helps Dirk Am 16.02.2023 um 14:59 schrieb Joosep Sarapuu: Dear all, We are looking for screw caps for vials in fluid perservation collection but there are many choices that are possible to order. Can somebody please suggest which of them are the best for fluid specimen vials? [cid:part2.hTntqQr8.Y63e0FLC at leibniz-lib.de][cid:part3.LpjP8oJa.GJDAgjC7 at leibniz-lib.de] Sincerely, Joosep Sarapuu Estonian Museum of Natural History _______________________________________________ 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 -- **** 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: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: USJDiJPEtREUptrt.png Type: image/png Size: 1014867 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 79496 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.png Type: image/png Size: 105881 bytes Desc: not available URL: From kayla.sanders at mods.org Fri Feb 17 11:28:38 2023 From: kayla.sanders at mods.org (Kayla Sanders) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 16:28:38 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Sea Turtle Shell Mold Message-ID: Good Morning, My name is Kayla Sanders and I am the Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I would like to find out if you have any recommendations on cleaning mold growth from a taxidermy sea turtle shell. We have come across mold growth on several of our preserved sea turtle shells. We were thinking possibly using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean the areas, but wanted to hear the advice from other museums. If you could please let me know what you think might work best without damaging the shell, I would appreciate it. Thank you, [Logo Description automatically generated] Kayla Sanders Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development 401 SW Second Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 Direct: 954.712.1166 Ext. 132 kayla.sanders at mods.org ? mods.org [facebook] [twitter] [instagram] [linkedin] [youtube] When you shop [https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/TGOCp238XXYqI2p5dYnztkZ5ZZOtI1XuONNum6GN_HJpdTSKSsJ_N2-UyXlvXht4OHjrA3St-OTxrSlzwcY_n0FKuItHDa2uZA8x-E-EyXh9gD4wmsrHdXYbcbC10bDpQZeKT2XZ] every purchase helps activate MODS? mission of connecting people to inspiring science. Thank you for making MODS your non-profit of choice. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Outlook-LogoDesc.png Type: image/png Size: 64926 bytes Desc: Outlook-LogoDesc.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Outlook-https___lh.png Type: image/png Size: 3956 bytes Desc: Outlook-https___lh.png URL: From couteaufin at btinternet.com Fri Feb 17 12:00:01 2023 From: couteaufin at btinternet.com (Simon Moore) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:00:01 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Sea Turtle Shell Mold In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <05DFD94A-A6FA-47F2-B876-7BB8390B6967@btinternet.com> Hi Kayla, Alcohol is what I would use as it?s quick, easy and effective. This would be followed up by giving the scutes some dressing to replace any lost natural oils and there will likely be some discussion over which is best. In the UK antique trade they recommend odour-free almond oil, rubbed in using the cotton buds / Q-tips, even though this is obv a veggie-based oil, it does work well. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 17 Feb 2023, at 16:28, Kayla Sanders wrote: > > Good Morning, > > My name is Kayla Sanders and I am the Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I would like to find out if you have any recommendations on cleaning mold growth from a taxidermy sea turtle shell. We have come across mold growth on several of our preserved sea turtle shells. > > We were thinking possibly using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean the areas, but wanted to hear the advice from other museums. > > If you could please let me know what you think might work best without damaging the shell, I would appreciate it. > > Thank you, > > > > > Desc.png> > Kayla Sanders Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development > 401 SW Second Street > Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 > Direct: 954.712.1166 Ext. 132 > kayla.sanders at mods.org ? mods.org > When you shop every purchase helps activate MODS? mission of connecting people to inspiring science. Thank you for making MODS your non-profit of choice. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 Fri Feb 17 12:08:54 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:08:54 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Reminder: The Need for a Specimen Management Plan Requirement: Webinar Recording Available, Input Sought Message-ID: Representatives from the Biodiversity Collections Network (BCoN) and the U.S. Culture Collection Network (USCCN), in partnership with AIBS and the Natural Science Collections Alliance, held a webinar on February 7 on the need for a Specimen Management Plan requirement in research proposals that generate living or preserved specimens. Recommended by the National Academies' report on biological collections in 2020, this requirement was supported by the recently enacted CHIPS and Science Act. Webinar panelists discussed the elements of a specimen management plan and its benefits to various stakeholder communities. If you missed the program, the recording is now available online, along with a record of the written Q&A during the webinar (please add any additional questions you may want answered or thoughts you have on the proposal). Additionally, the webinar organizers are soliciting feedback on the webinar and their proposal regarding implementation of the specimen management plan requirement. They would like to hear from a wide range of stakeholders in the research, collections, and policy communities. Please fill out this survey by March 10, 2023 to share your thoughts. Thanks Andy (on behalf of BCoN) 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 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From christina_giovas at sfu.ca Fri Feb 17 12:22:31 2023 From: christina_giovas at sfu.ca (Christina Giovas) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 17:22:31 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Sea Turtle Shell Mold In-Reply-To: <05DFD94A-A6FA-47F2-B876-7BB8390B6967@btinternet.com> References: , <05DFD94A-A6FA-47F2-B876-7BB8390B6967@btinternet.com> Message-ID: <5877f2f3d241400eb4069a7dd6d78c91@sfu.ca> Hello Kayla, The Canadian Conservation Institute has a comprehensive technical bulletin on mould mitigation which you can find here https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/conservation-preservation-publications/technical-bulletins/mould-prevention-collection-recovery.html#a3c Section 2.2 deals with small outbreaks, which is what it sound like you have. While alcohol is one solution (I've used this in the past for skeletal collections) the CCI also recommends a combination of freezing to break the life-cycle and vacuuming with a hepa filter to eliminate spores and further outbreaks. Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) should not be used on organic materials. Hope this helps. Best, Christina M. Giovas, PhD Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University National Geographic Explorer Co-Editor, Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology ________________________________ From: Nhcoll-l on behalf of Simon Moore Sent: February 17, 2023 9:00:01 AM To: Kayla Sanders Cc: NHCOLL-new Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Sea Turtle Shell Mold Hi Kayla, Alcohol is what I would use as it?s quick, easy and effective. This would be followed up by giving the scutes some dressing to replace any lost natural oils and there will likely be some discussion over which is best. In the UK antique trade they recommend odour-free almond oil, rubbed in using the cotton buds / Q-tips, even though this is obv a veggie-based oil, it does work well. With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian, www.natural-history-conservation.com > On 17 Feb 2023, at 16:28, Kayla Sanders wrote: > > Good Morning, > > My name is Kayla Sanders and I am the Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I would like to find out if you have any recommendations on cleaning mold growth from a taxidermy sea turtle shell. We have come across mold growth on several of our preserved sea turtle shells. > > We were thinking possibly using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean the areas, but wanted to hear the advice from other museums. > > If you could please let me know what you think might work best without damaging the shell, I would appreciate it. > > Thank you, > > > > > Desc.png> > Kayla Sanders Assistant Manager of Exhibits Collection and Development > 401 SW Second Street > Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 > Direct: 954.712.1166 Ext. 132 > kayla.sanders at mods.org ? mods.org > When you shop every purchase helps activate MODS? mission of connecting people to inspiring science. Thank you for making MODS your non-profit of choice. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 oleary at amnh.org Fri Feb 17 14:07:52 2023 From: oleary at amnh.org (Ruth O'Leary) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:07:52 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Posting: Vertebrate Paleontology Museum Specialist, AMNH Message-ID: AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY An Equal Opportunity Employer NOTICE OF JOB OPENING Date: 2/17/2023 Job Title: Museum Specialist (Vertebrate Paleontology) Responsibilities and Duties: The Museum Specialist will participate in the care and curation of the three Vertebrate Paleontology collections and the Fossil Plant collection. Duties include: assistance in ongoing curation and collection organization including cataloging and databasing, collection moves, specimen loans, collections inquiries, data entry and verification, visitor support, pest management, specimen inventory and rehousing, and other duties as assigned. Required Qualifications: BS or equivalent in life sciences, ability to work with paleontological research collections, ability to perform tasks requiring physical strength and high manual dexterity, proficiency in the use of PC based software, good organizational, excellent interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently are required. Experience working in museum collections and working with databases EMu and FileMaker Pro is desirable. Knowledge of taxonomic nomenclature a plus. Interested parties should apply online: https://careers.amnh.org/postings/3566 Applications must be received no later than March 24, 2023 Applications cannot be accepted via email or snail mail **Please Note: Due to the volume of applications, we are not able to respond to email inquiries regarding the status of an application** The American Museum of Natural History is one of the world's preeminent scientific and cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1869, the Museum has advanced its global mission to discover, interpret and disseminate information about human cultures, the natural world and the universe through a wide-ranging program of scientific research, education and exhibition. The Museum is renowned for its exhibitions and scientific collections, which serve as a field guide to the entire planet and present a panorama of the world's cultures.? The American Museum of Natural History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. The Museum does not discriminate with respect to employment, or admission or access to Museum facilities, programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, marital status, partnership status, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, pregnancy, alienage or citizenship status, current or former participation in the uniformed services, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin, or on account of any other basis prohibited by applicable City, State, or Federal law. Additional protections are afforded in employment based on arrest or conviction record, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, unemployment status, and credit history, in each case to the extent provided by law. If special accommodations are needed in applying for a position, please call the Office of Human Resources.? Ruth O'Leary Director of Collections, Archives and Preparation Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History 200 Central Park West New York NY 10024 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From troberts at nhm.org Fri Feb 17 15:51:33 2023 From: troberts at nhm.org (Trina Roberts) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 12:51:33 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research Message-ID: Hi colleagues, We are experiencing some misunderstandings with the local USFWS inspection office about what we do and don't need to do for imports of dried/preserved specimens for taxonomic/systematic research. These are not anything that would require CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, or other special permitting. They are not imports from new field work, but specimens from existing collections being loaned to us or being returned to us after a loan. My interpretation of the situation and our responsibility is: - The specimens are for taxonomic/systematic research because they are being used in studies that will do such things as naming species and determining evolutionary relationships among species and higher taxa, regardless of whether the identity of these specimens is unknown or what we currently know of their taxonomy. - We *do not* have to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before/upon import, because 50 CFR ?14.55 (d) says that clearance is not required for such shipments, and 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we do not have to file a declaration at the time of importation. - But we *do* have to file a 3-177 within 180 days after the import, because 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we must do so "with the appropriate Assistant Regional Director - Law Enforcement" USFWS's current interpretation is: - The specimens cannot be for taxonomic/systematic research because they have already been identified to genus, and therefore we know what they are. The exception for taxonomic/systematic research only holds if the specimens in the shipment are unidentified. We have managed to talk them into accepting that individual shipments are for taxonomic research after a rejection, but with no evidence that they have changed their overall interpretation. - Therefore we need to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before import. - There is no difference between clearance and declaration. There is no situation when we would be exempt from clearance at import and still need to file a declaration later. We either need to file before import if a 3-177 is needed, or not file at all if it isn't. The result of this is that if we DO file a 3-177 after import, it gets rejected and found in violation of the clearance requirement. If we DON'T file at all, obviously USFWS can't reject the 3-177 but I think we are in violation of the declaration requirement. I would love to hear from the community whether you agree that a 3-177 is needed for this kind of import, and whether any of you are in fact using these exceptions to file yours post-import, something that in my experience is or at least used to be common for museums. And, critically: if you are doing that successfully, exactly how does the process go? Are you filing in eDecs? Is there some magical way you are filling in the fields that tells your local inspectors that this is an import declaration but the shipment is exempt from clearance? Are your local inspectors interpreting "taxonomic or systematic research" more broadly than ours, and what are you putting on your forms that makes it clear to them that that category applies? Are you filing in some way that sends the form not to front-line inspectors whose job it is to clear shipments, but to someone else? Do they approve your eDecs, and if they do do they mark them as "cleared" even if the import is in the past, or is there some other category they apply? The local office here is horrendously understaffed and overworked, with a huge amount of commercial wildlife traffic coming through LAX and the port; what we do is a tiny corner of what they're responsible for monitoring. I'm not surprised that misunderstandings occur, just looking for examples of how this is working better for other institutions with the hope of fixing this before it gets more combative. Thanks for any clever solutions! I'm happy to talk more about this one-on-one if that's helpful to anyone or if you need more details (or if you don't want to commit your thoughts to writing). --Trina -- Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D. Associate VP, Collections Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County 213-763-3330 troberts at nhm.org she, her, hers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Fri Feb 17 16:06:05 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 21:06:05 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Trina We had much the same conversation with USFWS agents in Memphis regarding shipments of ours. They were also interpreting their own regulations incorrectly and admitted as much to us after seeking input from their higher ups ? but for different reasons. The long and the short of it was that they agreed that we do have 180 days in which to file BUT they strongly encouraged us to file at time of import to avoid delays or unnecessary inspection of packages that were not adequately flagged through the prior filing of a 3-177. Memphis also does not accept any paper versions of 3-177?s and as such whether filing upon entry or within 180 days, it must go through the e-Dec system. In that case it is just as easy to file at the time rather than waiting. As such we have pretty much done away with filing after the fact to avoid any confusion. After going round and round with them on this and getting a final ruling, I wrote up the following document for our folks here to process incoming and outgoing material. It is fairly specific to KU in some places but generic enough that it would be adapted for your purposes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zat4CLpagKX0XQAYOXN6sWhXxhYlpxvI4KzKYignPlY/edit I must admit that I have never heard the argument that specimens that are identified cannot be used for taxonomic work and this is frankly ignorant and easy refutable. Also, the Legs and Regs committee was planning a workshop at the SF meeting with representatives of USFWS and others to try and find common ground and solutions to common problems but not sure where that stands at present. Hope that helps. Happy to answer specific questions if you have them in person on Zoom. 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 Trina Roberts Sent: Friday, February 17, 2023 2:52 PM To: nhcoll Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research Hi colleagues, We are experiencing some misunderstandings with the local USFWS inspection office about what we do and don't need to do for imports of dried/preserved specimens for taxonomic/systematic research. These are not anything that would require CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, or other special permitting. They are not imports from new field work, but specimens from existing collections being loaned to us or being returned to us after a loan. My interpretation of the situation and our responsibility is: - The specimens are for taxonomic/systematic research because they are being used in studies that will do such things as naming species and determining evolutionary relationships among species and higher taxa, regardless of whether the identity of these specimens is unknown or what we currently know of their taxonomy. - We do not have to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before/upon import, because 50 CFR ?14.55 (d) says that clearance is not required for such shipments, and 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we do not have to file a declaration at the time of importation. - But we do have to file a 3-177 within 180 days after the import, because 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we must do so "with the appropriate Assistant Regional Director - Law Enforcement" USFWS's current interpretation is: - The specimens cannot be for taxonomic/systematic research because they have already been identified to genus, and therefore we know what they are. The exception for taxonomic/systematic research only holds if the specimens in the shipment are unidentified. We have managed to talk them into accepting that individual shipments are for taxonomic research after a rejection, but with no evidence that they have changed their overall interpretation. - Therefore we need to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before import. - There is no difference between clearance and declaration. There is no situation when we would be exempt from clearance at import and still need to file a declaration later. We either need to file before import if a 3-177 is needed, or not file at all if it isn't. The result of this is that if we DO file a 3-177 after import, it gets rejected and found in violation of the clearance requirement. If we DON'T file at all, obviously USFWS can't reject the 3-177 but I think we are in violation of the declaration requirement. I would love to hear from the community whether you agree that a 3-177 is needed for this kind of import, and whether any of you are in fact using these exceptions to file yours post-import, something that in my experience is or at least used to be common for museums. And, critically: if you are doing that successfully, exactly how does the process go? Are you filing in eDecs? Is there some magical way you are filling in the fields that tells your local inspectors that this is an import declaration but the shipment is exempt from clearance? Are your local inspectors interpreting "taxonomic or systematic research" more broadly than ours, and what are you putting on your forms that makes it clear to them that that category applies? Are you filing in some way that sends the form not to front-line inspectors whose job it is to clear shipments, but to someone else? Do they approve your eDecs, and if they do do they mark them as "cleared" even if the import is in the past, or is there some other category they apply? The local office here is horrendously understaffed and overworked, with a huge amount of commercial wildlife traffic coming through LAX and the port; what we do is a tiny corner of what they're responsible for monitoring. I'm not surprised that misunderstandings occur, just looking for examples of how this is working better for other institutions with the hope of fixing this before it gets more combative. Thanks for any clever solutions! I'm happy to talk more about this one-on-one if that's helpful to anyone or if you need more details (or if you don't want to commit your thoughts to writing). --Trina -- Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D. Associate VP, Collections Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County 213-763-3330 troberts at nhm.org she, her, hers -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bmhess at umich.edu Fri Feb 17 16:14:55 2023 From: bmhess at umich.edu (Benjamin Hess) Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2023 16:14:55 -0500 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Trina, I regularly talk with ALL agencies about the importation of biological material. There has been a recent shift with how imports are monitored, and now with US Customs and Border Protection Biological Agents at most main ports of entry, this has required more communication in advance. The USFWS requires advance notice 48-72 hours before the entry of biological material that they regulate. For newly collected material, communication with the USFWS designated port has led to the *USFWS 3-177 being requested in advance*. With few exceptions, you must have a 3-177 in hand if you hand-carry material. If you are shipping material, there is sometimes leniency with vendors like UPS, FedEx, DHL. Otherwise, the current expectation is that you have at the minimum a PENDING 3-177 with your documentation. YES, the Code of Federal Regulations states this must be done within 180 days, *but the expectation is that it is done in advance now.* We have simply shifted our way of thinking - the CFR will most likely not change but the expectation by the USFWS has changed. I am happy to talk with you more about this to answer any questions, or to help. Sincerely, Ben On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 3:52 PM Trina Roberts wrote: > Hi colleagues, > > We are experiencing some misunderstandings with the local USFWS inspection > office about what we do and don't need to do for imports of dried/preserved > specimens for taxonomic/systematic research. These are not anything that > would require CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, or other special permitting. They > are not imports from new field work, but specimens from existing > collections being loaned to us or being returned to us after a loan. > > My interpretation of the situation and our responsibility is: > - The specimens are for taxonomic/systematic research because they are > being used in studies that will do such things as naming species and > determining evolutionary relationships among species and higher taxa, > regardless of whether the identity of these specimens is unknown or what we > currently know of their taxonomy. > - We *do not* have to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared > before/upon import, because 50 CFR ?14.55 (d) says that clearance is not > required for such shipments, and 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we do not have to > file a declaration at the time of importation. > - But we *do* have to file a 3-177 within 180 days after the import, > because 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we must do so "with the appropriate > Assistant Regional Director - Law Enforcement" > > USFWS's current interpretation is: > - The specimens cannot be for taxonomic/systematic research because they > have already been identified to genus, and therefore we know what they > are. The exception for taxonomic/systematic research only holds if the > specimens in the shipment are unidentified. We have managed to talk > them into accepting that individual shipments are for taxonomic research > after a rejection, but with no evidence that they have changed their > overall interpretation. > - Therefore we need to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before > import. > - There is no difference between clearance and declaration. There is no > situation when we would be exempt from clearance at import and still need > to file a declaration later. We either need to file before import if a > 3-177 is needed, or not file at all if it isn't. > > The result of this is that if we DO file a 3-177 after import, it gets > rejected and found in violation of the clearance requirement. If we DON'T > file at all, obviously USFWS can't reject the 3-177 but I think we are in > violation of the declaration requirement. > > I would love to hear from the community whether you agree that a 3-177 is > needed for this kind of import, and whether any of you are in fact using > these exceptions to file yours post-import, something that in my experience > is or at least used to be common for museums. And, critically: if you are > doing that successfully, exactly how does the process go? Are you filing > in eDecs? Is there some magical way you are filling in the fields that > tells your local inspectors that this is an import declaration but the > shipment is exempt from clearance? Are your local inspectors interpreting > "taxonomic or systematic research" more broadly than ours, and what are you > putting on your forms that makes it clear to them that that category > applies? Are you filing in some way that sends the form not to front-line > inspectors whose job it is to clear shipments, but to someone else? Do > they approve your eDecs, and if they do do they mark them as "cleared" even > if the import is in the past, or is there some other category they apply? > > The local office here is horrendously understaffed and overworked, with a > huge amount of commercial wildlife traffic coming through LAX and the port; > what we do is a tiny corner of what they're responsible for monitoring. > I'm not surprised that misunderstandings occur, just looking for examples > of how this is working better for other institutions with the hope of > fixing this before it gets more combative. > > Thanks for any clever solutions! I'm happy to talk more about this > one-on-one if that's helpful to anyone or if you need more details (or if > you don't want to commit your thoughts to writing). > > --Trina > > > > > > -- > Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D. > Associate VP, Collections > Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County > 213-763-3330 > troberts at nhm.org > she, her, hers > _______________________________________________ > 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 d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Sat Feb 18 05:58:17 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2023 11:58:17 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Dear Trina, Ben, Andy and all, a major hurdle for all shippers outside the US is that the usually have no idea which "their port of entry" will be. If they are suing FedEx or UPS, they may guess "Memphis" or "Louiseville", but in many cases this is wrong, especially for shipments to the East and West Coast. So it is simply impossible to identify the respective port of entry. In Europe there was a similar system in place for (national) postal shipments, that required that you would need import permission from the responsible Competent National Authority in the respective EU Member State, where the legal responsibility usually was handed down further in the chain from a national to federal or local level. The solution was to amened the EU legislation, as this was way easier, and to come up with harmonised language of what we ship, to support agencies and carriers to positively identify our preserved museum materials. I can only strongly encourage all shipping preserved museum specimens to adopt this language. We definitely need common understanding between agencies. This even more so, as the EU customs laws from March 1st 2023 will also require proper declarations in advance. In many cases where I was contacted for support, it seemed that carriers "lost" the paperwork attached on the outside, and even though it was scanned by the shippers, it was not part of the electronic piles of documents the recipient e.g. inside the EU received for "clearance". Often, it turned out that these electronic files where incomplete, while, upon arrival, everything was in place. In short, the carriers may add to the problem, too. As Andy mentioned, we are organising a symposium on this topic at the SPNHC conference, as we can expect that for biodiversity monitoring more material will be shipped, not less. With best wishes Dirk Am 17.02.2023 um 22:14 schrieb Benjamin Hess: Trina, I regularly talk with ALL agencies about the importation of biological material. There has been a recent shift with how imports are monitored, and now with US Customs and Border Protection Biological Agents at most main ports of entry, this has required more communication in advance. The USFWS requires advance notice 48-72 hours before the entry of biological material that they regulate. For newly collected material, communication with the USFWS designated port has led to the USFWS 3-177 being requested in advance. With few exceptions, you must have a 3-177 in hand if you hand-carry material. If you are shipping material, there is sometimes leniency with vendors like UPS, FedEx, DHL. Otherwise, the current expectation is that you have at the minimum a PENDING 3-177 with your documentation. YES, the Code of Federal Regulations states this must be done within 180 days, but the expectation is that it is done in advance now. We have simply shifted our way of thinking - the CFR will most likely not change but the expectation by the USFWS has changed. I am happy to talk with you more about this to answer any questions, or to help. Sincerely, Ben On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 3:52 PM Trina Roberts > wrote: Hi colleagues, We are experiencing some misunderstandings with the local USFWS inspection office about what we do and don't need to do for imports of dried/preserved specimens for taxonomic/systematic research. These are not anything that would require CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, or other special permitting. They are not imports from new field work, but specimens from existing collections being loaned to us or being returned to us after a loan. My interpretation of the situation and our responsibility is: - The specimens are for taxonomic/systematic research because they are being used in studies that will do such things as naming species and determining evolutionary relationships among species and higher taxa, regardless of whether the identity of these specimens is unknown or what we currently know of their taxonomy. - We do not have to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before/upon import, because 50 CFR ?14.55 (d) says that clearance is not required for such shipments, and 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we do not have to file a declaration at the time of importation. - But we do have to file a 3-177 within 180 days after the import, because 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we must do so "with the appropriate Assistant Regional Director - Law Enforcement" USFWS's current interpretation is: - The specimens cannot be for taxonomic/systematic research because they have already been identified to genus, and therefore we know what they are. The exception for taxonomic/systematic research only holds if the specimens in the shipment are unidentified. We have managed to talk them into accepting that individual shipments are for taxonomic research after a rejection, but with no evidence that they have changed their overall interpretation. - Therefore we need to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before import. - There is no difference between clearance and declaration. There is no situation when we would be exempt from clearance at import and still need to file a declaration later. We either need to file before import if a 3-177 is needed, or not file at all if it isn't. The result of this is that if we DO file a 3-177 after import, it gets rejected and found in violation of the clearance requirement. If we DON'T file at all, obviously USFWS can't reject the 3-177 but I think we are in violation of the declaration requirement. I would love to hear from the community whether you agree that a 3-177 is needed for this kind of import, and whether any of you are in fact using these exceptions to file yours post-import, something that in my experience is or at least used to be common for museums. And, critically: if you are doing that successfully, exactly how does the process go? Are you filing in eDecs? Is there some magical way you are filling in the fields that tells your local inspectors that this is an import declaration but the shipment is exempt from clearance? Are your local inspectors interpreting "taxonomic or systematic research" more broadly than ours, and what are you putting on your forms that makes it clear to them that that category applies? Are you filing in some way that sends the form not to front-line inspectors whose job it is to clear shipments, but to someone else? Do they approve your eDecs, and if they do do they mark them as "cleared" even if the import is in the past, or is there some other category they apply? The local office here is horrendously understaffed and overworked, with a huge amount of commercial wildlife traffic coming through LAX and the port; what we do is a tiny corner of what they're responsible for monitoring. I'm not surprised that misunderstandings occur, just looking for examples of how this is working better for other institutions with the hope of fixing this before it gets more combative. Thanks for any clever solutions! I'm happy to talk more about this one-on-one if that's helpful to anyone or if you need more details (or if you don't want to commit your thoughts to writing). --Trina -- Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D. Associate VP, Collections Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County 213-763-3330 troberts at nhm.org she, her, hers _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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 d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de Sun Feb 19 04:53:18 2023 From: d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de (Dirk Neumann) Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2023 10:53:18 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Filing post-import 3-177s for specimens for taxonomic & systematic research In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <801d692b-27e6-1c3b-4135-6ab45bd55434@leibniz-lib.de> Hi all, a dear colleague made me aware that my fast fingers implied "suing" FedEx or UPS - of course this should have read "using". Apologies for this typo! Dirk Am 18.02.2023 um 11:58 schrieb Dirk Neumann: Dear Trina, Ben, Andy and all, a major hurdle for all shippers outside the US is that the usually have no idea which "their port of entry" will be. If they are suing FedEx or UPS, they may guess "Memphis" or "Louiseville", but in many cases this is wrong, especially for shipments to the East and West Coast. So it is simply impossible to identify the respective port of entry. In Europe there was a similar system in place for (national) postal shipments, that required that you would need import permission from the responsible Competent National Authority in the respective EU Member State, where the legal responsibility usually was handed down further in the chain from a national to federal or local level. The solution was to amened the EU legislation, as this was way easier, and to come up with harmonised language of what we ship, to support agencies and carriers to positively identify our preserved museum materials. I can only strongly encourage all shipping preserved museum specimens to adopt this language. We definitely need common understanding between agencies. This even more so, as the EU customs laws from March 1st 2023 will also require proper declarations in advance. In many cases where I was contacted for support, it seemed that carriers "lost" the paperwork attached on the outside, and even though it was scanned by the shippers, it was not part of the electronic piles of documents the recipient e.g. inside the EU received for "clearance". Often, it turned out that these electronic files where incomplete, while, upon arrival, everything was in place. In short, the carriers may add to the problem, too. As Andy mentioned, we are organising a symposium on this topic at the SPNHC conference, as we can expect that for biodiversity monitoring more material will be shipped, not less. With best wishes Dirk Am 17.02.2023 um 22:14 schrieb Benjamin Hess: Trina, I regularly talk with ALL agencies about the importation of biological material. There has been a recent shift with how imports are monitored, and now with US Customs and Border Protection Biological Agents at most main ports of entry, this has required more communication in advance. The USFWS requires advance notice 48-72 hours before the entry of biological material that they regulate. For newly collected material, communication with the USFWS designated port has led to the USFWS 3-177 being requested in advance. With few exceptions, you must have a 3-177 in hand if you hand-carry material. If you are shipping material, there is sometimes leniency with vendors like UPS, FedEx, DHL. Otherwise, the current expectation is that you have at the minimum a PENDING 3-177 with your documentation. YES, the Code of Federal Regulations states this must be done within 180 days, but the expectation is that it is done in advance now. We have simply shifted our way of thinking - the CFR will most likely not change but the expectation by the USFWS has changed. I am happy to talk with you more about this to answer any questions, or to help. Sincerely, Ben On Fri, Feb 17, 2023 at 3:52 PM Trina Roberts > wrote: Hi colleagues, We are experiencing some misunderstandings with the local USFWS inspection office about what we do and don't need to do for imports of dried/preserved specimens for taxonomic/systematic research. These are not anything that would require CITES, ESA, MBTA, MMPA, or other special permitting. They are not imports from new field work, but specimens from existing collections being loaned to us or being returned to us after a loan. My interpretation of the situation and our responsibility is: - The specimens are for taxonomic/systematic research because they are being used in studies that will do such things as naming species and determining evolutionary relationships among species and higher taxa, regardless of whether the identity of these specimens is unknown or what we currently know of their taxonomy. - We do not have to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before/upon import, because 50 CFR ?14.55 (d) says that clearance is not required for such shipments, and 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we do not have to file a declaration at the time of importation. - But we do have to file a 3-177 within 180 days after the import, because 50 CFR ?14.62 (d) says we must do so "with the appropriate Assistant Regional Director - Law Enforcement" USFWS's current interpretation is: - The specimens cannot be for taxonomic/systematic research because they have already been identified to genus, and therefore we know what they are. The exception for taxonomic/systematic research only holds if the specimens in the shipment are unidentified. We have managed to talk them into accepting that individual shipments are for taxonomic research after a rejection, but with no evidence that they have changed their overall interpretation. - Therefore we need to file a 3-177 and have the shipment cleared before import. - There is no difference between clearance and declaration. There is no situation when we would be exempt from clearance at import and still need to file a declaration later. We either need to file before import if a 3-177 is needed, or not file at all if it isn't. The result of this is that if we DO file a 3-177 after import, it gets rejected and found in violation of the clearance requirement. If we DON'T file at all, obviously USFWS can't reject the 3-177 but I think we are in violation of the declaration requirement. I would love to hear from the community whether you agree that a 3-177 is needed for this kind of import, and whether any of you are in fact using these exceptions to file yours post-import, something that in my experience is or at least used to be common for museums. And, critically: if you are doing that successfully, exactly how does the process go? Are you filing in eDecs? Is there some magical way you are filling in the fields that tells your local inspectors that this is an import declaration but the shipment is exempt from clearance? Are your local inspectors interpreting "taxonomic or systematic research" more broadly than ours, and what are you putting on your forms that makes it clear to them that that category applies? Are you filing in some way that sends the form not to front-line inspectors whose job it is to clear shipments, but to someone else? Do they approve your eDecs, and if they do do they mark them as "cleared" even if the import is in the past, or is there some other category they apply? The local office here is horrendously understaffed and overworked, with a huge amount of commercial wildlife traffic coming through LAX and the port; what we do is a tiny corner of what they're responsible for monitoring. I'm not surprised that misunderstandings occur, just looking for examples of how this is working better for other institutions with the hope of fixing this before it gets more combative. Thanks for any clever solutions! I'm happy to talk more about this one-on-one if that's helpful to anyone or if you need more details (or if you don't want to commit your thoughts to writing). --Trina -- Trina E. Roberts, Ph.D. Associate VP, Collections Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County 213-763-3330 troberts at nhm.org she, her, hers _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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 Tonya.Haff at csiro.au Sun Feb 19 17:40:01 2023 From: Tonya.Haff at csiro.au (Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace)) Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2023 22:40:01 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections In-Reply-To: References: <6dffb7d6-80fa-3ce5-d209-c8317557c7a0@leibniz-lib.de> Message-ID: Dear all, Thanks to everyone who weighed in on this topic, I really appreciate it and it has spawned a couple of really interesting practical and philosophical threads that have given me a lot to think about in terms of the ways that we store our spirit collection. May I just ask, Dean, about you all storing jars upside down (!!!)? I haven?t heard of this before, and it made me do a couple of double takes I must admit. Is the reasoning that, when upside down, there is no pressure on lids and seals? And I wonder if that doesn?t make your jars very wobbly? Anyway I am intrigued. Thanks again everyone! Cheers, Tonya From: Nhcoll-l On Behalf Of Hendrickson Dean Sent: Thursday, 16 February 2023 5:00 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections I presented a talk at SPNHC in 2022 that discussed the extreme space crunch that forced us to convert a now sizeable portion of our fish collection from the classical taxonomy-ordered shelving to a much more compact and (we find in many ways) more efficient shelving system based on jar-size- and catalog-number. We?re very happy with the results so far, and coincidentally our legacy, second-hand library shelving enabled a handy solution to John?s point 1 ? it takes us mere seconds to reliably monitor our fluid levels across an entire shelf full of upside-down jars. We still consider this experimental, but now have 4-5 years with many hundreds of jars in the test and still no sign of leaks. Mind you, these are all recently acquired and processed specimens, so new lids, liners, etc. More details are in the powerpoint and video of the presentation archived as Cohen, A. E., Hendrickson, D. A., & Casarez, M. J. (2022). Testing An Alternative Shelving Arrangement to Optimize Space and Task Efficiency in a Fluid Fish Collection. https://hdl.handle.net/2152/117476 (the shelf-jiggling fluid level monitoring is demonstrated at the end of the presentation). Dean [Fishes of Texas]Dean A. Hendrickson, Ph.D. (he/him/his) Curator of Ichthyology, Biodiversity Center, University of Texas, Texas Natural History Collections,10100 Burnet Rd., PRC176/R4000 Austin, Texas 78758 USA +1-512-656-9504 (cel.); Orcid / lab / collection / zoom From: Nhcoll-l > On Behalf Of John E Simmons Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 10:07 AM To: Dirk Neumann > Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Shelf depth for EtOH jar collections The advice offered so far on this thread is excellent, particularly the idea of abandoning systematic arrangements. There are two other points in support of the advice that has already been offered that should be mentioned: 1-Deeper shelves do allow storage of collections in dense arrangements (assuming the containers are appropriately sized) but dense storage is a negative, not a positive. Yes, it saves a bit of space, but what is sacrificed is the ability to monitor the condition of the containers and specimens. The ideal arrangement would be shelves with only one row of jars because with that arrangement specimens and fluid level and color could immediately be seen, enabling the correction of developing problems, particularly loss of fluid. However, shelving with just one row of jars is not practical, so the question becomes how many rows of jars is practical? With two or more rows the jars in front must be moved to see the jars in back, which takes additional time and also, each time a jar is picked up and moved, it increases the risk of either compromising the container seal or getting the containers out of order. With deep shelves, so that the containers are several rows deep, the time spent monitoring the collection (checking for problems) increases enormously. In my experience, the time (and therefore the cost) of monitoring collections is rarely considered when planning collection storage, which is foolish. A fluid collection needs to be inspected regularly to avoid problems. 2-Systematic arrangements are false in the sense that they are not phylogenetic arrangements (nobody has branching shelving). What systematic arrangements do is simply re-create the linear scala naturae of Aristotle, using scientific names. The arguments that this allows for better exploration of the collection, etc., are silly. And as Paul points out, containers should not be opened in the collection storage room to examine specimens. Systematic arrangements made sense when collections were smaller, space was available, and scientific names were more stable. In a world of rapidly changing systematic arrangements, we should make good use of electronic databases to both bear the current name of species and to serve as a finding aid for containers, and arrange storage to efficiently store specimens in a stable environment on storage furniture designed to accommodate efficient monitoring of specimens and containers. --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, Feb 15, 2023 at 2:15 AM Dirk Neumann > wrote: Hi Tonya, we recommend in our book (p. 94) to prefer 300 mm deep shelves. You can do deeper shelves (in Munich we had 450 mm), but this doesn't save space, as you cannot place more large jars on such such shelves. Usually, large glass cylinders are rarely deeper than 300 mm. If there are larger containers, it might be worth considering 1 isle with deeper shelves (e.g., 450 mm) for these jars, or to arrange all large jars on special heavy duty shelves, as for example in the tank room at the NHM in London. If you choose 440 mm deep shelves for the entire collection, you increase the required staff time for monitoring and maintenance, because usually the number of small jars is much higher, and there is a tendency that small jars are crowding on deeper shelves as the offer more space. Visual inspection of such densely packed shelves however needs more time. If staff time is a critical variable, 300 mm would be preferable. Another point worth considering: deep shelves usually require wider isles and operating areas. This may not be intuitive right from the start, but you need to reach deeper into the (crowded) shelf. If the isle is as narrow as it would be for a 300 mm deep shelf, the risk to knock other jars is higher. If available space in the new storage room is not the limiting factor, I would choose 300 mm deep shelves. Hope this helps Dirk Am 15.02.2023 um 04:26 schrieb Haff, Tonya (NCMI, Crace): Hi again everyone, We are getting down to the pointy bit of having to confirm the desired depth of shelving for our new ethanol vault storage. Right now our shelves are only about 300mm deep, which is really not deep enough for some larger containers. We have specified 440mm deep shelving for the new space, but before pushing ?go? I thought I would ask if any of you have thoughts or very strong opinions about optimal shelf depth for storing jars of various sizes and smaller drums. Thanks in advance for your input! 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. -- **** 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. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.gif Type: image/gif Size: 8734 bytes Desc: image001.gif URL: From sergio.montagud at gmail.com Mon Feb 20 07:24:28 2023 From: sergio.montagud at gmail.com (Sergio Montagud) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 12:24:28 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Entomological (and dangerous) collections Message-ID: Dear all, This is a special question for entomologist curators. We have a large collection of insects (Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, mainly) in a standar small entomological boxes (26 x 19 cm). These type of boxes is half of the standard entomological box and was used extensively in the beginner of XX siegle. But the preservation chemical that was used is creosote and all the box have a smell so strong. Due to the toxic and dangerous that is the creosote, we will go to change the insects in a new boxes, althoug the same insects could maintain the same smelt. But the original boxes, with the toxic smell, we don't know what to do. They could be interesting because are ancient and historic. Some of them are labelled with original writting of the entomologist. In other case, without dangerous creosote, all of them would be preserved safely. But now... What do you recommend? Anyone knows a safe method to preserve these boxes? Or maybe, like scince-fiction, one method to extract all vaporous creosote from the wood. Thanks in advance! Sergio -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mflannery at calacademy.org Mon Feb 20 16:18:50 2023 From: mflannery at calacademy.org (Moe Flannery) Date: Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:18:50 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Travel Grant Application Deadline only one week away! Message-ID: [image: image.png] REMINDER - the SPNHC 2023 Travel Grant application deadline is next Tuesday: *February 28, 2023, COB* (close of business your local time). The Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) *is offering travel grants for the* *2023 SPNHC* * Annual Meeting* in San Francisco, CA, USA 28th May-2nd June 2023. Any SPNHC member who works in fields related to the management and preservation/conservation of natural history collections may apply; we especially encourage students and emerging professionals. SPNHC members from the following countries are strongly encouraged to apply?Central and South America, Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Applicants must be members of the Society. Members who have received a SPNHC Conference Travel Grant within the last five (5) years are not eligible. While not required, applicants who have been accepted to do a presentation or poster and are first author will be given priority. Currently there are two travel grants available?the Fitzgerald Travel Grant and the Christine Allen Travel Grant . There are multiple Fitzgerald travel grants available and one Christine Allen grant available. Other travel grants may be available as SPNHC receives sponsorships to fund additional grants. Please check back periodically for updates. Applications are also available on the SPNHC conference website . For additional information, contact Elise V. LeCompte, Chair, SPNHC Travel Grants Program, lecompte at flmnh.ufl.edu. To become a SPNHC member, please visit https://spnhc.wildapricot.org/join-us . SPNHC 2023 Diamond Sponsors [image: image.png][image: image.png] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 31424 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 35959 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image.png Type: image/png Size: 39855 bytes Desc: not available URL: From sergio.montagud at gmail.com Wed Feb 22 05:13:50 2023 From: sergio.montagud at gmail.com (Sergio Montagud) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2023 10:13:50 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Entomological (and dangerous) collections In-Reply-To: <493589bc-8f8b-a67c-6ff6-63ea7e6b5b05@gmail.com> References: <493589bc-8f8b-a67c-6ff6-63ea7e6b5b05@gmail.com> Message-ID: Thank you, Douglas I don?t know how we can investigate it, because only the smell exists, no liquids. Probably we need to detect vaporous substances.. too many difficults. As always occurs, sure our creosote comes from the coal-derived, so we must to consider it dangerous. Also the smell is so powerfull and all investigators that works with these boxes, go to their homes with the clothes with that smell that last during days. Maybe, we can think to destroy these boxes... Thanks for writting! Sergio De: Douglas Yanega Fecha: martes, 21 de febrero de 2023, 17:44 Para: Sergio Montagud Asunto: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Entomological (and dangerous) collections On 2/20/23 4:24 AM, Sergio Montagud wrote: Dear all, This is a special question for entomologist curators. We have a large collection of insects (Coleoptera and Hymenoptera, mainly) in a standar small entomological boxes (26 x 19 cm). These type of boxes is half of the standard entomological box and was used extensively in the beginner of XX siegle. But the preservation chemical that was used is creosote and all the box have a smell so strong. Due to the toxic and dangerous that is the creosote, we will go to change the insects in a new boxes, althoug the same insects could maintain the same smelt. But the original boxes, with the toxic smell, we don't know what to do. They could be interesting because are ancient and historic. Some of them are labelled with original writting of the entomologist. In other case, without dangerous creosote, all of them would be preserved safely. But now... What do you recommend? Anyone knows a safe method to preserve these boxes? Or maybe, like scince-fiction, one method to extract all vaporous creosote from the wood. Sergio: There are two very different types of creosote, one of which (coal-derived) is clearly toxic, the other (wood-derived) is not (or much less so). I know this because we had a bottle in our entomological museum here of the latter (wood-based), and I had to research it when filling out our hazmat paperwork. It is fairly important to establish which of these two is involved, and I am not sure how to determine which one is which unless one has the labeled container, as we did. There may be a chemical test that can distinguish them. Peace, -- Doug Yanega Dept. of Entomology Entomology Research Museum Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314 skype: dyanega phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's) https://faculty.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From phwimberger at pugetsound.edu Wed Feb 22 03:52:23 2023 From: phwimberger at pugetsound.edu (Peter Wimberger) Date: Wed, 22 Feb 2023 00:52:23 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Catalog or record of 19th and early 20th c collectors? Message-ID: Hello All, I wanted to thank folks who responded to my query about Stanley Jewett last Fall. It was very useful and we've found more material that sheds a bit more light on his life. Does anyone know if there is a catalog or good account of late 19th and first half of the 20th century North American bird collectors who contributed significant numbers of specimens to museum collections? As I go through some of our Stanley Jewett material including his accounts of collectors with whom he traded and orphan tags from specimens he received and put his own tags on (he did credit the original collectors on his tags), it would be great to have a list, and maybe even short bios of those folks who contributed the bulk of older specimens in our collections, which are such invaluable records of the past. Thanks, Peter Wimberger Director, Slater Museum of Natural History -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bethanypalumbo at gmail.com Thu Feb 23 04:34:22 2023 From: bethanypalumbo at gmail.com (Bethany Palumbo) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2023 10:34:22 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Job Alert- IT Lead for DaSSCo in Denmark! Message-ID: Hi all, We are now advertising for an IT Lead for DaSSCo! DaSSCo (Danish System of Scientific Collections) is a national program to digitise every natural history specimen in Denmark. It is the Danish node of DiSSCo. The IT Lead is a key position and will work as part of a small (but growing) team to help develop the infrastructure needed for this ambitious program. If you would like to know more about the museum: https://snm.ku.dk/english/about_the_museum/ Details of the post are here: https://employment.ku.dk/all-vacancies/?show=158363 Deadline is March 5th 2023. All the best, -- 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 Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org Thu Feb 23 14:12:27 2023 From: Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org (Jeff Stephenson) Date: Thu, 23 Feb 2023 19:12:27 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] March and July On-Line Courses from Museum Study, NEDCC 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 Assessing Risk to Cultural Property 1 online course begins March 6 on MuseumStudy.com Assessing risks to cultural property, including but not limited to Museum, Library, and Archive collections, is becoming a fundamental ability for collection care professionals and administrators to make informed decisions about not only where the risks to collections are, but also where resources will have the greatest effect in addressing those risks. Join instructor Robert Waller for the first in a series of online courses on Risk to Cultural Property. This introductory course provides a firm foundation on which to build an understanding of risk-based approaches to cultural property protection. For more information visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/assessing-risk-to-cultural-property-1 Cultural Competency online course begins March 6 on MuseumStudy.com Creating organizations that are culturally competent is not an altruistic wish, but rather a business strategy to ensure our workforce reflects, represents, and is responsive to the communities with whom we collaborate and serve and perhaps more critically, how we shape our programs, exhibits, and collections. While cultural competency has long been incorporated into the medical disciplines and the fields of psychology and social work they have been slow to enter the cultural heritage professions. Join Helen Wong Smith for this 4 week online course which provides the skills to employ cultural competency and the stages individuals and organizations can implement to improve relations with internal and external communities. For more information about the course visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/cultural-competency If you would like to learn more about Cultural Competency join us for the free webinar Beyond checking the EEO box: Cultural Competency, the first step in DEIA Thursday February 16 at 4 pm Eastern. Email Webinar at MuseumStudy.com if you would like to register for the webinar. Creating Successful Traveling Exhibitions online course begins March 6 on MuseumStudy.com Ever wanted to know how to develop a traveling exhibition? If so, Creating Successful Traveling Exhibitions is for you. This class will be focused on providing you with the nuts and bolts on how to develop and tour traveling exhibitions. We will be delving into all stages of the traveling exhibit development process and tips and strategies will be provided to build sustainable frameworks for these types of exhibitions. Join Instructor Saul Sopoci Drake for this 4 week online professional development course. For more information visit our website: https://www.museumstudy.com/creating-successful-traveling-exhibitions -- Brad Bredehoft (he/him/his) CEO Museum Study, LLC www.MuseumStudy.com >From Museum Study LLC Greetings from the NEDCC | Northeast Document Conservation Center! NEDCC specializes in conservation treatment, digital imaging, audio preservation services, and preservation training. Below are preservation training opportunities offered by NEDCC in the upcoming months. Atlantic Coast Preparedness Workshop Series (in-person) - https://www.nedcc.org/acpw Eight low-cost workshops funded partly by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will be presented to cultural heritage organizations, emergency management personnel, and government departments along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. These in-person workshops provide the opportunity to acquire hands-on experience with salvage techniques for formats commonly found in cultural collections, including books, documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials. Dates and locations for each state will be added to the project page as they are confirmed. Digital Directions Conference (online) - https://www.nedcc.org/preservation-training/dd23 June 27-29: Join NEDCC for a comprehensive overview of digital preservation, presented by information professionals with deep experience in the preservation of cultural heritage materials. During three half-days of live, interactive, online training, you will learn about good practices and practical strategies for creating and managing digital collections, and you'll gain confidence in decision-making for the preservation of your digital assets. Visit the conference page for more details. *QUESTIONS? Contact: info at nedcc.org *Get the latest updates on NEDCC's conservation and preservation work by following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Kindly, Ryn Marchese Marketing and Social Media Coordinator NEDCC | Northeast Document Conservation Center 100 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 Andover Office: 978.470.1010 www.nedcc.org 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 "Unseen Oceans" takes you from the surface of the sea to its depths to learn how scientists and technology are preserving underwater ecosystems and their amazing inhabitants- alien-like creatures, glow in the dark fish and transparent predators. "Oc?anos Ocultos" te lleva desde la superficie del mar hasta sus profundidades para aprender c?mo los cient?ficos y la tecnolog?a est?n preservando los ecosistemas marinos y sus sorprendentes habitantes-criaturas que parecen alien?genas, peces que brillan en la oscuridad y depredadores transparentes. 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 lecompte at flmnh.ufl.edu Fri Feb 24 15:02:43 2023 From: lecompte at flmnh.ufl.edu (Lecompte,Elise V) Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2023 20:02:43 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] SPNHC Travel Grants--DEADLINE: February 28, 2023, COB In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: REMINDER: The deadline to apply for one of the SPNHC Travel Grants is next Tuesday, Feb. 28, COB (for your time zone). Applications are available on the SPNHC conference website [https://www.calacademy.org/spnhc-2023]. For additional information, contact Elise V. LeCompte, Chair, SPNHC Travel Grants Program, lecompte at flmnh.ufl.edu. To become a SPNHC member, please visit https://spnhc.wildapricot.org/join-us. Cheers, Elise LeCompte Chair, SPNHC Travel Grants Sub-Committee ___________________________ Elise V. LeCompte Registrar and Coordinator of Museum Health & Safety Florida Museum of Natural History Dickinson Hall 1659 Museum Road Gainesville, FL 32611-7800 TEL: 352-273-1925 www.flmnh.ufl.edu From renan.bosque at swosu.edu Mon Feb 27 09:19:20 2023 From: renan.bosque at swosu.edu (Janke Bosque, Renan) Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2023 14:19:20 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Specimens tags Message-ID: <04414B39-89C0-47CD-973B-7CA66A1AA457@swosu.edu> Dear all, I am planning to buy specimen tags for our collection (should work for specimens submerged in ethanol). I wonder if someone has any advice on where to buy museum tags like the one depicted in the image or something better. [Screenshot 2023-02-27 at 8.13.15 AM.png] Thanks in advance Renan Janke Bosque PhD Assistant professor Department of Biological Sciences Southwestern Oklahoma State Univ. Weatherford, Oklahoma, USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Screenshot 2023-02-27 at 8.13.15 AM.png Type: image/png Size: 475288 bytes Desc: Screenshot 2023-02-27 at 8.13.15 AM.png URL: From j.maclaine at nhm.ac.uk Mon Feb 27 10:53:06 2023 From: j.maclaine at nhm.ac.uk (James Maclaine) Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:53:06 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Handheld Vapour Monitor Message-ID: Hello, Can anyone recommend a good handheld device for monitoring formaldehyde levels (and ideally ethanol vapour as well). Thanks! James -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mflannery at calacademy.org Mon Feb 27 11:13:49 2023 From: mflannery at calacademy.org (Moe Flannery) Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:13:49 -0800 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Is winter weather getting you down? Register for SPNHC 2023 and start your California Dreamin'! In-Reply-To: <1.a941879ade357be5e871@live-mail-2> References: <1.a941879ade357be5e871@live-mail-2> Message-ID: If the rain, snow, and gloom have you feeling blue, it?s time to start planning your trip to San Francisco for SPNHC 2023. Before the exciting program (more details coming soon) and informative workshops , spend some time with other SPNHC attendees exploring beautiful northern California on a field trip . Discover about what lies beneath the beautiful city by the bay on the *Geology and Natural History of San Francisco* trip, sip wine and learn about biodynamic vineyards on the *Sonoma Wine Country* tour, visit the only high school run natural history museum in the nation and enjoy a flight of beers at a local taproom on the *Petaluma Wildlife Museum and Brewery* trip, view marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation in action and enjoy some bird watching on the *Marine Mammal Center and Rodeo Beach* trip, or you?re your most comfortable shoes on a guided *San Francisco Historic Walking Tour* of either historic Chinatown or the 1906 Quake and Fire*.* If you can't make the pre-conference field trips, consider adding a day to your San Francisco visit and join the post-conference field trip to the famous *Monterey Bay Aquarium*. *All field trips are Sunday, May 28, except the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is Saturday, June 3.* Simply add a field trip to your conference registration and start dreaming of your SPNHC adventure now! See you all there! SPNHC 2023 Local Organizing Committee SPNHC 2023 Diamond Sponsors -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From abentley at ku.edu Mon Feb 27 12:08:32 2023 From: abentley at ku.edu (Bentley, Andrew Charles) Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2023 17:08:32 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Specimens tags In-Reply-To: <04414B39-89C0-47CD-973B-7CA66A1AA457@swosu.edu> References: <04414B39-89C0-47CD-973B-7CA66A1AA457@swosu.edu> Message-ID: Renan There are a number of companies that supply specimen tags of this kind: https://www.tlsprinting.com/specimen-tags We have not ordered any for some time now so cannot comment on quality or price. However, more recently we have been using the same thermal transfer printer system that we use for specimen labels to print tags using spun bound polyester media. They hold up really well and using the thicker media ensures durability and that they do not tear. This has the advantage of being able to print any number sequence on demand as well as include additional information or barcodes if needed. Would be happy to provide kore information if you are interested. 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 Janke Bosque, Renan Sent: Monday, February 27, 2023 8:19 AM To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Specimens tags Dear all, I am planning to buy specimen tags for our collection (should work for specimens submerged in ethanol). I wonder if someone has any advice on where to buy museum tags like the one depicted in the image or something better. [cid:image001.png at 01D94A9B.54246D40] Thanks in advance Renan Janke Bosque PhD Assistant professor Department of Biological Sciences Southwestern Oklahoma State Univ. Weatherford, Oklahoma, USA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 475288 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: From Melissa.Bechhoefer at dmns.org Tue Feb 28 10:57:00 2023 From: Melissa.Bechhoefer at dmns.org (Melissa Bechhoefer) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 15:57:00 +0000 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] "Show Me the Money" webinar 3/1 Message-ID: Please join ARCS (Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists) for a discussion tomorrow on compensation in the museum field. Register here to attend live or receive access to recording: https://www.arcsinfo.org/news-events/event/1395/0/arcs-show-me-the-money-webinar [cid:image005.png at 01D94B52.9DAC0C40] Melissa Bechhoefer Director of Integrative Collections she/her/hers [DMNS 2 Line RGB small.jpg] melissa.bechhoefer at dmns.org Work 303.370.6401 2001 Colorado Blvd. Denver, CO 80205 www.dmns.org/science/ [FacebookIcon (1)] [TwitterLogo] "Unseen Oceans" takes you from the surface of the sea to its depths to learn how scientists and technology are preserving underwater ecosystems and their amazing inhabitants- alien-like creatures, glow in the dark fish and transparent predators. "Oc?anos Ocultos" te lleva desde la superficie del mar hasta sus profundidades para aprender c?mo los cient?ficos y la tecnolog?a est?n preservando los ecosistemas marinos y sus sorprendentes habitantes-criaturas que parecen alien?genas, peces que brillan en la oscuridad y depredadores transparentes. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image002.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 2894 bytes Desc: image002.jpg URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image003.png Type: image/png Size: 420 bytes Desc: image003.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image004.png Type: image/png Size: 534 bytes Desc: image004.png URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image005.png Type: image/png Size: 232182 bytes Desc: image005.png URL: From jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de Tue Feb 28 12:21:27 2023 From: jutta.buschbom at statistical-genetics.de (Jutta Buschbom) Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2023 18:21:27 +0100 Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Survey on exchange practices and publication flows Message-ID: <1dbc63fb-3f20-546e-69a2-f8d888b90ef5@statistical-genetics.de> Dear all, Survey on exchange practices and publication flows within and among natural science institutions: https://www.cognitoforms.com/CETAF1/EpublishingGroupSurvey Last summer the CETAF ePublishing Working Group sent out their survey on exchange practices and publication flows within and among natural science institutions in a first round. Currently they are starting a second round of distributing the survey to reach more colleagues and hear back from a wider range of institutions located worldwide. From the introduction to the survey: The usage of publication exchanges between natural science institutions appears to turn outdated in the context of the increase in 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 over the past years. The purpose is to evaluate the potential for additional agreements and collaborations between institutions. A glossary is provided at the end of the survey defining important terms. Please forward the survey to colleagues responsible for libraries, publications and publication exchanges in your environment. Isabelle Gerard (isabelle.gerard at africamuseum.be) and Laurence Benichou (laurence.benichou at mnhn.fr) can provide additional information. Best regards, Jutta -- 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: