[Nhcoll-l] slide storage questions

Tue Feb 14 04:31:59 EST 2023

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 <d.neumann at leibniz-lib.de> 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
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> ****
>  
> Dirk Neumann
> Collection Manager, Hamburg
>  
> Postal address:
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> of Biodiversity Change
> Dirk Neumann
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>  
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> -- 
> Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
> Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany
> 
> Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
> Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
> Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
> Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst
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> _______________________________________________
> 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.

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