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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Hi Heather,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">The number one skill that I would like to see in incoming curators, collections managers, students, and others is a skill that is basic and fundamental to the
museum profession but is not often discussed, and that is the basic sensitivity and care in handling museum specimens. For lack of a better term, I’ve called it “museum sensibility”. It’s not quantifiable and not easy to discern in job interviews, but is critical
to the preservation of museum specimens and to do one’s job as a museum professional. It seems to be an innate skill, that you either naturally have it or you don’t - but it can be learned. We’ve all seen examples of gross mishandling of specimens and probably
can share many horror stories. In my career, I’ve seen museum directors, curators, respected scientists, etc. who have authority over and direct access to natural history collections who demonstrate abominable and destructive care of collections. Usually this
is not intentional but rather is from a lack of sensitivity or training. On the other hand, I’ve seen high school interns and beginning undergraduate students who have a remarkable sense of how to handle and care for specimens. In my last position, I hired
and trained probably about 75 university students over the years to work directly in collections care. I would always try to discern in interviews and from references if they have the requisite skills and personality traits that translate to being thoughtful
and careful in handling specimens and maintaining a collection. Such phrases as “I’m a little bit OCD” or “I’m very organized” were music to my ears! Anyway, I think it’s imperative that the museum community teach these skills to the next generation of museum
professionals, and find a way to make it demonstrable in selecting candidates for collections-related positions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Dave Dyer <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">==========================================================<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">David L. Dyer / Curator of Natural History</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Ohio Historical Society / 800 East 17<sup>th</sup> Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43211
<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">p. 614-298-2055 / f. 614-298-2089 /
<u>ddyer@ohiohistory.org</u><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/ohiohistoricalsociety"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="24" height="24" id="Picture_x0020_2" src="cid:image001.gif@01CF3A0D.D6C2CBF0" alt="ohio history facebook"></span></b></a><a href="https://twitter.com/ohiohistory"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial Narrow","sans-serif";text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="24" height="24" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image002.gif@01CF3A0D.D6C2CBF0" alt="ohio history twitter"></span></b></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">Visit the Natural History Blog at</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">:
<u>http://apps.ohiohistory.org/naturalhistory/</u><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">“</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">What do Annie Oakley, Ulysses S. Grant, and the Wright Brothers
have in common with Ohio Tax Return? Find out </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:blue">here</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D">”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif""> nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu]
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Heather Lerner<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 06, 2014 2:29 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] Care & Use of Natural History Museum Collections Class--your input requested<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">I have the wonderful opportunity to be the director at the Joseph Moore<br>
Museum at Earlham College. With that position, I get to teach one course<br>
per year in "Museum Studies." My goals with the course are to first train<br>
students in the most useful skills they will need to go on as collections<br>
managers or curators or researchers who use collections, and second, for<br>
students who may never work in/for a museum in the future, to convince them<br>
of the importance of biological collections so that they will be educated<br>
lifelong museum advocates.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Here is where I ask for *your input:*<br>
(1) what are the *skills *you want incoming collections manager, graduate</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">students or curators to have?<br>
<br>
(2) we will read an article each week in which someone has published their<br>
research using specimens/collections as a primary source of<br>
information/data. For example, ancient DNA, isotope, morphological studies.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What are some of the best *examples of collections-based research* you</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">thinkI should include?<br>
<br>
Thanks for your input,<br>
<br>
Heather<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p>
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<p>Heather<br>
<br>
*******************************************<br>
<span style="font-size:13.5pt">Heather R. L. Lerner, Ph.D., M.S.</span><br>
<a href="http://earlham.edu/jmm" target="_blank">Joseph Moore Museum</a> Director<br>
Assistant Professor of Biology<br>
Earlham College<br>
801 National Road West<br>
Richmond IN 47374<br>
<br>
*******************************************<br>
Google Voice: 949-GENOMES<br>
Email: <a href="mailto:hlerner@gmail.com" target="_blank">hlerner@gmail.com</a><br>
<a href="http://heatherlerner.com/" target="_blank">http://heatherlerner.com/</a><br>
*******************************************<o:p></o:p></p>
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