<div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div>When I hire students to work in our collections - two skills come to mind. Are they familiar enough with databases (of any kind) to be able to parse out information into correct fields -- this can be taught. The second parallels David's "museum sensibility" and is an attention to details. So many times students say "oh yes, I can handle details" but oh no they can't, and forget to do this or that or watch for this or that. Asking about hobbies is a great idea (I think I'll incorporate that in my interviews) as certain hobbies will definitely require manual dexterity and attention to details.<br>
<br></div>As for references for collection management:<br></div>1. Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions, edited by C.L. Rose and A.R. de Torres; available from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections<br>
</div>2. Manual of Curatorship: A Guide to Museum Practice, edited by J.M.A. Thompson, published by Butterworth Heinemann but I believe it's available from the American Association of Museums<br></div>3. Managing the Moder Herbarium: An Interdisciplinary Approach, edited by D.A. Metsger and S.C. Byers; also available for the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections<br>
<br></div>Cheers,<br>Anita<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Mar 11, 2014 at 9:40 AM, Heather Lerner <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hlerner@gmail.com" target="_blank">hlerner@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Hi Kevin, Mariko, Barbara, Dave, John, Andy, Sarah, Ellen, and others,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for your thoughtful responses. I've gotten some great references from this list so far and some syllabi--I can't thank you enough!! I'm sure my course will be much improved this year thanks to the insight from this list! Some of the responses came directly to me, so I'm copying some links below for anyone else who is interested.</div>
<div><br></div><div>I was thinking that the course would be 50/50 in terms of readings, with half of the readings focusing on topics in collections care (permits, IPM, deterioration etc.) and half of the readings from research papers. They'll also have a three-hour lab in which they'll be in the collections working with Specify, prepping specimens, testing fluids, cleaning specimens etc. My reasoning with the 50/50 split was that most of my students are going on in academia or research, so I want them to be aware of the ways specimens can help them answer questions. I also want to get them experience reading more papers and discussing them. And, selfishly, I enjoy reading papers about great museum research! </div>
<div><br></div><div>They'll have a salvage requirement in which they aim to find at least 5 specimens to contribute to the collections (they each will get a road and series of windows to walk each week so the campus area is covered well each day). Some years we actively collect salamanders so they've also addressed the reality of taking an animal's life for a collection. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Finally, a number of curators at FMNH, UMMZ, and NMNH have done skype interviews with the classes in which students learn that the same issues are largely present in collections around the country, regardless of size of the institution/collections.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Please contact me if you have more ideas for me. I am not teaching the class until this fall, so I still have time to incorporate more of your great ideas!</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks again,</div>
<div>
Heather</div><div><br></div><div>Here are some links:</div><div><br></div><div>paper on the changing definition of the biological voucher specimen:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="https://www.academia.edu/245195/The_changing_significance_and_definition_of_the_biological_voucher" style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:13px" target="_blank">https://www.academia.edu/245195/The_changing_significance_and_definition_of_the_biological_voucher</a><br style="font-family:'times new roman','new york',times,serif;font-size:13px">
</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Link to: Gardner et al. (2009) Shifting latitudinal clines in avian body size correlate with global warming in Australian passerines. Proc R Soc. B. 276(1674: )3845-3852</div><div>
<a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1674/3845.full" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px" target="_blank">http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1674/3845.full</a></div><div>
<br></div><div>Also recommended Van Buskirk et al 2010) Declining body sizes in North American birds associated with climate change. Oikos 119(6)1047-1055</div><div><font color="#222222"><u><a href="http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668742_Declining_body_sizes_in_North_American_birds_associated_with_climate_change/file/3deec51991002edc72.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668742_Declining_body_sizes_in_North_American_birds_associated_with_climate_change/file/3deec51991002edc72.pdf</a></u><a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1674/3845.full" target="_blank"><br>
</a></font><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br></div><div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt">Simmons, J.E. and Y. Muñoz-Saba. 2006. The future of collections management: an approach to collections management training for developing countries. <i>Collection Forum</i>, 20(1-2):83-94.</span></p>
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><a href="http://www.spnhc.org/media/assets/cofo_2006_V20N172.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.spnhc.org/media/assets/cofo_2006_V20N172.pdf</a><br><br>
</span></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Simmons, J.E., and </span></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt">Y. Muñoz-Saba</span>. 2003. The theoretical bases of collections management. <i>Collection Forum</i> 18(1-2):38-49.</span> <br>
<a href="http://www.magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/john%20simmonds%20paper.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/john%20simmonds%20paper.pdf</a><br><br></span></div><div class="gmail_extra" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:'Times New Roman',serif"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Unfortunately, there is still not a good textbook on natural history collections management available in English, although Yaneth and I have published one in Spanish (we are currently working on a new edition, and may do an English version as well), which you can download for free here:<br>
<a href="http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/pdf/directorio/c/cervantes/clases/sistem/Cuidado_Manejo_y_Conservacion_de_las_Colecciones_Biologicas.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/pdf/directorio/c/cervantes/clases/sistem/Cuidado_Manejo_y_Conservacion_de_las_Colecciones_Biologicas.pdf</a><br>
</span></span></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><div><font style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px" face="arial, sans-serif">I agree wholeheartedly and I think it is growing more and more important to focus on preservation not only of the specimens themselves but their associated data. In my opinion the easiest way to preserve specimen data, and share it with the community of both present and future scientists, is to make it digital. I attached an article which I wrote that is currently in press or I would provide you a link to the published version. This article discusses the importance of preservation, but more importantly the tools for implementing preservation strategies. I hope you find it insightful. Below is an excerpt from this article which pertains directly to this conversation thread. I should mention that EGEMS is a digital record-keeping system for geological materials. More information on EGEMS can be found at <a href="http://www.egemsinfo.com/" target="_blank">www.egemsinfo.com</a> or contact Sarah Timm </font><font face="arial, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:stimm10@gmail.com" target="_blank">stimm10@gmail.com</a></font></div>
<div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:13.333333969116211px"><br></span></div><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><span style="font-size:13.333333969116211px">"</span><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman',serif;font-size:12pt;line-height:18px">In addition to the more commonly known materials (Rocks, Minerals, Fossils) EGEMS also has the capability to store information for other materials such as Research Products. Research Products are geological materials that can be used for future research purposes or were derived from pre-existing research projects. Examples include: thin sections (polished or covered), billets, experimental powers, synthesized materials, etc. When information for these are fully filled in they act as a recipe that can be re-created in the future (Figure 10). Most of the fields for Research Products in EGEMS are new to digital record keeping systems everywhere."--contact</span></div>
<div><div class="h5">
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Kevin Winker <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kevin.winker@alaska.edu" target="_blank">kevin.winker@alaska.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">Hi, Heather. Sounds like an interesting course. Personally, I'd flip the reading around to emphasize collections development and collections care rather than collections from the perspective of researchers. The latter can artificially narrow perceptions of collections' myriad values (i.e., more than what is on the table needs to be incorporated into the collection). I'd echo many of the other responses, especially those related to manual (dis)abilities, but also emphasize the importance of instilling a vision and passionate appreciation for the building of these critical research infrastructure resources. Everyone can and should be involved.<br>
<br>Best, K.<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 10:29 AM, Heather Lerner <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:hlerner@gmail.com" target="_blank">hlerner@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
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.<br><br></div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">Here is where I ask for *your input:*</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
<span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">(1) what are the *skills *you want incoming collections manager, graduate</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
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.<br>
</div><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">What are some of the best *examples of collections-based research* you</span><br style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"><div style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">
thinkI should include?<br><br>Thanks for your input,<br><br>Heather</div><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">
<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>
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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>
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<br></div></blockquote></div><span><font color="#888888"><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Kevin Winker<br>University of Alaska Museum<br>907 Yukon Drive<br>Fairbanks, AK 99775<br><div style="line-height:130%;text-align:left;font-size:10px;overflow:hidden;margin-left:0px;word-wrap:break-word;margin-top:0px;padding:0px">
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr">
<p>Heather<br>
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<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>
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NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr">__________<br>Anita F. Cholewa, Ph.D.<br>Curator of the UM Herbarium (MIN)<br> and Acting Curator of Lichens <br>J.F. Bell Museum of Natural History<br>
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