<div dir="ltr">I would be very interested in hearing responses to Rodrigo's post. <div><br></div><div>Rodrigo, we are a museum of cultural and natural history, and have a strong museum studies program that uses the museum as a laboratory for its minor program. I'm planning to revise our policies as well, as we have a strong teaching component to our museum and I have the sense that more of our program is dedicated to teaching than may be true of other museums (I may be wrong about this, I'm gathering information on this now). I'm really curious to see what you come up with and would perhaps like to talk to you more directly about how you develop your policy. </div>
<div><br></div><div>We have two types of "teaching" collections, ones that are/were developed specifically for teaching courses on campus (the usual "-ologies"), and what we call a "loaning" collection that is heavily utilized by local K-12 schools. The loaning collection is largely made up of fairly common species that are easily replenished when specimens are damaged beyond use (replenished via our salvage permits, road kills, bird window suicides, etc.). The loaning collection is comprised of study skins and mounts, while the teaching collections are largely study skins, although for some species we bring in mounts, especially if they are uncommon in our collections. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Because of our teaching focus, there are some species for which we only have one or a very few specimens, and while they are formally listed as part of permanent ("research") collections, they are still earmarked to be used in classes on campus, although following special handling (they are trotted out for that day's lab/class, usually put back in the collections afterwards, can be requested for viewing by students of the class with observation). I made this policy decision because otherwise most of these specimens really go unused, and our students gain tremendously from studying them. </div>
<div><br></div><div>Anyway, just a few thoughts from here; looking forward to hearing more of what you hear!</div><div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div><br></div><div>Kirsten</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">
On Thu, Apr 3, 2014 at 1:59 PM, Pellegrini, Rodrigo <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:Rodrigo.Pellegrini@sos.state.nj.us" target="_blank">Rodrigo.Pellegrini@sos.state.nj.us</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Hello everyone,<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color:#1f497d">The NJSM is tightening its collection policies and records, and the issue of our educational collection came up. We’re a multi-specialty museum, with 4 collecting bureaus: Archeology/Ethnography, Natural History, Cultural History and Fine Arts.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Only Archeology/Ethnography and Natural History have educational collections, and I’ve been asked to formalize a policy for them (with the understanding that most objects in these collections are to be handled multiple times on a daily basis by visitors, and we expect them to deteriorate in the process).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">I recall a similar discussion/question in this list serve a few months ago, but I can’t remember or find any finished policies being posted.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color:#1f497d">Would anybody whose institutions have drafted a collections policy for their “hands-on” educational collections kindly send me a copy for review?<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">I would also be very interested in any comments and suggestions you may have regarding the subject and formalizing it. It is my understanding that since these objects are expected to deteriorate, most institutions (certainly all I have ever worked for) have treated them informally (no real museum records kept save for an inventory).<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Thank you all for your time.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Regards,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d">Rod<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><img width="314" height="110" src="cid:image001.jpg@01CF4F44.E7C7B8B0" alt="NH Logo - Small"></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1f497d"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1f497d">Rodrigo Pellegrini, MA, MS<br>Registrar, Natural History Bureau<br>New Jersey State Museum<br>205 W. State St.<u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1f497d">PO Box 530<br>Trenton, NJ 08625-0530<br>USA<br><br>Voice: <a href="tel:%28609%29%20292-5615" value="+16092925615" target="_blank">(609) 292-5615</a> (office)<br> <a href="tel:%28609%29%20826-3924" value="+16098263924" target="_blank">(609) 826-3924</a> (laboratory)<br>
<a href="tel:%28609%29%20826-5449" value="+16098265449" target="_blank">(609) 826-5449</a> (storage)<br>Fax: <a href="tel:%28609%29%20292-7636" value="+16092927636" target="_blank">(609) 292-7636</a><br>E-mail: <a href="mailto:Rodrigo.Pellegrini@sos.state.nj.us" target="_blank">Rodrigo.Pellegrini@sos.state.nj.us</a><br>
Website: <a href="http://www.newjerseystatemuseum.org" target="_blank">www.newjerseystatemuseum.org</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#1f497d">Blog: </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#1f497d"><a href="http://njstatemuseum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://njstatemuseum.blogspot.com/</a><u></u><u></u></span></p>
</div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1f497d"><u></u> <u></u></span></p></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>
Nhcoll-l mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu">Nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<a href="http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l" target="_blank">http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l</a><br>
<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of<br>
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose<br>
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of<br>
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to<br>
society. See <a href="http://www.spnhc.org" target="_blank">http://www.spnhc.org</a> for membership information.<br>
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><font face="'times new roman', serif" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)" color="#006600">Kirsten E. Nicholson, Ph.D<br><br><i><font size="1">Assoc. Prof. Biology and Curator of Natural History<br>
Dept. of Biology Museum of Cultural and Natural History<br>217 Brooks Hall 103 Rowe Hall<br>Central Michigan Univ. Central Michigan University <br>Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859 Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859<br>
989-774-3758 989-774-3829</font></i></font><i><font size="1"><span style="background-color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font color="#336666" face="'times new roman', serif"><b><br></b></font><br></span><br>
</font></i><br><br><br><br><br><br>
</div>