<div dir="ltr"><div>It can be useful to engage field collectors before they head out to collect. Having collectors use storage-grade containers in the first place can prevent having to rehouse. The choice of field collecting container is, of course, driven by the requirements of the collector, but a collection-grade container may work just as well as a "temporary" one that the collector might use in the absence of advice. <br></div><div><br></div><div>We've had good experiences with agency biologists who were creating project-based voucher collections that we inherited. They were quite happy to use the vials we pre-supplied, so we didn't have to rehouse when the collections came to us. <br></div><div><br></div><div><div><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">-Dean<br>-- <br>Dean Pentcheff<br><a href="mailto:pentcheff@gmail.com" target="_blank">pentcheff@gmail.com</a></div><div dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:dpentche@nhm.org" target="_blank">pentcheff@nhm.org</a><br><a href="https://research.nhm.org/disco" target="_blank">https://research.nhm.org/disco</a></div><div dir="ltr"><img src="http://research.nhm.org/images/DISCO_lockup_4color-300.png"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Mon, Jun 7, 2021 at 12:05 PM Callomon,Paul <<a href="mailto:prc44@drexel.edu" target="_blank">prc44@drexel.edu</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal">In our recent discussions of alcohol storage containers, we didn’t touch on the distinction between lab-grade containers and storage-grade ones. In the field and lab, scientists often use containers that are not storage-grade, such as:<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">- glass vials and jars that have snap-on plastic lids<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- glass shell vials with push-in plastic lids<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Eppendorf and other plastic sample tubes with push-on or screw-on lids<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">- Nalgene and similar flexible plastic bottles<u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">None of these is storage-grade – that is, proven to be durable over longer terms (10 years plus). When consigning samples to the collection, therefore, they must be transferred to storage-grade containers. If you are handed several trays
of field samples in plastic tubes for the collection, getting them into individual screw-top glass vials with proper lids and placing them in racks on shelves can cost hundreds of dollars. Attempting to bill scientists for this or persuading them to proactively
add storage expenses to their grant budgets can be a lively conversation. <u></u><u></u></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Paul Callomon<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates<i><u></u><u></u></i></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University</span></b><b><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black"><u></u><u></u></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white none repeat scroll 0% 0%"><span style="font-size:12pt;color:black">1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA<br>
<i><a href="mailto:prc44@drexel.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(5,99,193)">prc44@drexel.edu</span></a> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170</i><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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