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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">Thank you, Rebecca Hawkins, for bringing up this problem that
we, the natural history collections community need to discuss.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">I sympathize with the problem of crowded collections. I don’t
know of a heavily used natural history collection anywhere that does not have
this problem. However, I don’t think selecting a few essential parts of a specimen
is a good idea. As several responses have already pointed out, there are research
uses for all parts of a specimen, and we keep finding new uses for all parts of
a specimen. The history of use of natural history collections tells us very
clearly that there is an unending variety of ways to use specimens, particularly
as advances in technology enable us to look at specimens in entirely new ways.
Which brings us to a collecting conundrum—we should be making collections for
future research, not just present research, but what will future researchers
need? We don’t know. What we do know is that the large amount of literature on
uses of natural history collections, taken all together, makes a strong
argument for keeping all parts of organisms rather than just traditional
preparations or reduced parts of specimens.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">What museums should be doing is diversifying the types of preparations
for specimens they are collecting now (natural history museums should be
actively collecting to document the effects of climate change). Traditional
study skins are still useful, but so are full skeletons, fluid-preserved
specimens, and many other types of preparations. One of the problems is that
modern collections reflect the traditions in the various “-ologies,” which is
why mammal collections have traditionally had mostly skins and skulls, bird
collections mostly skins with a partial skull intact, amphibian, reptile, and
fish collections but whole animals in fluid, insects are pinned, and so on.
These traditional preparations often fail to provide the kind of specimens needed
for future research.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">To address the very serious problem you have brought up about
“specimen footprint” (that is a very descriptive term and we should all start
using it)—there are several approaches to solving the problem. To mention just a
few:<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">1-We need new designs for collection storage furniture to
make better use of space while still allowing efficient monitoring of specimens
(without having to pick them up or move them). We need to re-think drawer size
and shape, cabinet configurations, the use of wide shelving vs narrow shelving,
making better use of compactors, the size and shape of specimens and specimen
containers, and so forth.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">2-We can house specimen parts separately. Consider that most
skulls are not the same shape as study skins, round jars are not necessarily the
best shape to hold fluid-preserved specimens, skeletons need individual
containers but study skins usually do not, etc.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">3-This next suggestion often results in me being called a
heretic, but it is, in fact, the easiest and most cost-effective way to make better
use of space that we have right now. The suggestion is that we should abandon
attempts at so-called “systematic arrangements” of collection storage arrays
and instead develop collection storage arrays that are designed to better use
space while providing the best storage environment for the collection (for
example, bones tolerate a wider range of temperature and humidity than do
skins). Particularly considering the flood of taxonomic changes resulting from
molecular systematics, and the need to collect more specimens now to
document climate change, our old collection storage arrays are a liability. We
need to start by assessing the size and shape of specimens and containers, then
consider the environmental requirements, and then develop storage arrays that
are a better use of space and use the collection database to find specimen, not
a faux systematic arrangement (no linear arrangement can be phylogenetic, and I
have never seen a branching sequence of cabinets or shelving). Non-systematic
arrangements can accommodate collection growth far more efficiently than traditional
collection storage arrays.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">There have been a few publications addressing the problem of crowded
natural history collection storage. I will list a few below, and hope that people
will add those that I have missed. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">At the 2022 SPNHC meeting in Edinburgh there was a session on
“Managing Long-Term Sustainability in an Uncertain Future” that included several
presentations directly addressing the topic of best use of storage space. Not
all of the speakers published papers based on their presentations, so if you
are interested, check the abstracts from the meeting.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">One last thing—before anyone rejects the idea of
non-systematic arrangements for natural history collections, please take time
to read the paper below by Cohen et al. listed below and look carefully at the amount
of space they saved.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">Thanks again to Rebecca for bringing up this very important
topic for discussion.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">--John<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a name="_Hlk150355058"></a><a name="_Hlk150355098"><span><span style="font-size:12pt">Callomon, P. 2019. An improved design
for the storage of fluid-preserved specimens in small to medium-sized containers.
<i>SPNHC Connection</i> 33(2):28-32.<span style="background:yellow"><span></span></span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt;background:yellow"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%">Cohen,
A. E., D. A. Hendrickson, and M. J. Casarez. 2019. An alternative shelving arrangement
for natural history collection objects to optimize space and task efficiency. <i>Collection
Storage</i> 33(1):55-72.<span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt">McAlpine, D. F., and F. W. Schueler. 2018. Herpetology meets
botany: using herbarium methods to archive dried skins of frogs and snakes. <i>Herpetological
Review</i> 49(2):236-238.<span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.25in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:12pt">Simmons, J.</span></span></span><span><span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:12pt"> </span></span></span><span><span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:12pt">E.</span></span></span><span><span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:12pt"> </span></span></span><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt">2013.</span></span></span><span><span><span lang="X-NONE" style="font-size:12pt"> Application of preventive conservation to solve the
coming crisis in collections management. <i>Collection
Forum</i> 27(1-2):89-101.<span></span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span> </span></span></span></span></p>
<span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span style="font-size:12pt">Simmons,
J. E. and Y. Muñoz-Saba. 2003. The theoretical bases of collections management.
<i>Collection Forum</i> 18(1-2):38-49.<span></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0in 0.5in;line-height:normal;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span><span style="font-size:12pt"><span> </span></span></span></p>
<span></span>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%"><span> </span></span></p>
</div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">John E. Simmons<br>Writer and Museum Consultant</span></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font size="2"><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Museologica<br><i>and</i><br>Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia<br>Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima</span></font><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Fri, Feb 9, 2024 at 9:43 AM Hawkins, Rebecca K. <<a href="mailto:rkhawkins@ou.edu">rkhawkins@ou.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"><div class="msg8030708643812021917">
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Hello all,</span>
<div><span style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Here at the Sam Noble Museum, we have been brainstorming about mammal prep types that would minimize a specimen's footprint in the collection
space while maximizing research potential, which we have dubbed the 'minimum viable specimen' in conversation. Such a concept would be useful for larger mammals like coyotes, which—in large numbers—would take a lot of time and effort to prepare and would be
spatially expensive to store as stuffed skins and skeletons. With minimum viable specimens, large mammals could be collected in larger sample sizes crucial for research like characterizing population variability and change over time.</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br>
</span></div>
<div><span style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Right now we are thinking that a minimum viable mammal specimen consists of a skull, skin swatch, and tissues (muscle and liver?), but
would like to open this discussion to other museums as it could benefit all. Thanks!</span></div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
<br>
</div>
<div id="m_-2606832109067120347Signature">
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Rebecca Hawkins (she/her)</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Curatorial Associate</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Sam Noble Museum</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
2401 Chautauqua Ave.</div>
<div style="font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0)">
Norman, OK 73072</div>
</div>
</div>
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