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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Hey Sarah,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">We consider “backlog” to be anything that is catalogable, and also donations / holdings which are currently unassessed (i.e. could contain material we might want to catalog).
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">I don’t consider all material that is held but is not catalogable to be part of the backlog. For example, we have a sizeable collection of duplicates (culls from larger catalogued lots, material
having too-similar time/place/ID to existing catalogued material) that we use for education and exchange (we don’t bother to maintain a database of this material like some collections do, i.e. a numbered teaching collection). These are stored near the backlog
material but are explicitly not to be catalogued. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">We don’t have a formal accessioning process or registrar, but we do catalogue material in 3 “stages”. The first stage is determining whether material is, at a base level, sufficiently interesting/useful
to catalogue and within scope. Stage 2 is entering locality and collecting event information for the material into our Specify 7 database, as well as noting the higher taxa represented. The 3<sup>rd</sup> and final stage is actually identifying and cataloguing
material. Most of our backlog has been through “stage 1”, and “stage 2” and we <a href="https://invertebrates.osu.edu/specify/query/106/">
actually serve up data on that online.</a> When material from a given place is interesting to someone, we can catalogue it rapidly (in about 3 clicks) once it is identified.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Our backlog is stored in standard size bankers boxes on steel shelving in the main collection gallery, and we track the size of backlog by the number of boxes. Obviously the number of lots in
a box varies considerably, but keeping track of it by volume is pretty convenient for planning purposes and clearly communicable to nonspecialists like higher up administrators and building ops folks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">Hope this is helpful!
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif">-Nate<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">--<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="224" height="45" style="width:2.3333in;height:.4687in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DBBE6F.1EC66F50" alt="The Ohio State University"><br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#BB0000;background:white">Nathaniel F. Shoobs</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"><br>
Curator of Mollusks<br>
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#BB0000;background:white">College of Arts & Sciences</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#333333"> Dept. of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology<br>
Museum of Biological Diversity, 1315 Kinnear Rd, Columbus, OH 43212<br>
614-688-1342 (Office)<br>
<a href="http://mbd.osu.edu"><span style="background:white">mbd.osu.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From:
</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Sarah K. Huber <skhuber@vims.edu><br>
<b>Date: </b>Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 10:08 AM<br>
<b>To: </b>nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu><br>
<b>Subject: </b>[Nhcoll-l] Definition of "Backlog"<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:.75pt"><span style="font-size:1.0pt;color:white">I realize that this is a very nebulous area and that there is no “right” definition, but I am curious how your institution defines the backlog - specifically as
it pertains to uncatalogued material. I have been asked to provide an<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt:.75pt"><span style="font-size:1.0pt;color:white"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">I realize that this is a very nebulous area and that there is no “right” definition, but I am curious how your institution defines the backlog - specifically as it pertains to uncatalogued material. I have been asked to provide an estimate
of our uncatalogued backlog, and I’m getting into the weeds of how to define our backlog.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thank you,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sarah<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Sarah K. Huber, Ph.D. (she/her)<br>
Curatorial Associate, Nunnally Ichthyology Collection</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">William & Mary</span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><br>
Office: 804-684-7104<br>
<a href="mailto:skhuber@vims.edu" target="_blank"><span style="color:blue">skhuber@vims.edu</span></a> |
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/index.php__;!!KGKeukY!yu9GdS9PMfBLNtEj50Ue10FbsBYOiMx0wK7bUuZcRxcyuvdlqJPt4IPKWSVhEEN099em3xVKURZQlFBrcg$" target="_blank">
<span style="color:blue">http://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/index.php</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><br>
<span style="color:black;background:white">PO Box 1346 | 1370 Greate Rd., Gloucester Point, VA 23062</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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