Specimen Labels

[Alan and Jeri Coates]

We would be interested to hear your thoughts on what information should be
displayed on labels pinned with specimens in a collection. We are about to
attack our collection (of moths) and are wondering which labeling technique to
adopt.

Currently our labels contain : Abreviated latin name, common name (if there is
one), location where captured, county, date of capture and name of captor.

Even when printed in 4 point type this does create a large label particularly
when attached to a 'micro' moth. When viewing a series this can be distracting;
the label is often larger than the specimen.

Are you a minimalist or do you believe that all possible information should be
shown?  What are the chances of a 'universal label' being adopted?

We have a Victorian collection of micros. No specimen has a data label. They
are listed under general labels of genus and species. It is nice to view but
not much good for research purposes.

We would like to hear your experiences and thoughts.

Alan & Jeri Coates