[NHCOLL-L:4626] RE: the future of natural history museums

Tue Nov 24 12:50:22 EST 2009

I understand. What resonates with me is the call to build upon our
strengths. As E. O. Wilson and others have pointed out, natural history
and natural science collections took quite an intellectual beating
during the mid to late-20th Century. (If you review the college
textbooks of the time, collections and natural history are typically not
mentioned, even in an historical context.)

As I commented to David Richman, the painful irony of what many museums
in non-museum parent organizations are facing is that there really is a
lot of money and other resources out there to support updating and
refreshment projects that can be museum-centered; support from federal
and private sources, but the non-museum administrators are not often
prepared to pursue those kinds of opportunities. I work with museum
visitors every day, and I find that, without exception for age group,
none of the visitors seem to get enough contact with science and the
science process, so they are always eager to learn about what I do, what
projects I'm working on, what I've read recently, etc. Indeed, I feel
that most visitors feel a little "over dosed" with "nature
infotainment", so an opportunity to hone in on more basic science and
natural history seems a refreshing change for them. Collections offer
that kind of sensory experience.

Through my dozen or so years as a classroom science educator, I became
convinced that there was no science concept that could not be taught to
a particular age group. The challenge was to arrive at the best method
for communicating the concept. In my experience, traditional natural
history museums are among the best media for such communication, but
that doesn't mean these museums can't be vibrant, current and alive. We
simply need to update the format to incorporate all the techniques that
can boost that communication effectiveness to meet present, urgent
needs.

James M. Bryant

Curator of Natural History

Museum Department, City of Riverside

3580 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

(951) 826-5273

(951) 369-4970 FAX

jbryant at riversideca.gov

________________________________

From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Judith Price
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 6:15 AM
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4625] RE: the future of natural history museums

He does have some good points, for instance I agree with his idea that
our museums can show the progression and mutability of scientific
thought, but I must admit that I find it frustrating to be told,
essentially, please don't change from how I remember you as a boy
alternately with, "There is something down at the heels about many
natural-history museums..."

Judith

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Bryant, James
Sent: November 21, 2009 6:42 PM
To: simmons.johne at gmail.com; Stefan.Sommer at NAU.EDU
Cc: SPNHC list (E-mail)
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4624] the future of natural history museums

I don't know how many of you might have seen this, in the Chronicle or
referenced in dispatches from AAM, but I think it's quite brilliant:

Preserving the future of natural history museums
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2077&&&http://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.ph
p?i=4af0816a21e43>  

Chronicle of Higher Education    Share     
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2078&&&http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php
?u=http%3A%2F%2Fmultibriefs.com%2FViewLink.php%3Fi%3D4af0816a21e43>  
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2079&&&http://twitter.com/?status=http://
multibriefs.com/ViewLink.php?i=4af0816a21e43>  
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2080&&&http://www.linkedin.com/shareArtic
le?mini=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmultibriefs.com%2FViewLink.php%3Fi%3D4af08
16a21e43>  
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2081&&&http://multibriefs.com/ShareArticl
e.php?4af0816a21e43> 

Working at a university natural-history museum "should be one of the
most coveted in all of academe because it brings together so many things
that make for an enjoyable, varied, and creative professional life,"
writes one academic observer. But "do not sacrifice the history of your
museum for the sake of being up-to-date everywhere you look." More
<http://strongmail.multiview.com:80/track?type=click&mailingid=273500&me
ssageid=286200&databaseid=11400&serial=1245024688&emailid=jbryant at rivers
ideca.gov&userid=3868&extra=&&&2082&&&http://multibriefs.com/ViewLink.ph
p?i=4af0816a21e43> 

http://chronicle.com/article/Preserving-the-Future-of-the/48903/

James M. Bryant

Curator of Natural History

Museum Department, City of Riverside

3580 Mission Inn Avenue

Riverside, CA 92501

(951) 826-5273

(951) 369-4970 FAX

jbryant at riversideca.gov

________________________________

From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
[mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of John E Simmons
Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 8:01 PM
To: Stefan.Sommer at NAU.EDU
Cc: SPNHC list (E-mail)
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4603] Re: alcohol collections - state of the art?

Fire codes do not directly address the storage of museum specimens in
standard museum preservatives.  As a result, what is "best practice"
varies from place to place.  For example, some institutions are required
to use explosion-proof safety cabinets, some are not; most institutions
are required to have wet pipe sprinkler systems (usually around 0.30
gallons per minute per square foot capacity), but the required output of
the system will vary.  Most fluid specimen storage facilities are
required to be above grade and well-ventilated using floor vents because
alcohol is heavier than air (ventilation systems are usually 1 cubic
foot per minute per square foot).

You will have to work with your local fire marshal to get an
interpretation of the regulations that is reasonable and ensures the
safety of the collection and those working with it.  In general, you
will probably need to reduce the number of ignition sources in fluid
storage areas (e.g., limit wall sockets, no work activities in fluid
storage), reduce the chance of spills (e.g., earthquake bars on
shelves), have a good ventilation system to prevent the build-up of
fumes, restrict access to fluid collection storage, and so forth.

--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
19 Deike Building
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2709
jes67 at psu.edu

On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Stefan Sommer <Stefan.Sommer at nau.edu>
wrote:

Dear All,

We are in need of upgrading our alcohol collections infrastructure. We
have significant collections in marine invertebrates, terrestrial
arthropods, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. What is the current 'best
practice' for fire resistant cabinetry and fire suppression systems?

What does your museum use?

Thanks!

Stefan

Dr. Stefan Sommer
Director, Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center, 
http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/cpbc 
Executive Producer, A River Reborn, http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/riverreborn

Faculty Advisor, Grand Canyon SEEDS Chapter, 
http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/seeds 
Board of Directors, Assoc. of College & University Museums & Galleries, 
http://www.acumg.org <http://www.acumg.org/>  
Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences
Northern Arizona University
Campus Box 5640
Flagstaff, AZ  86011

O: (928) 523-4463
F: (928) 523-7500
H: (928) 214-6324
C: (928) 607-2028

Stefan.Sommer at nau.edu

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