[NHCOLL-L:5000] Re: valuation of collections

[Kotrba, Dr. Marion]

Dear all,

The monetary valuation of collections is an extremely controversial 
topic. Theoretically.

Practically, as curators of course we need to assign monetary values, e. 
g. when it comes to buying collections or assigning values to collection 
donations for tax purposes. But there is hardly any information 
available on how to actually do that. Not even talking about standards! 
This is why we have compiled the attached publication which discusses 
the topic and offers some suggestions and empirical data.

Kotrba, M., Burckhardt, D., Baehr, M., Hausmann, A., von Knorre, D., 
Spelda, J., 2006. Einschätzung des Geldwertes von naturkundlichen 
Sammlungen und Belegen. Museum Aktuell 127: 23-26.

The PDF was made and is distributed to curators with the consent of the 
journal. Sorry, it's in German.

I have heard that some museums are using it as a standard now while 
others still wish that we will eternally fry in hell for ever touching 
the topic :-). I hope that you will find it useful as a starter.

Kind regards, Marion.


Crystal Boyd schrieb:

>Hi, Cindy.
>
>It's hard to put assign dollar values to any collection, but here are some articles that might get you started on the "big picture" value of collections. Hope this helps!
>-Crystal
>
>-"The Value of Museum Collections for Research and Society"
>http://www.life.illinois.edu/suarez/Publications/SuarezTsutsui2004Biosci.pdf
>
>-"The role of natural history collections in documenting species declines"
>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VJ1-3WJDV7J-23&_user=10&_coverDate=01%2F01%2F1998&_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_orig=search&_origin=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=1487836792&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=f4fe9ec8bb68b24910d5d213e81f8c8c&searchtype=a
>
>-"No way to treat a national treasure"
>http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14119164.300--no-way-to-treat-a-natural-treasure-lack-of-funds-is-endangering-biological-collections-everywhere-says-jane-seymour-but-fears-for-the-worlds-biodiversity-might-just-save-them--.html
>
>-"100 uses for an herbarium"
>http://www.peabody.yale.edu/collections/bot/pdfs/100_uses.pdf
>
>-"Threatened Collections Toolkit" from the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
>http://140.247.98.87/files/SPNHC%20Threatened%20Collections%20Toolkit.pdf
>
>-And here is an example of current collections-based research that could not happen without specimens from the past. It is, of course, just one example out of many collections-based projects.
>http://dbmuseblade.colorado.edu/index.html
>
>
>--------
>Crystal Boyd
>Graduate Assistant, Entomology Collection
>University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
>
>crystal.boyd at colorado.edu
>612-247-5283
>  
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Betreff:
> [NHCOLL-L:4995] valuation of collections
> Von:
> "Opitz, Cindy" <cindy-opitz at uiowa.edu>
> Datum:
> Wed, 6 Oct 2010 16:27:03 -0500
> An:
> "NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu" <NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu>
>
>
> I'd like to hear from colleagues about how you approach collection 
> valuation and where you turn when tasked with assigning value to 
> natural history collections. I understand that collections hold 
> scientific/research value as well as monetary value. We have over 
> 112,000 biological specimens (birds, mammals, insects, aquatic 
> invertebrates), and ethnographic/ archaeological objects...where do 
> you begin?
>
>  
>
> Cindy Opitz
>
> Collections Manager
>
> Pentacrest Museums: Museum of Natural History
>
> and Old Capitol Museum
>
> 11 Macbride Hall
>
> The University of Iowa
>
> Iowa City IA 52242
>
> 319-335-0481
>
> www.uiowa.edu/~nathist <http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Enathist>
>
> www.uiowa.edu/~oldcap <http://www.uiowa.edu/%7Eoldcap>
>
>  
>
>  
>

-- 
Dr. Marion Kotrba
ZSM, Sektion Diptera, Presse

Generaldirektion Staatl. Natwiss. Sammlg. Bayerns,
Zoologische Staatssammlung, Muenchhausenstrasse 21. D-81247 Muenchen
phone: **49-89-8107-147, fax: ++49-89-8107-300, http://www.zsm.mwn.de

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