[Nhcoll-l] Help with Eggs

Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org Jeff.Stephenson at dmns.org
Mon Jun 4 09:25:12 EDT 2012


Dear Sue,
Eggs are among the most fragile of all natural and cultural history objects, and present one of the greatest challenges for public interaction and storage in a hands-on collection.  The solution that Thomas provides is a good one; I would however always have actual egg specimens in some protected hard-plastic or glass-topped container, with foam and batting cushions and lined with Tyvek to provide cradles for the eggs.  The full-view boxes that are made of Mylar or other flexible plastics often do not provide enough protection from curious fingers.  The one exception for actual eggs may be ostrich or emu eggs, but you probably should count on replacing even these every two years on average.  Unless you have a ready supply of eggs ready to go in your pipeline, and can replace every 2-24 months, I would recommend purchasing some wooden replicas for the hands-on portion.  There are several nature companies that you can look up on the internet who provide such.
Thanks,
Jeff Stephenson, Collections Manager
Zoology
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
2001 Colorado Boulevard
Denver, CO 80205


From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Thomas Labedz
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2012 6:48 AM
To: Susan Gallagher; NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Help with Eggs

In the past I'd get fresh quail (Coturnix) eggs from a nearby lab and have students learn to drill a single hole and using a pipette blow the contents from the egg.  Last thing I'd have them do is crush one of their eggs with their fingers so they would have the tactile memory of how little pressure it takes to ruin all their hard work.  Those students were always much more careful in handling eggs and in general more respectful of other specimens.

When I put bird eggs out for an open house, or other minimally supervised event, I make certain the eggs are in a covered container of some sort (similar to the full view artifact boxes from Universal Products) and in a heavy drawer that is not easily jostled.

Thomas E. Labedz, Collections Manager
Division of Zoology and Division of Botany
University of Nebraska State Museum
W-436 Nebraska Hall
900 N. 16th St.
Lincoln, NE  68588-0514
402/472-8366 (p.m.,Zoo.), 402/472-1607 (a.m.,Bot.), fax 402/472-8949
tlabedz1 at unl.edu   www.museum.unl.edu


From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Susan Gallagher
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2012 8:43 PM
To: NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Help with Eggs

Hello List,

I would appreciate any advice on storing, displaying and labeling  bird eggs as part of a teaching collection. It seems no matter how carefully I manage them, they never last more than a few years, and I'm tired of losing some of my nicest specimens.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Sue

********************************************************
Susan Gallagher, Chief Naturalist
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
151 East White Bear Drive
Summit Hill, Pennsylvania, 18250
(570) 645-8597
www.carboneec.org<http://www.carboneec.org>

Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as important to the child, as it is to the caterpillar.
- Bradley Miller





From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]<mailto:[mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]> On Behalf Of Cannatella, David
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2012 3:01 PM
To: Ross MacCulloch
Cc: NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Fluid collections

In our situation at Univ. Texas, the interpretation of the Code falls to the Fire Marshall. Our experience is that when a new Fire Marshall came on board he re-interpreted the Code, to our detriment.

Dave


On May 25, 2012, at 12:34 PM, Ross MacCulloch wrote:

Since the Universal Fire Code was adopted in North America, many institutions have been forced to make expensive modifications to existing facilities or to build entirely new facilities for alcohol storage. As Andy said, these facilities have fire prevention/containment measures built in, as well as provisions for spill containment.

One thing that we found was that although the Code is supposedly "universal", its interpretation and application varies among jurisdictions. When you begin designing your new facility, I strongly recommend that the design/architectural team includes someone familiar with fire codes, and who can liaise with your local Fire Dept., whose approval for your facility will be required.

best wishes in your new facility
Ross

Ross D. MacCulloch
Assistant Curator - Herpetology
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
Royal Ontario Museum
100 Queen's Park
Toronto
Ontario M5S 2C6

>>> "Bentley, Andrew Charles" <abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>> 25-May-12 11:21 AM >>>
Dave

Kols Containers is very much in business and we buy all of our glass from them.  Our contact there is Judy Bounds and she can be reached atjbounds at kolscontrainers.com<mailto:jbounds at kolscontrainers.com> or (410) 646-2300.  I have also attached a fairly recent price list for the various sizes of jars we purchase as well as lids.

In terms of storage of large quantities of ethanol we have found that the amount allowed depends very much on how the space is classified.  We are only allowed a certain number of gallons in offices and labs but our ethanol storage facility is classified as not being occupied by people on a regular basis and also has several fire prevention measures (lower temp at 65°F below flash point, HVAC system that changes air every 2 hours and sprinkler system).  We also have explosion proof electrical outlets, fire rated doors etc. etc.  I unfortunately do not have the specifics but could probably find them if no one else chimes in.  You should also be able to get this information from your fire marshal.

Hope that helps

Andy

    A  :             A  :             A  :
 }<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<(((_°>.,.,.,.}<)))_°>
    V                V                V
 Andy Bentley
 Ichthyology Collection Manager
 University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
 Dyche Hall
 1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
 Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
 USA

Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
 Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu<http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu/>
                           :                 :
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From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]<mailto:[mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu]> On Behalf Of Dyer, Dave
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:30 PM
To: NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:NHCOLL-L at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Fluid collections

Hi Everyone,

I have a couple questions regarding fluid storage. We are in the process of working on a grant to, among other things, rescue our 3,000-jar fluid collection from an awful, inaccessible storage situation to a new workable facility. Can someone recommend a supplier for good quality jars and closures? Is Kols Containers/O'Berk still in business? We purchased supplies from them years ago but their web site seems to be shut down.

Also, how have museums reconciled storage of large amounts of ethyl alcohol with local fire codes? Apparently we can only store 120 gallons of 70% ETOH per ROOM, but our collection is approximately 2,000 gallons!  Thanks in advance for your advice and information.
Sincerely,

Dave


David Dyer, Curator
Philip L. Wright Zoological Museum
Div. of Biological Sciences
University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812

[cid:image001.gif at 01CD4221.E1278530] <http://www.rom.on.ca/visit/>


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David Cannatella       512-471-5302 (lab)
Professor, Integrative Biology                 512-232-4862 (office; voicemail)
1 University Station C0930        512-471-3878 (fax)
University of Texas
Austin, Texas 78712
www.cannatellalab.org<http://www.cannatellalab.org>
Curator of Herpetology, Texas Natural Science Center



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