[Nhcoll-l] was moving an herbarium collection -- now moving the Univ of Michigan zoology collections -- videos

[Mark O'Brien]

As someone very much involved in the moving process at our museum, and
having moved other collections in the past, how you proceed depends on how
much money you have available for the move.  Dedicated moving and storage
companies (not the two men and a truck kind) usually have people trained in
the moving and handling of high-value fragile items, and the equipment and
supplies necessary for such a move.  You will need to prepare a plan and
ask for bids from whatever companies are located near you.  Your collection
is too small for the process that we went through at the UMMZ, and too
large for you to do yourself.  You could do a phased approach as you stated
above, but it is certainly possible to have those cabinets moved, contents
and all with a professional company that knows how to do it.  It all comes
down to how much your institution is willing to spend to accomplish the
task, and how much value they put in the collections you have.

One thing in your favor is that herbarium collections are not hazardous
materials, unlike the major move of our wet collections referenced prior to
this.  Therefore, a moving company will not have to be certified and
trained in the handling of such things.  They will need to have proper
types of lifts and transport/cushioning, etc. to move the cabinets.  Since
herbarium collections are not much more than large sheets of paper with dry
plants on them, It is probably better to move the cabinets without having
to remove and replace the contents, if the cabinets are capable of taking
that stress.  Use sealed air bags or similar products to fill any empty
spaces in the cabinets so that the contents do not shift around during the
move.  Shrink-wrap the cabinets to provide extra protection. Make sure that
you indicate the exact placement sequence of the cabinets to their new
home.  After that it will be the moving company that will have the
equipment that will get your collection there.

Good luck,

Mark


On Sat, Jan 5, 2013 at 2:34 PM, Karen Reeds <karen.reeds at verizon.net> wrote:

> In case it's useful, Alan.
>
> http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/**news_events/news/newsDetail.**asp?ID=205<http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/news_events/news/newsDetail.asp?ID=205>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?**v=Misk47oZnjk<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Misk47oZnjk>
> http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/**news_events/news/newsDetail.**asp?ID=130<http://www.lsa.umich.edu/eeb/news_events/news/newsDetail.asp?ID=130>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?**v=ITMJ4TNe2O8<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITMJ4TNe2O8>
>
> Karen
> U Mich botany alum
>
>
>  Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:00:17 -0500
>> From: Alan Harvey <aharvey at georgiasouthern.edu>
>> Subject: [Nhcoll-l] moving an herbarium collection
>>
>> Greetings (and apologies for cross-posting),
>>
>> Can anyone provide any insights as to how best to move an herbarium
>> collection? Our Biology department is slated to move into a new
>> building on the opposite side of campus this summer. This move
>> includes our 80-cabinet herbarium collection, which will be moving
>> from the hallways of the Math-Physics Building to an excellent
>> dedicated space in the new building. As exciting as this is, I
>> confess to being a bit intimidated by the process of moving this
>> material.
>>
>> Having the university's moving gang rough-house this fragile
>> material is of course out of the question. The initial thought was
>> to consolidate the specimens to free up a half dozen or so empty
>> cabinets, move them over, then pack up and move enough specimens to
>> fill those cabinets, and repeat this until everything's moved.
>> Clearly a long, slow process! Recently our chair has suggested that
>> we might be able to hire a company to help; at present I don't know
>> anything about this company re: their experience with moving
>> collections (if any such company exists!).
>>
>> Although there are, as always, time and money issues, the most
>> important issue is making sure we don't end up with a crumbled mess
>> in the new digs!
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any insights.
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Alan
>>
>> --
>> Alan Harvey
>> Professor of Biology and Curator of the Herbarium
>> President, Georgia Entomological Society
>> Georgia Southern University
>> Statesboro, GA 30460-8042
>> (912) 478-5784
>> fax (912) 478-0845
>> <http://www.bio.**georgiasouthern.edu/bio-home/**harvey/index.html<http://www.bio.georgiasouthern.edu/bio-home/harvey/index.html>
>> >http://www.**bio.georgiasouthern.edu/bio-**home/harvey/index.html<http://www.bio.georgiasouthern.edu/bio-home/harvey/index.html>
>>
>>
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>> http://mailman.yale.edu/**mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l<http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l>
>>
>
>
> --
> Karen Reeds, PhD, FLS
>   karen.reeds at verizon.net
> Princeton Research Forum, a community of independent scholars
> http://www.**princetonresearchforum.org/<http://www.princetonresearchforum.org/>
>
> Guest Curator, Come into a New World: Linnaeus & America
> American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, 2007
> New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ, 2009
>   Exhibition guide, 30 pp., available from
> http://www.dianepublishing.**net/category_s/490.htm<http://www.dianepublishing.net/category_s/490.htm>(p.4)
>
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-- 

------------------------------------------------------------****

Mark F. O'Brien, Collection Manager****

Insect Division, Museum of Zoology****

The University of Michigan****

1109 Geddes Avenue****

Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079****

(734)-647-2199****

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