[Nhcoll-l] Care & Use of Natural History Museum Collections Class--your input requested

Tue Mar 11 10:40:47 EDT 2014

Hi Kevin, Mariko, Barbara, Dave, John, Andy, Sarah, Ellen, and others,

Thanks for your thoughtful responses. I've gotten some great references
from this list so far and some syllabi--I can't thank you enough!! I'm sure
my course will be much improved this year thanks to the insight from this
list! Some of the responses came directly to me, so I'm copying some links
below for anyone else who is interested.

I was thinking that the course would be 50/50 in terms of readings, with
half of the readings focusing on topics in collections care (permits, IPM,
deterioration etc.) and half of the readings from research papers. They'll
also have a three-hour lab in which they'll be in the collections working
with Specify, prepping specimens, testing fluids, cleaning specimens etc.
My reasoning with the 50/50 split was that most of my students are going on
in academia or research, so I want them to be aware of the ways specimens
can help them answer questions. I also want to get them experience reading
more papers and discussing them. And, selfishly, I enjoy reading papers
about great museum research!

They'll have a salvage requirement in which they aim to find at least 5
specimens to contribute to the collections (they each will get a road and
series of windows to walk each week so the campus area is covered well each
day). Some years we actively collect salamanders so they've also addressed
the reality of taking an animal's life for a collection.

Finally, a number of curators at FMNH, UMMZ, and NMNH have done skype
interviews with the classes in which students learn that the same issues
are largely present in collections around the country, regardless of size
of the institution/collections.

Please contact me if you have more ideas for me. I am not teaching the
class until this fall, so I still have time to incorporate more of your
great ideas!

Thanks again,
Heather

Here are some links:

paper on the changing definition of the biological voucher specimen:

https://www.academia.edu/245195/The_changing_significance_and_definition_of_the_biological_voucher

Link to: Gardner et al. (2009) Shifting latitudinal clines in avian body
size correlate with global warming in Australian passerines. Proc R Soc. B.
276(1674: )3845-3852
http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1674/3845.full

Also recommended Van Buskirk et al 2010) Declining body sizes in North
American birds associated with climate change. Oikos 119(6)1047-1055
*http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668742_Declining_body_sizes_in_North_American_birds_associated_with_climate_change/file/3deec51991002edc72.pdf
<http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227668742_Declining_body_sizes_in_North_American_birds_associated_with_climate_change/file/3deec51991002edc72.pdf>*
 <http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/276/1674/3845.full>

Simmons, J.E. and Y. Muñoz-Saba.  2006.  The future of collections
management:  an approach to collections management training for developing
countries.  *Collection Forum*, 20(1-2):83-94.
http://www.spnhc.org/media/assets/cofo_2006_V20N172.pdf

Simmons, J.E., and Y. Muñoz-Saba. 2003. The theoretical bases of
collections management. *Collection Forum* 18(1-2):38-49.
http://www.magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/john%20simmonds%20paper.pdf

Unfortunately, there is still not a good textbook on natural history
collections management available in English, although Yaneth and I have
published one in Spanish (we are currently working on a new edition, and
may do an English version as well), which you can download for free here:
http://www.ibiologia.unam.mx/pdf/directorio/c/cervantes/clases/sistem/Cuidado_Manejo_y_Conservacion_de_las_Colecciones_Biologicas.pdf

I agree wholeheartedly and I think it is growing more and more important to
focus on preservation not only of the specimens themselves but their
associated data. In my opinion the easiest way to preserve specimen data,
and share it with the community of both present and future scientists, is
to make it digital. I attached an article which I wrote that is currently
in press or I would provide you a link to the published version. This
article discusses the importance of preservation, but more importantly the
tools for implementing preservation strategies. I hope you find it
insightful. Below is an excerpt from this article which pertains directly
to this conversation thread. I should mention that EGEMS is a digital
record-keeping system for geological materials. More information on EGEMS
can be found at www.egemsinfo.com  or contact Sarah Timm stimm10 at gmail.com

"In addition to the more commonly known materials (Rocks, Minerals,
Fossils) EGEMS also has the capability to store information for other
materials such as Research Products. Research Products are geological
materials that can be used for future research purposes or were derived
from pre-existing research projects. Examples include: thin sections
(polished or covered), billets, experimental powers, synthesized materials,
etc. When information for these are fully filled in they act as a recipe
that can be re-created in the future (Figure 10). Most of the fields for
Research Products in EGEMS are new to digital record keeping systems
everywhere."--contact

On Fri, Mar 7, 2014 at 3:44 PM, Kevin Winker <kevin.winker at alaska.edu>wrote:

> Hi, Heather. Sounds like an interesting course. Personally, I'd flip the
> reading around to emphasize collections development and collections care
> rather than collections from the perspective of researchers. The latter can
> artificially narrow perceptions of collections' myriad values (i.e., more
> than what is on the table needs to be incorporated into the collection).
> I'd echo many of the other responses, especially those related to manual
> (dis)abilities, but also emphasize the importance of instilling a vision
> and passionate appreciation for the building of these critical research
> infrastructure resources. Everyone can and should be involved.
>
> Best, K.
>
>
> On Thu, Mar 6, 2014 at 10:29 AM, Heather Lerner <hlerner at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I have the wonderful opportunity to be the director at the Joseph Moore
>> Museum at Earlham College. With that position, I get to teach one course
>> per year in "Museum Studies." My goals with the course are to first train
>> students in the most useful skills they will need to go on as collections
>> managers or curators or researchers who use collections, and second, for
>> students who may never work in/for a museum in the future, to convince
>> them
>> of the importance of biological collections so that they will be educated
>> lifelong museum advocates.
>>
>> Here is where I ask for *your input:*
>> (1) what are the *skills *you want incoming collections manager, graduate
>> students or curators to have?
>>
>> (2) we will read an article each week in which someone has published their
>> research using specimens/collections as a primary source of
>> information/data. For example, ancient DNA, isotope, morphological
>> studies.
>> What are some of the best *examples of collections-based research* you
>> thinkI should include?
>>
>> Thanks for your input,
>>
>> Heather
>>
>> --
>>
>> Heather
>>
>> *******************************************
>> Heather R. L. Lerner, Ph.D., M.S.
>> Joseph Moore Museum <http://earlham.edu/jmm> Director
>> Assistant Professor of Biology
>> Earlham College
>> 801 National Road West
>> Richmond IN 47374
>>
>> *******************************************
>> Google Voice: 949-GENOMES
>> Email: hlerner at gmail.com
>> http://heatherlerner.com/
>> *******************************************
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Nhcoll-l mailing list
>> Nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
>> http://mailman.yale.edu/mailman/listinfo/nhcoll-l
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
>> Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
>> mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
>> natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
>> society. See http://www.spnhc.org for membership information.
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Kevin Winker
> University of Alaska Museum
> 907 Yukon Drive
> Fairbanks, AK 99775
>

-- 

Heather

*******************************************
Heather R. L. Lerner, Ph.D., M.S.
Joseph Moore Museum <http://earlham.edu/jmm> Director
Assistant Professor of Biology
Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond IN 47374

*******************************************
Google Voice: 949-GENOMES
Email: hlerner at gmail.com
http://heatherlerner.com/
*******************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.yale.edu/pipermail/nhcoll-l/attachments/20140311/ae4dda4f/attachment.html 