[Nhcoll-l] Vial jar system

[Alexandra Snyder]

These vial jar systems work for accessing individual collections (up to 40) only if each jar is assigned a unique number.  In the MSB fishes database, each cataloged collection that is in a vial jar is assigned an alphanumeric, up to 40 individuals per jar.  (I have an automatic numbering system built into my cataloging program that tracks the vial jar numbers so that there are no duplications for collections in 70% ethanol.  The collections maintained in 5% buffered formalin and 95% ethanol are manually assigned vial jar numbers.)  The attached picture shows individual vial jars labeled with unique vial jar numbers.

Regarding the comment that to look for a single collection in a vial jar is cumbersome and requires going to the fumehood I disagree with this being an issue.  Anytime we pull a single collection from a vial jar, we do not do that in the collection room but rather in the lab with a specimen tray and forceps.  Opening collections in the collection room (ours is strictly for archives, not for specimen examination) runs the risk of losing small specimens as well as mishaps with glass jars and alcohol.

Extremely small larvae are double vialed.  Contained in many of our 8 dram vials in the system are .25 and 1 dram vials holding protolarval forms.  Small wads of cotton do not seem to interfere with these samples.

Again, I have used this system for many years and found that the trade off between access and long-term conservation is not hard.  The student curatorial assistants have pulled many of these collections for  loans, researchers , etc.  and have not found the system to be a burden.

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Alexandra M Snyder, Collections Manager-Fishes
Museum of Southwestern Biology MSC03-2020
University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131
PH./FAX 505.277.6005     amsnyder at unm.edu

PHYSICAL ADDRESS FOR FEDEX/UPS
Bldg.83  Room 204
302 Yale Blvd NE



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