[Nhcoll-l] specimen storage trays RE: Display/storage containers for study skins

[Jay R Cordeiro]

Hi, Dawn.

I would echo what John said.  Teaching collections, if this is indeed a teaching collection, can be expected to experience wear and tear (sacrifice in the name of education- how noble!).  If, as is often the case with smaller, less complete collections, this is a combination of teaching and scientific collections, you must balance the cost of handling with the benefit of the benefits of what each specimen offers in the course of teaching.

A little instruction prior to handling goes a long way and can prevent the necessity of “post-instruction” after a specimen is damaged or destroyed.  A quick half hour with all of the staff should be enough and a sign in/sign out system makes folks accountable, and therefore more cautious when handling specimens.  You can decide whether students should be allowed to sign for specimens with or without staff/faculty approval.

I would not recommend encasing specimens in sealed, albeit clear and viewable, containers.  There is much to be gained by being able to hold a specimen, feel its texture, turn it at any angle, smell it, that cannot be experienced from a sealed container.  I would recommend lids for your archival specimen trays.  Lids can cover the specimen for protection during storage and transport and can be inverted and the tray nested within the upside down lid to view the specimen as needed.  If you wish to have specimens viewable at all times including in storage, the tray can be set atop the upside down lid and the lid only used during transport.

We have been offering archival materials like this for museum and private collections for years so I will contact you off this list and you can see some options.

Best of luck.
Jay

Jay Cordeiro
Northeast Natural History & Supply
archival materials and natural history books
unionid at comcast.net


From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of John E Simmons
Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 3:58 PM
To: Dawn Lawson
Cc: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Display/storage containers for study skins

Prepare a simple, friendly, one-page list of handling instructions for specimens that says tags cannot be removed, fur cannot be rubbed the wrong way, feathers cannot be separated, etc. Assume that none of the students or instructors have ever handled specimens before and take this opportunity to teach them how to do it right. You might also include a few statements about the importance of preserved specimens. On the bottom of the sheet include a place for each person to sign and date it to verify that they have read and will follow the directions.

Personally, I would also require students (and everyone else) working with the specimens to wear nitrile or neoprene gloves while handling specimens and include cautions about washing hand after due to possible contact with arsenic or other pesticides.
--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com<mailto:simmons.johne at gmail.com>
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.museologica.com&d=DwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=dSIAqzwYwiaV2mEtOR6ZNBDHtSi25pp7VTMIgvGinLo&s=V4NgosyOXbWTm4lcqLGDALf-l8Z9DMsfM9dcaY2hNLM&e=>
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
and
Instructor, Museum Studies
School of Library and Information Science
Kent State University

On Thu, Feb 23, 2017 at 2:48 PM, Dawn Lawson <dmlawson at ualberta.ca<mailto:dmlawson at ualberta.ca>> wrote:
Hello!  I'm new to the list, and as part of my job duties, I manage a small zoology museum on a small campus.
In the last few years, use of the museum is increasing due to the influx of ecology survey type courses, and other uses, and I need to be able to protect specimens from handling (both generally, and to avoid such behaviour as "pulling apart the tail feathers to look for field marks" type manipulations.)
I have some acrylic cylinders which I temporarily seal with a glue gun, and some sheet plastic formed into tubes which can be opened, and some small birds in large test tubes...but I cannot find midsize tubes that are suitable for duck/jay/groundsquirrel-sized skins.
I have two questions for the list members:
1) What might be some good ways to reduce loss/damage from handling on this type of collection and
2) Where can I source display materials that are economical, varied sizes, and appropriate to use?
Dawn Lawson
University of Alberta, Augustana

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