[Nhcoll-l] Tracking in-house specimen usage

Fri Jan 28 13:52:55 EST 2022

Hi Sarah,

Our system at UMZM is similar to those described so far.

I just wanted to add that our compliance has been improved a lot by having
many magnetic baskets (like this
<https://smile.amazon.com/Magnetic-Container-Organizer-Refrigerator-Whiteboard/dp/B07KJQXTN8>)
containing pens and yellow loan slips (attached) scattered around the
collections -- the baskets are easy to move to where you need them, and are
a good visual reminder that loan slips exist and should be used.  We have a
matching yellow sign by each door outlining the in-house loan protocol as
simply as possible, which boils down to (1) don't move specimens out of
place without prior approval (basic training with me), (2) leave a
completed loan slip in place of each specimen, (3) immediately email me the
info on the loan slips (people often just send a picture of the slips,
which I encourage), and (4) contact me to return the loan (don't refile it
yourself).  I enter the loan slip info as I receive it into an in-house
loan spreadsheet, and I use that for tracking, reporting, following up
etc.  We deal mostly with dry birds and mammals, for context.

Angela

On Fri, Jan 28, 2022 at 11:17 AM Dirk Neumann <neumann at snsb.de> wrote:

> Hi Sarah,
>
> we developed a standardised Excel-sheet for consumptive tissue sampling
> that also collect extraction and DNA data, or consumption of DNA samples,
> respectively. These support workflows for picking samples directly i.e.,
> via simple print-outs with key data such as tube number, tube position on
> extraction plate, etc. that are conveyed from of the long Excel table with
> formulas to a second tab, which is supported by additional fields for
> required database updates to be done.
>
> Import schemes for our database are matching to respective field on the
> first tab containing all data, and thus, by running different import
> schemes over the same excel sheet, we can easily update database entries
> after tubes have been picked, DNA has been extracted, and DNA aliquots to
> be added to tissue tube entries after extraction.
>
> This made life a lot easier. Similar systems might be useful for other
> sorts of destructive sampling as well.
>
> For removal of jars, we started to add placeholder cards to shelves
> similar to those John suggested, however, we didn't standardise them so
> far, which resulted in that sort of "individualism" John mentioned and that
> you definitely want to avoid.
>
> Our bottleneck to record how many specimens were used is the returning of
> jars, when we record number of jars and included individuals, which are
> used for our annual report.
>
> Hope this helps
> Dirk
>
>
>
>
> Am 28.01.2022 um 18:05 schrieb Sarah K. Huber:
>
> I would be curious how different collections track in-house usage of
> specimens. I have tried many different protocols for doing this in our
> collection, and none have been completely successful. I would also be
> curious, given your protocol, how compliant users are. (We do not have our
> specimens bar-coded, so this is not an option for tracking at this time.)
>
>
>
> I do record when specimens get re-shelved, but without knowing when they
> left the collection, I am unable to determine the amount of time (months,
> years, decades) that they were used. Therefore, my annual reporting
> statistics don’t necessarily reflect actual specimen usage.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Sarah
>
>
>
> Sarah K. Huber, Ph.D.
> Curatorial Associate, VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection
> Office 804.684.7104 | Collection 804.684.7285
> skhuber at vims.edu |
> http://www.vims.edu/research/facilities/fishcollection/index.php
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> --
>
>
> Dirk Neumann
>
> Tel: 089 / 8107-111
> Fax: 089 / 8107-300
> neumann(a)snsb.de
>
> Postanschrift:
>
> Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns
> Zoologische Staatssammlung München
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> 81247 München
>
> Besuchen Sie unsere Sammlung:
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>
> ---------
>
> Dirk Neumann
>
> Tel: +49-89-8107-111
> Fax: +49-89-8107-300
> neumann(a)snsb.de
>
> postal address:
>
> Bavarian Natural History Collections
> The Bavarian State Collection of Zoology
> Dirk Neumann, Section Ichthyology / DNA-Storage
> Muenchhausenstr. 21
> 81247 Munich (Germany)
>
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>
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