[Nhcoll-l] Best packing material for moving of wet collection jars

[Callomon,Paul]

When a major alcohol collection was shipped to us by truck from another museum a few years ago, it was packed by the shippers into 55-gallon plastic drums with detachable lids. Inside the drums, the glass jars were packed tightly and sorbent sheet (known as "pig") was used both to separate and steady them and to absorb any leaks. There were none, as it turned out. The movers benefited from being able to use the various carts and barrows already long in use for moving heavy drums of fluid that ensure a drum is not tipped over at any stage.

Paul Callomon
Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates
________________________________
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia
callomon at ansp.org Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170
________________________________
From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of Elizabeth Wommack <ewommack at uwyo.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2023 7:03 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Best packing material for moving of wet collection jars


External.

The UWYMV has to do an emergency move of its wet collection to accommodate construction in the museum building.

We are working with our Safety Office to make sure the fluid specimens will be stored as safely as possible. The current plan is to package up each shelf into hard sided moving boxes, fill the space inbetween jars with vermiculite, and store the collection in the flammable liquid storage building until construction is completed.

I have read both Simmons 2014 and Coetzer et al. 2009, as well as gone through SPNHC's documentation on moving of collections. With our very limited time we will do the best we can for inventory, and make sure each jar is topped off before it goes into a box.

I could not find recommendations on boxing and packing material for movement of whole jars of fluid specimens however. Vermiculite was the recommendation of our Safety Office, since that is how they transport jars of chemicals safely. Does anyone know of adverse affects from vermiculite or a better easily accessible storage material we should be using?

Any thoughts and recommendations greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Beth Wommack

Elizabeth Wommack, PhD
Curator and Collections Manager of Vertebrates
University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates
Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center
University of Wyoming,
Laramie, WY 82071
ewommack@<mailto:ewommack at berkeley.edu>uwyo.edu<http://uwyo.edu/>
pronouns: she, her, herself
www.uwymv.org<http://www.uwymv.org/>
UWYMV Collection Use Policy<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zH0_rDHQmerM4ZU7k2wu8UmRha6aC1Yo/view?usp=share_link>
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