Category: Desired BP Content

Training Personnel

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Emergency Management, Health and Safety

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Staff Training Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for training personnel working with natural history collections. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting – 2016, during an iDigBio sponsored workshop by the following individuals…

SPNHC Annual Meetings

Published: March 26, 2025    Conference Proceedings, Desired BP Content

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Annual Meetings 3.1 2023 – San Francisco, CA, USA – 38th Annual Meeting 3.2 2022 – Edinburgh, UK – 37th Annual Meeting 3.3 2021 – Virtual -36th Annual Meeting 3.4 2020 – Virtual – 35th Annual Meeting 3.5 2019 – Chicago, IL, USA – 34th Annual Meeting 3.6 2018 – Dunedin, NZ – 33rd Annual Meeting…

Shipping Large Fossils

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Transactions, Desired BP Content, Geology and Paleontology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Shipping Large Fossils 4.1 Key points: 5 Custom Packing Options 6 Crates 7 Links 8 References Statement of Purpose This page presents recommendations on how to pack and ship large fossils to prevent damage during shipment. Contributors Carrie Eaton and Jessica Cundiff Introduction Packing large fossils properly is important to prevent damage in transit when shipping…

Preparation

Published: March 26, 2025    Botanical Collections, Conference Proceedings, Cryogenic Collections, Desired BP Content, Field Collecting, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 About 2 Contributors 3 Specimen Preparation Types by Collection Type 3.1 Botany 3.2 Herpetology 3.3 Ichthyology 3.4 Ornithology 4 Links 4.1 Community Standards About These links and documents contain information about best practices for the preparation of different types of natural history specimens. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting – 2016, during an…

Museum Techniques Skillshare

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Management, Curation Practices, Desired BP Content

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Back to Basics Skillshare Symposium, Edinburgh June 2022 3 Contributors Statement of Purpose This page offers SPNHC members a place to share techniques, protocols, and workflows. Content formally presented at the SPNHC 2022 meeting in Edinburgh during the Back to Basics: Museum Techniques Skillshare Symposium is indicated when applicable. Back to Basics…

Microtomography (microCT)

Published: March 26, 2025    Desired BP Content, Digitization and Imaging

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Keywords 4 Methods 5 Equipment 6 File Formats 7 Novel Uses 8 References Statement of Purpose This page will provide an overview of the utility for microtomography in a museum setting, considerations for specimens and considerations for destructive sampling, and resources for further information. Introduction Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT or microtomography) is a non-destructive imaging technique…

Microscope Slide Curation

Published: March 26, 2025    Botanical Collections, Curation Practices, Desired BP Content, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Notes on Application 3 Mounting Media Considerations 4 Conservation Problems to Address 5 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for microscope slide curation. Notes on Application Especially small invertebrate specimens like worms, insects, crustaceans, and mites are mounted as whole mounts on microscope…

Mercury

Published: March 26, 2025    Archaeology and Ethnographic Collections, Botanical Collections, Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Health and Safety, Preventative Conservation Book, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Introduction See description of Mercury chloride, (I) Hg2Cl2 and (II) HgCl2 (sublimate) on Biocides page. Links http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Health_%26_Safety:_Heavy_Metals,_their_Salts,_and_other_Compounds http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Tin-Mercury_Amalgam_Mirrors#Health_.26_Safety

Loans

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Management, Collection Management Policies, Collection Transactions, Desired BP Content, Legislation and Regulations

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Contributors 4 Loan Protocols 4.1 Outgoing Loans 4.2 Incoming Loans (Borrows) 4.3 Internal Loans 4.4 Tracking loans 5 Community Standards Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for loaning natural history collections between and within institutions. Introduction An institution typically lends and borrows collection items for the purpose of research/study,…

Imaging in the Field

Published: March 26, 2025    Conference Proceedings, Desired BP Content, Digitization and Imaging, Field Collecting, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Recommended Equipment 4 Imaging specimens 5 Imaging Back-up Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for imaging live animals in the field. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting – 2016, during an iDigBio sponsored workshop by the following…

Ichthyology Specimen Preparation

Published: March 26, 2025    Desired BP Content, Field Collecting, Specimen and Material Type, Specimen and Object Preparation, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Contributors 4 Fluid-Preservation Techniques 4.1 Preservation of tissue samples 4.2 Fixation and Preservation (Adult Fishes) 4.3 Formalin Fixation 4.4 Ethanol Fixation 4.5 Fixation and Preservation (Marine fish eggs and larvae) Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about ichthyology specimen preparation. Introduction Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH)…

Geological Collection Curation

Published: March 26, 2025    Curation Practices, Desired BP Content, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Specimen and Material Type

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Types of Geological Collections 4 Acquisition 5 Curation 5.1 Identification 5.2 Cataloging 5.3 Georeferencing 5.4 Labeling 5.5 Storage and Organization 6 Policies 6.1 Access 6.2 Health and Safety 7 Links 8 References Statement of Purpose Geological collections are extremely broad in scope and inlcude paleontological, petrological, mineralogical and many other types of materials. These collections are the foundation of our understanding of…

Fluid Collections

Published: March 26, 2025    Botanical Collections, Curation Practices, Desired BP Content, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Importance of stable environment for long-term preservation 3.1 Unstable storage environment accelerates deterioration 4 Temperature based expansion of ethanol 5 Contributors 6 Source Material 7 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for fluid collections relevant to natural history collections. Introduction Fluid-preserved specimens may be plants,…

Fire Safety and Suppression

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Emergency Management, Health and Safety

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Contributors 4 Fluid Collections 5 Links Statement of Purpose This section includes information related to fire safety and suppression within natural history museums. Introduction Fire can be caused by faulty construction, carelessness, improper protocols, or lack of policy within an institution. All aspects of a natural history museum or collection facility should…

Field Notes

Published: March 26, 2025    Archaeology and Ethnographic Collections, Botanical Collections, Desired BP Content, Field Collecting, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Recording medium 4 Formatting 5 Field Catalog minimal data requirements 6 Field Journal 7 Voucher-less specimens 8 Examples Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for field notes. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting…

Environmental Specifications and Sustainability

Published: March 26, 2025    Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Environment

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Sustainability within the museum setting 4 Sustainable development goals within museums 4.1 Action Items 5 Educators and staff working directly with visitors 6 Researchers and Staff 7 Energy consumption 8 Waste Reduction 9 Materials reused 10 Materials discarded 11 Contributors 12 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for environmental specification for collections spaces…

Entomology Collection Curation

Published: March 26, 2025    Curation, Desired BP Content, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Pinned collections 3.1 Hazards 3.2 Handling 3.3 Storage 4 Secondary Mounts 5 Envelopes 5.1 Sealing 5.2 Labeling 5.3 Material 6 Contributors 7 Source Material 8 Links 9 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about curating entomology collections. Introduction Entomology collections have methods that have been used successfully for many hundreds of years, and proper use of these methods…

Digital Imaging

Published: March 26, 2025    Botanical Collections, Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Digitization and Imaging, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 About 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 2D Imaging 4.1 Equipment 4.2 Fluid Collections Imaging 4.3 Dry Specimen Imaging 5 3D Imaging 6 Advocacy for Imaging 7 Links About These links and documents contain information about best practices for digital imaging of specimens. Both 2D and 3D imaging can be very important to collections and achieved in a variety of ways. This page…

Core Compentencies

Published: March 25, 2025    Desired BP Content

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 2.1 Paleontology 2.1.1 Defining the Professional Preparator Core Competencies 3 Contributors 4 Source Material Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about core competencies in different disciplines in natural history collections Introduction Paleontology Defining the Professional Preparator Core Competencies The below list of core competencies were drafted by Matthew Brown, Amy Davidson,…

Collecting Techniques

Published: March 25, 2025    Conference Proceedings, Desired BP Content, Field Collecting, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Contributors 4 Collection Techniques 4.1 Herps 4.2 Fishes 5 Equipment Disinfection Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for collecting specimens. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting – 2016, during an iDigBio sponsored workshop by the following individuals participating in…

3d Imaging

Published: March 25, 2025    Botanical Collections, Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Digitization and Imaging, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Contributors 4 Modalities 4.1 Micro-CT 4.2 MRI 4.3 Structure from Motion 4.4 Laser Scanning 4.5 Structured Light Scanning 4.6 3D Reconstruction from Stacked 2D Images 5 Archiving Statement of Purpose Understanding of (and standards for) 3D, or three-dimensional, imaging as a digitization process for natural history collections. Introduction “3D imaging” refers to a wide range of techniques for…

Amber Ethics and Guidelines

Published: March 24, 2025    Botanical Collections, Collection Management, Desired BP Content, Field Collecting, Geology and Paleontology Collections, Legislation and Regulations, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Myanmar Amber Statement of Purpose Contributors Christina Byrd Introduction Myanmar Amber The following guidelines and resources were developed by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) Myanmar Advisory Working Group. These guidelines were developed with input from relevant experts and stakeholders. It is the hope of SVP that these resources…

Archives and Special Collections

Published: March 24, 2025    Curation Practices, Desired BP Content, News, Specimen and Material Type

Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Uses 4 Common Collection Types 5 Contributors 6 Source Material 7 Links 8 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for archives and special collections relevant to natural history collections. Introduction Special Collections are collections that are separated from an institution’s main collection according to; collector, rarity, specimen type,…