Category: Health and Safety

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…

Taxidermy and Skins

Published: March 26, 2025    Archaeology and Ethnographic Collections, Best Practices, Curation Practices, Health and Safety, Specimen and Material Type, Zoology Collections

Contents Statement of Purpose Contributors Links Highlighted Resources History of Taxidermy Taxidermy Storage Stabilization & Restoration of Taxidermy Taxidermy & Pest Control Taxidermy & Disaster Recovery Health & Safety Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about the care and preservation of skin and taxidermy collections. There is a wealth of information on…

Reopening Collections

Published: March 26, 2025    Best Practices, Collection Management, Emergency Management, Health and Safety

Contents 1 About 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Reopening Collections 4.1 Managing Collections After Closure Due to Public Health Emergencies 4.2 Receiving Incoming Collection Items After Closure Due to Public Health Emergencies 5 Links About Here we present a checklist of items to consider for reopening collections after institutional or departmental closures, specifically when circumstances do not allow some or all staff…

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

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…

Disaster Planning

Published: March 26, 2025    Best Practices, Collection Management, Emergency Management, Health and Safety

About These links and documents contain information about best practices for disaster planning in the museum relevant to natural history collections. Museum SOS For many people in the museum community, the events that took place in New York and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001 brought home the vulnerability of our cultural heritage and added…

Continuity of Operations

Published: March 25, 2025    Best Practices, Collection Management, Health and Safety

Contents 1 About 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Continuity of Operations Policy 5 Notification and Essential Personnel 6 Packages and Mail 7 Checking on Collections 8 Communication with Stakeholders during Closures 9 Preparing to Work Remotely 9.1 Computers and Software 9.2 Projects and Employee Expectations 10 Links About Here we present a checklist of items to consider for maintaining business continuity during institutional closures, specifically when circumstances…

Collection Theft and Security Monitoring

Published: March 25, 2025    Best Practices, Collection Management Policies, Emergency Management, Health and Safety

Contents 1 About 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Activities and Meetings 5 Preventative Actions 6 Staff Considerations: Hiring, Training, and Offboarding 7 Insurance and Value Assignment 8 Risk Levels 9 Response to Potential Theft 10 Communication Channels 11 Monitoring for Stolen Specimens 12 Education and Engagement 13 References About The aim of the SPNHC Collection Theft and Security Monitoring Toolkit is to provide information about measures that would…