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…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 2022 Gallery 3 2020 Gallery 4 2019 Gallery 5 Contributors 6 References Statement of Purpose This page offers SPNHC members a permanent place to share and expand the reach of posters shared at our annual conference. Realizing the import of collections and related materials [1][2][3], SPNHC recognizes the need to collaborate to…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 What is a Persistent Identifier? 4 Types of Identifiers 5 Assigning PIDs 6 Contributors 7 Further Reading 8 References Statement of Purpose This page was originally created to expand the scope of content from the section on Persistent Identifiers as they relate to Numbering Natural History Collections. Introduction As we increasingly digitize specimens and share digital…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Permitting Checklist for Researchers 4.1 When Preparing for a Collection Trip 4.2 While on a Collection Trip 4.3 After the Conclusion of a Collecting Trip 5 Tracking Permits Associated with Specimens 6 Categories of Legal/Compliance Documentation 6.1 Access and Benefit-Sharing Agreement 6.2 Authorization to Possess 6.3 Collecting Permit 6.4 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Introduction: Paper as an element of natural history collections 4 Definition of Paper 4.1 Permanent and Archival Papers 4.2 Highlights in the history of papermaking 4.3 Fibers Used in Papermaking 4.4 Considerations Regarding Removal/Replacement of Historical Papers 4.5 References Statement of Purpose Paper is frequently associated with natural history collection and herbaria specimens. It can be…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Introduction 4 Study Skin Preparation 5 Skeleton Preparation 6 Fluid-specimen Preparation 7 Spread Wing Preparation 8 Preparation Procedure Resources 9 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about ornithology specimen preparation. Contributors Emily Braker Introduction Bird specimens are prepared in multiple formats depending on anticipated collection needs and utility. Study skins are the…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Catalog Numbers 3.1 Best Practices 3.2 Legacy Numbering Systems 3.3 Lot-based Systems 3.4 Numbers for Specimens Prior to Accession 4 Accession Numbers 5 Persistent Identifiers 6 Barcodes 7 Contributors 8 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about numbering systems for natural history collections. This content was generated after several email threads on Nhcoll-l indicating…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Back to Basics Skillshare Symposium, Lawrence, May 2025 3 Back to Basics Skillshare Symposium, Edinburgh, June 2022 4 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…
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…
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…
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
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,…
Contents 1 Contributors 2 Introduction 3 Setting the Stage: Types of Standards 4 Identifying Material Standards 4.1 Labeling Substrates 4.1.1 Paper 4.1.1.1 Preservation Issues 4.1.2 Coated Paper 4.1.2.1 Preservation Issues 4.1.3 Synthetic Papers 4.1.3.1 Polyethylene – Tyvek® 4.1.3.2 Spun-Bound Polyester 4.2 Ink and Printing Technologies 4.2.1 Manual Marking 4.2.1.1 Pens 4.2.1.2 Stamps 4.2.1.3 Pencils 4.2.2 Printing Technologies 4.2.2.1 Inkjet Printing 4.2.2.2 Key Requirements 4.2.2.3 Laser Printing (and Photocopiers) 4.2.2.4 Key Requirements and Tests 4.2.2.5 Thermal Transfer Printing 4.3 Attaching…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Restoration/renovation 3.1 Rehydration 3.2 Deaccessioning 4 Labels and systems for printing 5 Identification and sorting of collected material 5.1 Accessioning 5.2 Georeferencing 5.3 Cataloging 5.4 Collection organization 6 Storage in collection 6.1 Preservation types 6.2 Sensitive and rare specimen handling/preserving 6.3 Fluid preserved invertebrate handling and storage 6.3.1 Clear glass, screw-top jars 6.3.1.1 Types of glass 6.4 Plastic Containers 6.5 Vials Containing Whole Specimens 6.6 Stainless…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Guidelines for curation and management 4 Processing of Specimens 4.1 Acquisition and accession 4.2 Handling of type material 4.2.1 Primary types 4.2.2 Secondary types 4.3 Labeling 4.4 Archiving collection documents 4.5 Data capture 5 Arrangement of Main Collection 6 Conservation of Specimens 7 Access and Use of Collections 7.1 Specimen use 7.1.1 Student or thesis collections 7.1.2 Teaching and exhibition 7.1.3 Loan policies 7.1.4 Destructive sampling…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Collections and their Impact 3.1 Economy and trade 3.2 Changes over time 3.3 Environmental Quality 3.4 Food and agriculture 3.5 Public Health and Safety 3.6 National Security 3.7 Invasive Species 3.8 Scientific Treasures 3.9 Unanticipated Uses / New data 4 Who Uses Natural History Collections? 5 Consequences of Orphaned Collections 6 Links 7 Resources 8 References Statement of Purpose Our ability to understand the…
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…
Published: March 26, 2025 Best Practices, Wiki Home
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Links Statement of Purpose This page is produced by the IDEA Committee as a page of resources related to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access within the natural history community. If you know of any resources that would be of use that we should add, please contact the committee. Links A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reading List, with…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 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. Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Restoration/renovation 3.1 Rehydration 4 Labels and systems for printing 5 Identification and sorting of collected material 5.1 Accessioning 5.2 Georeferencing 5.3 Cataloging 5.4 Collection organization 6 Storage in collection (containers) 6.1 Sensitive and rare specimen handling/preserving 6.2 Clear glass, screw-top jars 6.3 Glass Gasket jars 6.4 Plastic Containers 6.5 Vials Containing Whole Specimens 6.6 Stainless steel tanks Statement of Purpose These links…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Fixation and Preservation 3.1 Preservation of tissue samples 3.2 Formalin Fixation Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about herpetology specimen preparation. See Preparation Procedure Resources below for links to detailed preparation guides Contributors Content generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting – 2016,…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Restoration/renovation 3.1 Rehydration 4 Labels and systems for printing 5 Identification and sorting of collected material 5.1 Accessioning 5.2 Cataloging 5.3 Collection organization 6 Storage in collection (containers) 6.1 Sensitive and rare specimen handling/preserving 6.2 Clear glass, screw-top jars 6.3 Glass Gasket jars 6.4 Plastic Containers 6.5 Vials Containing Whole Specimens 6.6 Stainless steel tanks Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain…
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…
Published: March 26, 2025 Best Practices, Wiki Home
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Developing Policies 3.1 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) 3.2 Guide to operations 4 Funding and Budgets 5 Facility Management 5.1 Access and security 5.2 Space planning 5.3 Lighting 5.4 Flooring 5.5 Ventilation 5.6 Oxygen monitors 5.7 Backup precautions 6 Genetic and Genomic Collections Storage 6.1 Temperature considerations 6.2 Liquid nitrogen cryovats 6.3 Liquid nitrogen supply 6.4 Mechanical freezers and refrigerators 7 Operational Best Practice 7.1 Facility functions and services…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributor 3 Introduction 4 Code of Conduct for Paleontological Collectors 5 Additional Resources Statement of Purpose This document is being created as a guideline for all field collections involving paleontology as a list of do’s and don’ts when you are on someone else’s land. Contributor Jacob Bridy Introduction While cultivating a friendly working relationship…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Recommendations 3 Food Management Policy & Procedures 3.1 Special events 3.1.1 Case Study: Special events 3.2 Staff issues 3.2.1 Case Studies: Staff issues 3.3 Visitor issues 3.3.1 Case Study: Visitor issues 3.4 Vendor food location 3.4.1 Case Study: Vendor food location 3.5 Design of food 3.5.1 Case Study: Design of food 3.6 Food preparation areas 3.6.1 Case Study: Food preparation areas 4 Links 5 Contributors Statement…
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,…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Introduction 3 Preventing Evaporation 3.1 Risks of Evaporation 4 Topping Up 4.1 Quantitative Topping up Tools 5 Future Monitoring 6 Contributors 7 Additional Resources 8 References Statement of Purpose These links and documents contain information about best practices for monitoring fluid collections in natural history collections preserved in ethanol (EtOH). For additional information on fluid collection curation and management,…
Contents 1 Statement of Purpose 2 Contributors 3 Fluid Collections 2D Imaging 31 Workflows and Guides 3.2 Immersion tanks 4 Links Statement of Purpose This page is for information and workflows about imaging fluid collections Contributors Andrew D. Williston; Emily Braker Fluid Collections 2D Imaging Fluid-preserved specimens face some unique imaging challenges due to the risk of desiccation when…
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…
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