Resources

Please explore the Governance section of this website for more resources pertaining to the Society itself.

38th Annual Meeting: Taking the Long View

Published: June 24, 2022    

Link: https://www.calacademy.org/spnhc-2023 Date: May 28 – June 2, 2023 Location: San Francisco, California, USA Host: California Academy of Sciences Contact: SPNHC2023questions@calacademy.org ABM: 2023-SPNHC-ABM-packet.pdf

Data Aggregation Overview from Digitization Workshop ASIH 2016

Published: November 16, 2021    

These links and documents contain information about data aggregation as relevant to natural history collections. 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 the “Digitization” working group of the aforementioned workshop. Subjects include: Data Aggregation (mobilization);…

Continuity of Operations

Published: November 16, 2021    

Here we present a checklist of items to consider for maintaining business continuity during institutional closures, specifically when circumstances do not allow some or all staff to be on site. This page was created as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in closures of collections across the globe. Various emergencies, including acts of…

Collection Storage: Guidelines by Material Type

Published: November 16, 2021    

STORAGE AT A GLANCE:FRAMEWORK AND DEFINITIONS Lisa Elkin, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY Robert Waller, Protect Heritage Corp. and Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario Approaches to risk mitigation across all aspects of collection storage design and operation have been presented throughout this volume. Of course, not all guidelines…

Best Practices in Collection Management

Published: November 16, 2021    

SPNHC Wiki content page originally 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 the “Museum Logistics” working group of the aforementioned workshop. Subjects include: Facility Management; Space Planning; Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning; Lighting; Flooring; Shelving; Fire…

SPNHC 37th Annual Meeting and joint meeting with BHL and NatSCA

Published: July 12, 2021    

Joint meeting with  International Partner – BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library) and National Partner – NatSCA (Natural Sciences Collections Association) Date: June 4-10, 2022 Link: https://spnhc2022.com/ Location:  Edinburgh, Scotland, UK Host: National Museums Scotland and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Theme: Through the door and through the web: releasing the power of natural history collections onsite and online. Chairs: Sankurie Pye…

Accession number 19-198

Published: February 18, 2020    

Smithsonian Institution Archives finding aid: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, Records, 1982-2018

Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage

Published: January 8, 2020    

Trim size 7 x 10 in.; 944 pages; full color. $95 hardcover.   Good storage is the foundation of effective collection care-advancing conservation while promoting accessibility and use. Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage covers all types of collections, including science, fine and decorative art, history, library, archive, and digital collections. It concentrates on preventive conservation and…

35th Annual Meeting: SPNHC & ICOM NATHIST June 8-12, 2020

Published: November 5, 2019    

Online Conference scheduled June 8-12, 2020. Webpage here https://spnhc.org/virtual-meeting-2020-program/ EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND RESCHEDULED FOR 2022 Date: June 7 – 13th, 2020 Location:  Edinburgh, Scotland Host: National Museums Scotland and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Theme: The Role of Natural History Collections in Global Challenges Chairs: Sankurie Pye

Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage

Published: September 20, 2019    

Good storage is the foundation of effective collection care-advancing conservation while promoting accessibility and use. Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage covers all types of collections, including science, fine and decorative art, history, library, archive, and digital collections. It concentrates on preventive conservation and emphasizes a risk-management approach. Reflecting the breadth of its scope, the new book…

Insect Collections

Published: June 19, 2019    

Best practices for insect collections. Introduction to Insect Storage Techniques for Small Collections (2010)

Botany and Herbaria

Published: June 19, 2019    

Best Practices for plant specimens. How to Pack a Herbarium Specimen for Loan (2010) How to Prepare Seaweed Specimens (2010)

Importance of Collections

Published: June 19, 2019    

Our ability to understand the natural world depends on the collection, preservation, and ongoing study of natural history specimens. These collections are the physical record of Earth’s life forms and processes. The information included here  can be used to communicate the importance of natural history collections to justify budgets for collections care and maintenance, to…

Conservation and Restoration

Published: June 19, 2019    

Conservation Adhesives and Consolidants in Geological and Paleontological Conservation: A Wall Chart (1997) An Alternative to Gelatine Capsules in Natural History Collections (2016) Anoxic Microenvironments: A Simple Guide (1996) Comparison of Temperature and Relative Humidity Dataloggers for Museum Monitoring (2002) Guide to the Indentification of Common Clear Plastic Films (1998) Paper Conservation (SPNHC Wiki) Specimen…

Digitization

Published: June 19, 2019    

SPNHC recognizes the need to collaborate to develop, discover, disseminate and update best (better, current, recommended) practices for creating digital collections resources and publishing them for global access. Materials linked here represent the efforts of many collections data mobilization projects worldwide. [read more]

Fluid Collections

Published: June 19, 2019    

Conservation and Curation of Fluid Collections Distinguishing between Ethanol and Isopropanol in Natural History Collection Fluid Storage   Fluid Collections Monitoring Fluid collections should be monitored on a regular schedule to prevent excessive preservative evaporation, detect faulty seals on storage containers or changes in preservative quality, and maintain collections at desired concentration levels. Monitoring intervals…

35th Annual Meeting

Published: June 4, 2019    

Joint meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) and the International Council of Museums Committee for Museums and Collections of Natural History (ICOM NATHIST) Date: June 7-13, 2020 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland Host: National Museums Scotland and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Chair: Sankurie Pye Website: http://www.spnhc-icomnathist2020.com/