GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

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marked on a specimen pre-supposes a wish or entitlement to retain a specimen, and the time taken for the process reduces curatorial impetus for cataloguing. The guidelines concerning the operation of entry documentation must be followed carefully. The need for special temporary storage areas, and rapid cataloguing is especially important. The preparation of Entry Labels linking material albeit weakly to its entry documentation is none the less crucial. The labels probably need carry little else but an Entry Number or equivalent. This is especially true for material collected in the field, as much of the important data is preserved in field notebooks. Field marks and field labels should be kept intact. Entry Labels may also carry sufficient information so as to provide immediately available information concerning the origin of the material for casual inspection. Tie-on tags or labels are advantageous where the specimens are suitable. Where practical we recommend that specimens, together with their labels should be stored in a sealed container. Self-sealing polythene bags, plastic boxes with sliding or slip-on lids and stoppered glass tubes are all useful, the choice depending on the specimen. Ensure that labels are not damaged by the specimen during storage. 1.3.3. Cataloguing: specimen marks and labels Probably the first job of a curator engaged in specimen cataloguing is to give each specimen a unique number. In all practical circumstances it is recommended that this number be marked on the specimen. The techniques by which this can be done are discussed in the next section (see also MDA 1981 pp 127-135). Some principles to be observed are: take care not to obscure or destroy significant features of the specimen; apply numbers with sympathy for the aesthetic appeal of specimens, yet in readily accessible positions; beware of ambiguous numbers, e.g. 10891 is 16901 upside down: underline to indicate correct interpretation; the size of the number and figures should be commensurate with the size of the specimen. Other marks may be necessary. In particular, type, figured and cited specimens (see also E2.4) should be marked with coloured spots. A recommended convention is that all type and figured specimens should be marked in green, referred and cited specimens in red, and that primary types, in addition, should have yellow Specimen Labels. Some museums mark such specimens with the institution's name or code to provide further visual documentation. Others use highly coloured (e.g. pink) specimen trays which show up more clearly in storage drawers. Marks which amount to labels glued on to a specimen are not recommended since any fixed material of any size obscures features of specimens (unless very large or where the label may be fixed to the matrix) and are in any case subject to deterioration especially from wear to tear. In the case of large specimens (e.g. some vertebrates) the value of locality and horizon data written directly on the specimen has been emphasised by Palmer (1977) and where appropriate is recommended here, in addition to specimen labels (see below). A specimen being processed into the permanent colIections of a museum may
Fig. 3. Cataloguing a specimen using preprinted specimen identity numbers and record sheets. Identification and classification are carried out at the same time. already be accompanied by a variety of documents and labels. In all practical circumstances these should remain with the specimens (fragile labels might, for instance, be stored in a History File). An old 'original' label does not necessarily make the best 'working' Specimen Label. A 'working' Specimen Label should exhibit the following standardised features: m consistency of format m consistent use of data standards m legibility The information which accompanies a specimen comes originally from its field associations and continues to accumulate during its subsequent history. A Specimen Label provides the opportunity to present this information in summary form and for immediate use. No information should appear on a label which is not recorded elsewhere in the specimen's catalogue entry, except, of course, that intrinsic to the label itself (handwriting, style, colour, etc.). The Specimen Label should allow for the recording of the following information: m specimen identification (at any level) m stratigraphical information m geographical information m collector/acquisition information
Page 1 and 2: A . GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION '-
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Part A INTRODUCTION ACQUI
Page 5 and 6: GUIDELINES FOR CURATION OF GEOLOGI
Page 7: involved at all stages of curation
Page 10 and 11: ACQUISITION: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDA
Page 12 and 13: environomental (i.e. site) conserva
Page 14 and 15: PRIMARY ACQUISITION: COLLECTING AND
Page 16 and 17: clearly and indelibly labelled with
Page 18 and 19: 2.1.3.2. Geochemistry 2.1.3.3. Geop
Page 20 and 21: 2.2.1.3. Purchase 2.2.1.4. Exchange
Page 22: 2.2.2.2. Private collectors This ca
Page 25 and 26: ACQUISITION DOCUMENTATION INTRODUCT
Page 27 and 28: DOCUMENTATION OF SPECIMENS DURING P
Page 29 and 30: Against the corresponding number in
Page 31 and 32: DOCUMENTATION GENERAL INTRODUCTION
Page 33: measurements, descriptions, photogr
Page 37 and 38: Specimen Identity Numbers may be su
Page 39 and 40: ldentn Comment Object(s) OBJECT EXA
Page 41 and 42: Cooper (1982), Mayer (1974, 1976),
Page 43 and 44: its entitlement to retain a specime
Page 45 and 46: or otherwise borrowed. Those which
Page 47 and 48: must be that in which a specimen is
Page 49 and 50: must be used. An extendible numberi
Page 51 and 52: Multiple classifications and cross-
Page 53 and 54: itself the task of describing, figu
Page 55 and 56: 4.4.1.2. Minerals 4.4.1.3. Rocks ne
Page 57 and 58: 4.4.2. Identity and identification
Page 59 and 60: The MDA Geology Specimen Card allow
Page 61 and 62: 4.4.2.6. Status A specimen acquires
Page 63 and 64: 4.4.3.3. Colour Colour is a notorio
Page 65 and 66: Regis, Charmouth; for Whitby, Saltw
Page 67 and 68: Redundant or shifting countries and
Page 69 and 70: 4.4.4.3. Collection This system, al
Page 71 and 72: at tracing the history and fate of
Page 73 and 74: Of immediate concern is the questio
Page 75 and 76: other information of significance m
Page 77 and 78: y documentation, development, techn
Page 79 and 80: The movement of a specimen is an ev
Page 81 and 82: When a specimen is replaced in its
Page 83 and 84: the nature of a specimen and within
Page 85 and 86:
5.4.2. The documentation of complex
Page 87 and 88:
6.1.1.2. conditions of loans a lett
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description of borrowed items (incl
Page 91 and 92:
ecome separated from their accompan
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paragraphs above. It should be note
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6.2.2.4. Outlineprocedure for dispo
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SPECIMEN PRESERVATION SUMMARY AND R
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3.8.2. Photographic materials 3.8.
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Archives C3.8.1. The care and maint
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protection and specific treatments,
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field. The excavation of unstable f
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to storing the broken pieces unasse
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Borates. Most alter (dehydrate) to
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strength. Dental silicone moulding
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solution of the particular mineral.
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Fig. 11. Table of materials which m
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all exterior doors and windows requ
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locks of rock, for later laboratory
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Both the nature of the geological m
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ideal (e.g. BM(NH) London; Nat. Mus
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a considerable commitment from the
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of all of these specimens in the ev
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Stony meteorites should be doubly b
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obscure the sectioned material. By
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mould, fungi or bacteria, fluorish
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3.8.1.4. Repair 3.8.1.5. Binding Th
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The National Reprographic Centre fo
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Museum safety OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS:
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gives regulations for the design an
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2.1.1. Storage 2.1.2. Display While
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mineral is a minor constituent are
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appears to be the dimensions of the
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Secondary types Figured specimens C
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USES COLLECTIONS PREAMBLE In this P
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The criteria for selection of speci
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definition of a locality here is di
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museum on completion or abandonment
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Specimen-based publications Publish
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For details of palaeontological nom
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2.4.5. Referred specimens When an a
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the visitor. Either way, it fails t
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methods but do remember the need fo
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EXHIEITIONTITLE "LOST WORLDS " UNIT
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REFERENCES AND APPENDICES
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REF 2 BRUNTON, C. H. C. 1980. The u
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REF 4 persons exposed to ionising
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REF 6 OBRUCHEV, D. V. 1964. Agnatha
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REF 8 TAYLOR, H. A. 1980. The arran
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APP 2 .Museum use. NB. These glues
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APP 4 Tufskin. Alfred Adams & Co. L
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APP 6 0 Silicones and thermosetting
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APP 8 BARBOLA MODELLING PASTE Alec
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APP 10 GAUZE, cotton (B.P.B. Absorb
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APP 12 PLASTONE self-hardening mode
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APP 14 SEPARATORS and RELEASE AGENT
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APP 16 STORAGE SHELVING Bruynzeel S
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APP 18 Road, Linlithgow Bridge, Lin
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APP 20 FERRY PICKERING BOXES LTD.,
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APP 20 FERRY PICKERING BOXES LTD.,
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FERRY PICKERING BOXES LTD., 53 Mead
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APP 22 MONEY HICKS LTD, 49 Clapham
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APP 24 SOLMEDIA LTD, 31 Orford Road
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APPENDIX 3 NATIONAL SCHEME FOR GEOL
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APP 29 a resource for internal use
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29. AVON, SOMERSET. GLOUCESTERSHIRE
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