GUIDELINES FOR THE CURATION OF GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS

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Comment
Object(s)
OBJECT EXAMINATION SLIP
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Cat/Acc. No.
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I:'
Remarks Date
' Examined by
Institution/address
Exunlnd by Mr. L. Rkhrrdron
Spccimcn No:
Fig. 4. Examples of Examination Labels from several museums.
to know which workers have previously consulted a specimen. Evidence of a
consultation is in the form of the examiner's own handwriting, initials andtor
signature, thus enhancing the scientific status of the data.
Examples of Examination Labels are given in Fig. 4. Ideally they should be
pre-printed and made from acid-free paper. Space should be provided for the
recording of the Specimen Identity Number, date of examination, name and
institution of examiner, comments and signature or initials. A 'visitors book' used
in conjunction with Examination Labels provides further opportunity to record,
perhaps more fully, nemes and addresses.
The curator of a collection is, of course, at liberty to use Examination Labels.
Furthermore, he may usefully be able to add to the content of those already in
the collections by inferring data (e.g. names given to initials; enclosed in square
brackets) or similarly dating an otherwise undated label. He may also use them
for recording a person's verbal opinion.
An Examination Label should always remain with the specimen to which it
refers. The catalogue should always be amended in the light of new information,
or should point to the presence and location of such information.
(2) The Removal Slip is a specifically designed label provided for the purpose of
indicating that a specimen has been temporarily removed from store, display or
other location. As such it cannot be regarded as a label in the sense of providing
information to accompany a specimen; rather the opposite. The use of the
Removal Slip is described in Section B5.2.1.
(3) Other labels. Museums have provided for themselves a wide variety of
special labels which they have found convenient for certain purposes. While they