Category Archives for Digitising collections

The Past, Present and Future of the NatSCA Conference

By Eimear Ashe, Collections Moves Project Manager, National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.

Ulster Museum lecture theatre

NatSCA as a named subject specialist network and membership organisation, held its first conference in 2004 at the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin. This year, the conference took place in Northern Ireland for the first time — hosted by the Ulster Museum in the heart of Belfast. NatSCA has always sited its conference in the UK and Ireland. In the map below, green flags represent a museum that has hosted the conference once, and yellow stars represent sites that have hosted twice (Leeds and Dublin):

Where has NatSCA held its annual conferences?

This year’s programme was notably wide‑ranging, attracting a diverse mix of attendees from across the sector. Given my current role as Project Manager for the redevelopment of the Natural History Museum at the National Museum of Ireland, several talks particularly resonated with me. I was especially interested in the presentation by Lydia Amies and Emanuele Casafredda, which focused on stabilising and relocating fossil mammal collections. Collection moves and storage planning have been a recurring theme throughout my career, so it was really worthwhile seeing how colleagues elsewhere are tackling similar logistical and conservation challenges.

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Beyond the Scientific Record: Using Photography to Inspire Curiosity about Natural History Collections

Photo essay, written and produced by Molly Wilders, Photographer, mollywilders.com.

While museum collections on display are designed to be viewed and understood by the public, collection storerooms primarily exist to support research. Museum professionals spend their lives studying and caring for specimens but few outsiders truly understand what that work looks like.

As a photographer with a background in biology, my projects often focus on documenting the work of researchers in laboratories and the field. In 2022 I reached out to Ashleigh Whiffin, Curator of Entomology at National Museums Scotland, to collaborate on a photography project focusing on her work and the collections she oversees.

The digitisation of museum collections has become increasingly important, with high-quality images supporting research and education, allowing collections to reach audiences without geographical barriers. However, while digitised specimens are invaluable scientific resources, they have a limited ability to inspire awe in the average viewer.

Our first experiences of nature are usually emotional, with feelings coming before facts. Yet it can be difficult to connect with a specimen viewed only as scientific data. My work as a photographer is to make the viewer feel something about these collections and the people who care for them. If an image then inspires someone to ask questions about a specimen, collection or curator, then my job is complete.

Huge thanks to Ashleigh for being so generous with her time. It’s been a delight to make these photographs with her and to see her use them in her own science communication work.

Slide tray holding holotype and paratype specimens on slides. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh showing the way slide trays are stored. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh using a step ladder to look in drawers in the top shelves. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh looking through shelves of entomology collections. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A pinned jewel scarab beetle. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A pinned beetle being held by tweezers to show its various data labels. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh reviewing Coleoptera specimens under a microscope. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh sat at a microscope in the Entomology department of the NMS Collections Centre. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh looking at a beetle under the microscope. Image credit: Molly Wilders
A close up of a specimen under review. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Drawer of ex-display specimens. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Drawer of Endromis versicolora specimens from Aviemore. Image credit: Molly Wilders
Ashleigh showing a comparison of a faded and non-faded death’s-head hawkmoth. Image credit: Molly Wilders

The Rediscovery of a Challenger Expedition Specimen in William Herdman’s Zoology Museum Collection at the University of Liverpool (and how digitisation is transformative).

Written by Leonie Sedman, Curator of Heritage & Collections Care, University of Liverpool.

Along with many other NatSCA members, I care for a mixed collection, meaning that one inevitably becomes something of a ‘Jack of all trades’ missing out on the academic satisfaction created by specialisation. As a curator who finds collections research to be the most satisfying part of my job, it can be frustrating when that research is often only possible on a ‘need-to-know’ basis – usually when a new display or exhibition is being planned, or when the specimens are to be used in teaching. Looking on the bright side though – this does provide glimmers of joy when the research produces something exciting!

In 2004 when I was first employed to manage the University of Liverpool’s Heritage Collections (medical & scientific museum collections built up through research or teaching), I retrieved a large proportion of the collections from attics and cellars where they languished because the objects and specimens were no longer actively used in teaching (this is now changing – but that would be a different blog). The Zoology Museum collection was one of these.

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From Deck to Decant: A Marine Biologist’s Déjà Vu After a Year in a Natural History Museum

Written by Dr Jamie Maxwell, Collections Assistant, National Museum of Ireland, Natural History.

Not every job takes you to a windswept beach on Ireland’s west coast to recover the head of a stranded True’s beaked whale calf. But then again, my past year as a Collections Assistant at the Natural History Museum in Dublin has been anything but ordinary. As we collected the head of the slightly decomposed whale calf, I was reminded of my previous fieldwork experiences, mainly on research cruises during my academic career. Before joining the museum, I spent a decade in education and research as a marine biologist, specializing in deep-sea invertebrates. During that time, I not only investigated freshly collected specimens but also engaged with museum collections. It wasn’t until I became a collections assistant at the National Museum of Ireland, Natural History that I became fully immersed in the day-to-day workings of a museum. Much of the past year was taken up with decanting the contents of the Merrion Street building in preparation for renovation. In this blog, I’ll explore how decanting a museum is remarkably like being involved with a research cruise. 

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NatSCA Digital Digest – March 2025

Compiled by Olivia Beavers, Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Zoology at World Museum, National Museums Liverpool.

Welcome to the March edition of NatSCA Digital Digest.

A monthly blog series featuring the latest on where to go, what to see and do in the natural history sector including jobs, exhibitions, conferences, and training opportunities. We are keen to hear from you if you have any top tips and recommendations for our next Digest, please drop an email to blog@natsca.org.

Sector News

NatSCA Annual Conference & AGM 2025: Registration Now OPEN!

Booking is open for the 2025 Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA) conference. This year’s theme is: Making a Difference: Showing the Positive Impact of Natural History Collections, and it will be hosted by the University of Manchester: Manchester Museum, UK.

Due to the size of the venue there are only a limited number of spaces, so please book promptly to avoid disappointment. Visit the webpage to find out more: https://www.natsca.org/event/2881

This year’s conference meal is at Zouk and we would love to see you there. Please make sure to add the separate ticket to your basket.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you any questions. If you would like to become a member, which would qualify you for the conference discount or bursaries, please see our website NatSCA.org for details. 

30th Symposium on Palaeontological Preparation and Conservation: Call for abstracts

Please send abstracts of up to 250 words plus an image to sppc@geocurator.org by 10th April. Abstracts will be considered on any topic of earth science excavation, conservation, preparation mount-making and exhibition. Please state if the abstract is for a poster or platform presentation.

The 30th Symposium on Palaeontological Preparation and Conservation will be held in the Netherlands this year on 26 – 27th June.

The theme will be ‘From Excavation to Exhibition’ and they hope to broaden their usual remit to include more aspects of the story of how geological collections end up on display in our museums, as well as their conservation and preparation. Examples of previous years’ abstracts can be found online at https://www.geocurator.org/events/97-sppc

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