Tag Archives for museum collections

A Mammoth Task: Stabilising and Protecting Fossil Mammal Specimens in a Sustainable and Access-friendly Way for a Large-scale Collections Move.

Written by Lydia Amies, Caitlin Jenkins, Emanuele Casafredda, Lucia Petrera, Tanya Nakamoto and Fabiana Portoni, Natural History Museum, London.

The Natural History Museum, London (NHM) is moving a third of its collection (28 million) specimens to a to a new, purpose-built centre at Thames Valley Science Park near Reading. Under the umbrella of the Unlocked Programme a new facility is being designed and built to house natural history specimens, research laboratories, working space, and digitisation facilities. The project started in 2020 and the moves stage will commence in 2028.

The Unlocked Conservation Team is working to assess, treat and stabilise at-risk specimens that are due to move. Our focus is to futureproof collection storage while using materials in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Our work will improve access to the collections and enable safe handling of specimens. One of the largest and most complex collections we are working on is the Fossil Mammal Collection which is made up of a wide variety of species, from tiny extinct rodents to woolly mammoths.

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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

Collaborating with External Partners to address Colonial Legacies and Challenge the Secondary School Curriculum in Liverpool.

Written by Olivia Beavers, National Museums Liverpool, World Museum & Sonal Mistry, Freelance Scientific Illustrator.

Just over a year ago, Sonal approached me with a request to access the vertebrate zoology collection for her Master’s thesis, which explored scientific illustration through natural science specimens. Collaborating with Sonal has helped the vertebrate zoology department to address colonial legacies and provide more context to the collections through thoughtful scientific illustration.

Olivia – World Museum

World Museum’s vertebrate zoology collection has a historic relationship between artists and specimens. Edward Lear and John Gould were just two of many illustrators who sketched and painted specimens within the 13th Earl of Derby’s zoology collection.

With so many specimens stored behind the scenes and many untold stories of collectors and colonial legacies to be explored, curators are often considering new ways to get this information across to the public. Sonal contacted the museum as a Masters illustration student asking to collaborate with the vertebrate zoology department for her thesis. I supervised Sonal’s Master’s illustration thesis project, where she produced scientific illustrations to help improve the interpretation of vertebrate zoology specimens on display. After an initial walk around the gallery with Sonal, I handed out some questionnaires to gain a sense of the public’s opinions of the information that was already available. Sonal and I went through the different illustration styles and worked through which styles would be best suited to our audience for each topic. One of the recurring points that we noticed from the questionnaires was a plea for more information for older visitors and more colour.

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Twisted Tales of Gallery Oldham’s Collection of Fish Casts

Written by Patricia Francis, Natural History Curator, Gallery Oldham. 

So, what’s a fish cast? Fish are particularly difficult creatures to preserve. Fish taxidermy is tricky as even a freshly dead specimen rapidly loses it colour and can quickly start to decay. Fish skin is thin and tears easily and obtaining the work of an experienced fish taxidermist is very expensive while fluid preservation involves the use of chemicals which alter the skin colouration.

Dace (1932-54 )

Modelling or casting is often chosen as an alternative way to represent the animal rather than using the actual fish skin as taxidermy does. A cast now might be made using a resin but historically plaster has been used. Then comes the clever bit, accurate painting of the cast to appear like the living animal.

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