Wet Specimen Collections and Alcohol Management

1. Wet Specimen Collections and Alcohol Management A presentation by Giselle Stanton Collection Information - Standards and Support Collection Information Services The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (SMILE) Ki ora everyone welcome to Te Papa. I am Giselle Stanton, and my role is Collection Information Manager- Standards and Support. Today I am going to be talking about the Natural History collections in particular the management of our wet specimen collections and the process of alcohol management in which they are stored and preserved. (SMILE) Ki ora everyone welcome to Te Papa. I am Giselle Stanton, and my role is Collection Information Manager- Standards and Support. Today I am going to be talking about the Natural History collections in particular the management of our wet specimen collections and the process of alcohol management in which they are stored and preserved.

2. The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Te Papa is the national museum of NZ, it is a treasure house for the nation, it collects from both humanities and natural environment disciplines and stems back over 100 years. Te Papa employs close to 150 collection staff and has the largest collections in NZ. Its history as a museum began as the Colonial Museum which came out of the first official national survey. The collecting practice of those days were primarily concerned with a scientific record of the natural environment, of the flora and fauna . Today these collections continue to be an important asset to the development of scientific research and protection of rare and endemic species. Te Papa is the national museum of NZ, it is a treasure house for the nation, it collects from both humanities and natural environment disciplines and stems back over 100 years. Te Papa employs close to 150 collection staff and has the largest collections in NZ. Its history as a museum began as the Colonial Museum which came out of the first official national survey. The collecting practice of those days were primarily concerned with a scientific record of the natural environment, of the flora and fauna . Today these collections continue to be an important asset to the development of scientific research and protection of rare and endemic species.

3. Fish Molluscs Birds Crustaceans Marine invertebrates Insects As NZ’s national museum Te Papa is mandated by its own Act of Parliament to keep a representative collection of NZ’s flora and fauna The collections were founded over 100 years ago and include specimens from James Hector and Joseph Banks to name just two The collections contain important scientific specimens including types of many species as well as many voucher specimens A large proportion of the collections are kept as entire wet specimens. The majority of this collection was housed at what was thought to be a custom built store on Tory Street. The collections were moved to this store from the Dominion Museum. 3 years ago signs of poor environmental conditions had taken its affect and the wet specimens were degrading. As NZ’s national museum Te Papa is mandated by its own Act of Parliament to keep a representative collection of NZ’s flora and fauna The collections were founded over 100 years ago and include specimens from James Hector and Joseph Banks to name just two The collections contain important scientific specimens including types of many species as well as many voucher specimens A large proportion of the collections are kept as entire wet specimens. The majority of this collection was housed at what was thought to be a custom built store on Tory Street. The collections were moved to this store from the Dominion Museum. 3 years ago signs of poor environmental conditions had taken its affect and the wet specimens were degrading.

4. Overview for today Natural history wet specimen collections Redevelopment Project Alcohol Management Developing a process for wet specimens I will begin with a brief introduction to the Natural history wet specimen collections and the issues that led to a major redevelopment and collection rehousing project. Most of what you will hear today stems from this two year project to redevelop and re-house the Te Papa wet collections store. From this project the process of alcohol fixing and management was reviewed and KE Emu customised to support the documentation of it. The KE EMu component of this project was to improve the documentation of wet specimen processing from its arrival as a frozen specimen, to its preservation and ongoing conservation through alcohol monitoring. I will discuss the nature of this process and detail the tab changes that we made in KE Emu to acheive it and why. I will begin with a brief introduction to the Natural history wet specimen collections and the issues that led to a major redevelopment and collection rehousing project. Most of what you will hear today stems from this two year project to redevelop and re-house the Te Papa wet collections store. From this project the process of alcohol fixing and management was reviewed and KE Emu customised to support the documentation of it. The KE EMu component of this project was to improve the documentation of wet specimen processing from its arrival as a frozen specimen, to its preservation and ongoing conservation through alcohol monitoring. I will discuss the nature of this process and detail the tab changes that we made in KE Emu to acheive it and why.

5. 1. Natural history wet specimen collections Tory Street wet collection The wet collections represent a very large proportion of our Natural history collections. In a variety of containers we estimate there is 90,000 litres of Alcohol in one store room. The count of containers was done and the figures you see here are the best information we could gather about these collections. Previously managed on an ad hoc basis using a variety of methods including word documents, excell, with physical counts and sporadically using an old database and KE EMu The Collections had been documented to varying degrees, some had been catalogued in paper registers, others only had the original specimen labels attached, others were digitally recorded in our previous system, others were recently added or updated in KE EMu. While the collections were being audited the Collection Information was also being audited. The collection information was not adequate to tell us what specimens were out there, how many there were, how many containers we had, what condition they were in, where the specimens or containers were within the store.Tory Street wet collection The wet collections represent a very large proportion of our Natural history collections. In a variety of containers we estimate there is 90,000 litres of Alcohol in one store room. The count of containers was done and the figures you see here are the best information we could gather about these collections. Previously managed on an ad hoc basis using a variety of methods including word documents, excell, with physical counts and sporadically using an old database and KE EMu The Collections had been documented to varying degrees, some had been catalogued in paper registers, others only had the original specimen labels attached, others were digitally recorded in our previous system, others were recently added or updated in KE EMu. While the collections were being audited the Collection Information was also being audited. The collection information was not adequate to tell us what specimens were out there, how many there were, how many containers we had, what condition they were in, where the specimens or containers were within the store.

6. 2. Redevelopment Project Scientific Research Preservation and Conservation Access Regulations Tory Street Redevelopment and Alcohol Management Project 2003 – 2007 A project that stemmed from a realisation that the entire wet collection was at risk particularly the jar collection due to the environmental conditions and that lack of any active management system Focus to check and remediate the alcohol within the containers Tory Street redevelopment project. 2006 – present. A project to redevelop the storage facility to international standards including control of temperature and relative humidity in all areas Tory Street Redevelopment and Alcohol Management Project 2003 – 2007 A project that stemmed from a realisation that the entire wet collection was at risk particularly the jar collection due to the environmental conditions and that lack of any active management system Focus to check and remediate the alcohol within the containers Tory Street redevelopment project. 2006 – present. A project to redevelop the storage facility to international standards including control of temperature and relative humidity in all areas

7. Why redevelop alcohol management?

11. 3. Alcohol Management What is Alcohol Management? Preservation Conservation Health and safety compliance Regulations

12. New Government Regulations The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act 2006: 1. Property Controls 2. Lifecycle Controls

13. KE EMu Specimen tab – Catalogue Module In KE EMu the documentation process for a specimen starts the day it is processed out of a freezer and into the collection In the catalogue module the following details are recorded at the time of defrosting and fixing The specimen nature (wet/dry) The type of fixative and the date of fixing The date prepared and the person who prepared the specimen Post fixing (and stepping if desired), and on placement in the final storage location, the following details are recorded Date out of fixing The final storage medium (ethanol for jars, isoproponol for tanks or poly-drums) The storage method (jar, poly drum or tank) In KE EMu the documentation process for a specimen starts the day it is processed out of a freezer and into the collection In the catalogue module the following details are recorded at the time of defrosting and fixing The specimen nature (wet/dry) The type of fixative and the date of fixing The date prepared and the person who prepared the specimen Post fixing (and stepping if desired), and on placement in the final storage location, the following details are recorded Date out of fixing The final storage medium (ethanol for jars, isoproponol for tanks or poly-drums) The storage method (jar, poly drum or tank)

14. Why move the alcohol Management tab?

15. Problem with Alcohol Management tab being in the catalogue is duplication But the actual alcohol only physically exists once in each holder So it is impossible to accurately audit the total amount of alcohol in the collection store using KE EMu because any container holding more than one specimen would make these figures inaccurate The alternative is to estimate the amount of alcohol based on container numbers that also has problemsBut the actual alcohol only physically exists once in each holder So it is impossible to accurately audit the total amount of alcohol in the collection store using KE EMu because any container holding more than one specimen would make these figures inaccurate The alternative is to estimate the amount of alcohol based on container numbers that also has problems

16. Benefits of Alcohol Management tab in the Locations module 1 container of alcohol=1 holder location

17. Stage one: Sources of data identified

18.  What is a Holder? 3 holder types: Jars Polypails Tanks

19. 4.Developing a process for wet specimens in KE EMu 6 step process: New Holder Location records New Alcohol Management tab Sources of legacy data identified Data grooming Data standards set Data transfer

21. Holder Locations

22. Holder Locations

23. 2. New Alcohol Management Tab

24. 3. Sources of alcohol data identified 

25. 4. Data Grooming

26. 5. Data standards set Controlled vocabulary Agreed terminology Agreed process

27. 6. Data Transfer

29. Progress Status today…

30. Alcohol Management into the future