A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO THE CURATORIAL PROCEDURES FOR THE DIVISION OF MAMMALS OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

The goal of collection management is to mitigate all conceivable damage to the specimens in the interest of maximizing their scientific value and utility. A variety of physical and chemical processes act to shorten the life of mammal specimens. Specimens are entropic even if we do nothing to them at all. Mammal specimens and their associated data should be viewed as unique and irreplaceable. The following procedures are designed to ensure that the collections are cared for under optimal conditions and made available to bona fide researchers for the longest possible time into the future. Protocols for a cquisition and processing of new material, care of existing holdings, and performing the more common curatorial tasks are outlined.

The procedures detailed below are intended as a supplement to the Collection Management Policy of the KU Museum of Natural History, and should be considered in the context of that document.

Collection management entails:

1) the acquisition of new material, either freshly collected, or donated;

2) the permanent association of all parts of a specimen with the best possible data;

3) the maintenance of specimens under optimal conditions;

4) providing specimens and their associated data to the research community.

The guiding principles of collection management are:

1) the integrity of the specimens must be maintained;

2) specimens cannot be replaced;

3) specimens, by their very nature, will deteriorate;

4) both new and traditional procedures and materials must be evaluated before they are used in the collection.

ORGANIZATION OF COLLECTION

Currently the majority of the specimens are housed on the north half of the 7th floor of Dyche Hall. Some material is stored on the sixth floor of the Lippincott Hall annex. The main flow of the collection follows the ordinal arrangement instituted by E . R. Hall (see Appendix for description). The ordinal arrangement basically follows Nowak (1991). Arrangement within orders is alphabetical. Nomenclature for taxa follows Wilson and Reeder (1993). More recent publications will likely result in changes in nomenclature and, hence, the arrangement of taxa in the collection. Fluid preserved material is held in a separate area of the 7th floor, as are the bacula, exchange, and frozen tissue collections. By the beginning of 1996, all fluid-preserved speci mens will be housed in a new edition to Dyche Hall, and will be arranged as is the main collection. There are also separate teaching and exchange collections.

DOCUMENTATION OF COLLECTION

The collection is documented on hard copy ledgers that are maintained in the vault on the Museum's 7th floor. Specimen data from the all hand written catalogs have been captured on a computer database, which is maintained on a mainframe computer in the A cademic Computing Center and is accessed using a database manager called FOCUS. As FOCUS is to be discontinued at some future time, steps to transfer the collection to a stand alone, in-house computer system are being initiated, with FoxPro for Windows t he database management system. Our FOCUS files are backed up daily. We will establish protocols for backing up our in-house files when we begin to use them.

All original field catalogs should be deposited permanently in the vault on the 7th floor. Field collectors for the Mammal Division leave their original field notes with the Mammal Division. We provide photocopies to the collectors should they request t hem.

CONSERVATION OF MATERIAL

The Division occasionally permits destructive sampling of specimens when it is warranted. We decide upon each request separately depending, among other things, upon (1) the nature and potential usefulness of the study, (2) rarity or historic significance of the specimen(s), and (3) the personnel conducting the study. Requests for destructive sampling should be submitted in writing to the curators. Tissue samples and/or hair may be extracted from study skins only with the exp licit permission of the curator. Fluid-preserved specimens may be partially or totally destroyed in myological and other soft anatomical study. Following considerable destruction of the soft tissue of a spirit specimen, the decision is made as to whethe r to convert the specimen into a skeleton.

LOANS

There are two categories of loans: in-house (e.g., Museum of Natural History curators and graduate students, Exhibits Department), and those to other (external) institutions. External loans are sent via UPS, parcel post, air mail, or hand carried (prefer ably). KU covers the cost of sending loans, and the borrower is expected to cover return costs. If the loan is exceptionally large (e.g., involving a few hundred specimens), a request of the borrower to cover all costs may be appropriate. When large nu mbers of specimens are requested, the researcher is encouraged to visit KU.

All borrowers are informed that the Division and the Museum should be acknowledged in all publications that result from examination of KU material. At least one reprint of all published articles should be sent by the borrower to the Division.

Permission must be obtained from the appropriate curator(s) for the transfer of loans, regardless of whether it is a KU or another institution's loan. Permission must be obtained before any specimen is permanently altered (dissected, remade). Such permi ssion should be noted on the loan invoice.

Criteria for loaning material:

1) Loans are only made to institutions, not individuals. Institutions where material is being loaned must have proper storage facilities.

2) Foreign loans are made only to countries that have reliable mail service. When there is doubt, do not send out material. Western Hemisphere loans are mailed out only to institutions in the US and Canada. In the Eastern Hemisphere loans will only be mailed to England, western European countries, Japan, and Australia. For countries with unreliable mail service, hand carried loans may be arranged. Our goal here is not to restrict the use of specimens, but to attempt to guarantee their safety as b est we can. Foreign loans require that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Form 3-177 be filled out and sent to the feds for validation prior to mailing the loan. Under no circumstances should a loan be sent out of the country without this validated form a ttached to the outside of the loan container.

3) Relatively large requests should only be made after every effort has been made by the researcher to visit KU. If large loans must be made, they may be divided into two separate loans, i.e., half the material is sent, and the remainder is forwarded after the initial installment has been returned in good condition.

4) Types, unique, and endangered specimens--No types are to be loaned under any circumstances or ever leave the Division. In cases where there are few exemplars available in the world, and one is deposited here, it shall not be loaned. Singletons of any taxon are not loaned. Attempts should be made to provide a researcher with all possible data from unique specimens. However, if a researcher needs to examine the specimen, he or she is encouraged to visit KU. If the KU collection has only two examp les of a taxon, the first should be loaned, with the second sent out upon return of the first specimen in satisfactory condition.

Proper packaging of loaned specimens

1) Skins--smaller specimens, squirrel sized and smaller, should be wrapped in tissue paper, ensuring that the tail and tag are not folded or and that the specimen is not compressed. Ensure that neither end of the skin lays directly in contact with th e inside of the container. When multiple layers of specimens are sent ensure that each layer is level, i.e., place specimens of similar size in each layer. Each layer should be separated by a layer of clean cotton tucked down so that the specimens canno t be jarred into contact with the walls of the container. The key is to make sure that specimens do not shift during shipment.

2) Skeletons--for medium to small-sized specimens the bones are wrapped in tissue paper, placed in a plastic bag or vial, and then placed in that specimen's skeletal box. A rubber band is then placed around the specimen box. In some cases, more than one skeletal box may be needed to package the specimen. Larger specimens may require more packing material to prevent heavy bones from damaging one another during rough handling.

3) Fluid-preserved--wrap specimens in cheesecloth moistened in preservative so that they do not completely dry out. Place wrapped specimen in a sealed plastic bag. Place that bag in a second sealed bag. It may be advisable to place several smaller plastic bags in a larger bag. Use packing material liberally between the bags and the inside of the wooden box.

Documentation of loans:

Each KU Mammal loan receives a unique number. The numbers are consecutive. Do not start anew each year. A brief description of the nature of the loan is to be written in the spaces provided at the back of the loan book in the collection manager's o ffice. Our blue copy of the loan invoice is kept in the loan book. The yellow copy is for the borrower's files. The white copy is to be signed by the borrower upon receipt of the loan, returned to us, and placed in the Open Loan file. The invoice is to be filled out to include specimen number, sex, and prep type for each specimen loaned. In addition, each specimen should be carefully examined for any damage or missing parts. Specimen condition for each specimen is to be carefully listed in detail on the invoice. The borrower should examine each specimen upon receipt of the loan and note, in detail, any changes in condition. We will similarly examine the material upon its return to KU, and regard with extreme displeasure any new damage to the specim ens.

ACQUISITION OF NEW MATERIAL

Criteria for accessioning material:

The first criterion for adding anything (through donors, exchanges, collecting, and salvaging) to the collection is to determine if it was obtained legally.

1. Permits

a) Non-US material. All CITES member nations require Export and CITES permits (and often collecting permits) on their protected wildlife. It is our responsibility to know the laws of the countries in question and to comply fully with them. Prior to arrival in the United States, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) Form 3-177 must be filled out. Declaration must be made at customs at the point of entry. Theoretically, a USFWS agent must validate the importation at the time of entry. If frozen tis sue is being brought into the country, an APHIS permit (US veterinary permit for importation & transportation of controlled materials & organisms & vectors) may be required and then shown to the USDA inspectors.

b) US material. Specimens must have been obtained legally. Collecting and salvage activities may require both state and federal permits.

c) Endangered/Threatened Species. This permit is required when previously legally acquired specimens are exported or reimported. Declarations must be made to USFWS agents prior to the shipment of specimens. If material which has been collected ille gally is brought to the Mammal Division, our instructions from our regional US Fish & Wildlife agent are to take possession of the material, get as much information about the donor as possible (name, address, etc.), and contact the pertinent authorities.

2. Once the legal questions have been answered the following criteria should be considered:

Is the taxon represented in the collection? If there are a number of examples in the collection and the specimen does not have minimal data (date and locality), it should be offered to the Exhibits or Public Education programs, and, if they are not i nterested, discarded. Specimens judged of long-term scientific value are cataloged. Accessioning a specimen however, does not ensure that it will be cataloged.

Accession process:

1. Prepared specimens.

Confirm the field identification by comparing to material in the collection, or if no reference material is available, ascertain the identification from the literature. On study skin tags, the scientific name should always be written in #2.5 pencil. The identifications for fluid-preserved and skeletal material identifications should be written in the same permanent ink as the rest of the tag. After accessioning, the specimen should be run through the pest management freezer (or fumigated) before be ing cataloged and placed in the main collection.

2. Unprepared specimens.

If the specimen is to be prepared at some later date, it should be sealed in a plastic bag with all data, then placed in the freezer. Specimens that are to be made into study skins should be double bagged to prevent freezer burn. Specimens in the fr eezers must be very clearly labeled as to species identification, collector, and accession number. Material not so labeled may be (and likely will be) discarded without notice.

NOTE: Specimen preparation is carried out in the prep lab just south of the main stair door on the 7th floor. Unprepared material is to be housed no other place on the 7th floor. An extra freezer for specimen storage is located in the northwest cor ner of the Museum garage area. Do not place any material in that freezer without permission. Never put unlabeled material into the freezer. The procedures for specimen preparation are meticulously set out in Hall (1962). The process can be involved, a lthough it is not particularly difficult. It is unwise to attempt to prepare your first specimen without help. The disposal of animal waste resulting from the preparation process is strictly regulated. This material CANNOT be thrown into the trash. An imal wastes (including paper with blood and other body fluids on it) are placed in plastic bags frozen in the Division's preparation lab freezer, and transported to the University's Animal Care Facility for incineration.

Cataloging

All data on the specimen tags should be checked carefully for spelling errors and lapses prior to cataloging. Catalog the specimen in the hard copy catalog. Each specimen is assigned a unique, permanent, catalog number. When cataloging a large acce ssion, all members of a taxon from the same locality should be cataloged together. Data from the main catalog will eventually, and expeditiously, be input into the computer data base (see Appendix). Errors in cataloging can easily be carried into the pr imary literature--Be very careful.

DEACCESSION POLICY

Deaccessioning is strongly discouraged in the Mammal Division. Material to be deaccessioned may be used for teaching, anatomical studies, exchanged, or discarded, but it cannot be sold. A note should be made with red pencil in the permanent catalog that a specimen has been permanently removed from the collection. The catalog numbers of deaccessioned specimens may never be reassigned. Specimens to be discarded should be incinerated at the Animal Care Facility.

INFORMATION REQUESTS

Workers requesting information should provide the Division with a formal written request. Requests are filed in the correspondence files alphabetically by the correspondent's last name. A computer file of information requests is maintained in a curator' s office. Hard copies of portions of the Mammal Division's database should be accompanied by a letter explaining the format of our specimen records, a request for publications resulting from the use of our material, a caution about the potential for erro rs in the data files, and the adviso that credit must be given to the Division of Mammals, Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas should the database itself be used in a publication (see Appendix).

EXCHANGES

Exchanges can only be made between institutions. Correspondence associated with all exchanges is to be maintained in the Exchanges file in the collection managers office. Mammal Division specimens that are exchanged should be noted in both the hard copy catalog and the computer data base (place pertinent comments in the Remarks field).

VISITORS

Both student and professional mammalogists are encouraged to use the collection. Users from other disciplines are also welcome to use the collections and collection related data contingent upon the curators' satisfaction that they are bona fide researche rs. Visitors should sign, date, and provide the purpose of their visit in the Division's Visitor Book. All first time users of the collection must be instructed on the organization and handling of specimens. Do not send first time users into the collec tion unsupervised. Do not send anyone into the collection without the permission of the collection manager or curators. Nonprofessional users may not use our research material. All users should be carefully supervised initially to ensure the proper han dling of specimens. Encourage all visitors to wash their hands both prior to and after handling specimens. Remind all users that the Division and the Museum are to be acknowledged in all publications that make use of KU material, and at least one reprin t should be sent to the Mammal Division Library.

Hall, E. R. 1962. Collecting and preparing study specimens of vertebrates. Univ. Kansas Misc. Publs., 30:1-46.

Nowak, R. M. 1991. Walker's mammals of the world. Vols. I & II. 5th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

Wilson, D. E. and D. M. Reeder. 1993. Mammal species of the world: a taxonomic and geographic reference. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1206 pp.

Appendix 1

Guide to the Collection

I. Type Specimen Collection

All type specimens are kept in the designated "type case" at all times. The type case is kept locked, and use of type specimens must be arranged with the curators.

II. General Collection

A. Arrangement of taxa

Specimens are arranged taxonomically by order in traditional Linnaean sequence. The orders Macroscelidea and Scandentia are recognized and placed between Insectivora and Chiroptera.

All families within an order, genera within a family, species within a genus, and subspecies within a species are arranged alphabetically.

Some skulls, skeletons, and skins of certain taxa, particularly larger species, may be located outside of the main collection and may be studied by prior arrangement.

B. Arrangement within taxa

1. Within subspecies, specimens are ordered alphabetically by locality, first by country, then state (in US and Mexico) or foreign equivalent (e.g., province, department). In the US, and elsewhere when applicable, specimens are organized by county or parish.

2. Within counties specimens are organized in ascending order by KU catalog number.

C. Arrangement of specimens in drawers

1. Larger specimens

Skins and skull are arranged parallel to the longitudinal axis of the drawer from left to right or, arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drawer, from front to rear.

2. Smaller specimens

Skins and skulls arranged in trays, which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of drawer, but skins and skulls are perpendicular. Arrangement of trays is from front to rear, and from left to right. Skins only, skins plus skulls, skins plus body ske letons, and skulls only (designated by green dot) are arranged in the above order. Skulls plus body skeletons, or body skeletons only, are placed at the end of each genus.

First tag of species and subspecies and first specimen in tray is name side up.

D. Catalogs and Files

1. Serial catalog files are kept in the "vault" located on the west side of the hallway next to room 713 (Ornithology).

2. Original field notes and catalogs are kept in the "vault".

3. A computer printout of all cataloged specimens ordered as they are in the collection is housed in 701B. A taxonomic card file of specimens collected prior to the mid-1970s is in 701B.

4. Computer queries can be arranged through a curator.

5. An accession card file, arranged numerically, is on case top just outside 701B.

III. Rules for Use of the Collection

Sign the guest register.

Specimens being used for an extended period should be returned to cases when not being examined. Never leave specimens out overnight. Do not leave cases open or specimens out for any length of time. Keep specimens out of direct sunlight.

Do not slide drawers rapidly.

When examining the specimens, replace each in exactly the same position in which you found it.

Handling specimens: clean hands; use proper size calipers; do not pick up by label, tail, feet, ears, or hair; in general, minimize handling as much as possible.

Examine only one skeletal specimen at a time to avoid confusing bones.

Be alert for loose or separate teeth.

Do not physically alter specimens, or make changes on labels, without permission from the curator.

To make arrangements to borrow specimens, see a curator.

If you find errors in the collection or database, please notify us.

Be sure to wash your hands after handling specimens.

IV. Equipment Use

Some dissecting microscopes are available for use by visitors with permission. Computers are only to be used with prior permission.