Not sure I understand your question.  If you mean is there a single source
that one could use to learn how to properly manage a natural history
collection, the answer is a qualified no.  There are a couple of books on
the market (e.g., Natural History Curatorship) that would help, but nothing
I would consider a truly useful one-volume reference.  A colleague (Yaneth
Munoz-Saba) and I are writing a book on this topic, and we have been over
the literature thoroughly.

There are some excellent publications dealing with various issues in natural
history collection management.  The literature on this subject is growing
rapidly.  Its just that no one has pulled all the pieces together yet.

If you are looking for a single source that describes what natural history
collections need, the answer is definitely no.

John E. Simmons
Collection Manager, Natural History Museum
and
Coordinator, Historical Administration and Museum Studies Program
University of Kansas
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7561
Phone 785-864-4508
FAX 785-864-5335
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: dbingell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, July 14, 2001 6:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Natural History Collections Management


Is there a single text that discusses the needs of a Natural History
collections?

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