Oxford University Museum of Natural History Annual Report 2008-2009

Oxford University Museum of Natural History Annual Report 2008-2009 Oxford University Museum of Natural History Annual Report 2008-2009 Oxford University Museum of Natural History Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW www.oum.ox.ac.uk Cover photograph shows the title page of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection, and around it clockwise from top: Professor Richard Dawkins, Mr Jeremy Paxman and Lord Harries in conversation during Darwin’s birthday celebrations (picture: Roy and Amanda Pagett Photography); Education Officer Sarah Lloyd teaching school students under the statue of Darwin; two specimens from the collections collected by Darwin; and part of the Museum’s temporary exhibition about the life of Charles Darwin. © Oxford University Museum of Natural History 2009 Contents Part 1. Summary of the Year 2008-2009 Report of the Chairman of the Visitors ..................................................................1 Report of the Director ...........................................................................................2 The Museum and the community .........................................................................4 Caring for the collections ......................................................................................9 University teaching and research ........................................................................13 Part 2. Full reports from the Collections, Sections and Research Units 2008-2009 The Hope Entomological Collections ..................................................................15 Geological Collections .......................................................................................18 Mineralogical Collections ...................................................................................20 Zoological Collections ........................................................................................22 The Hope and Arkell Libraries ............................................................................24 Information Technology .....................................................................................26 Education and Outreach Department ..................................................................27 Central Services ..................................................................................................31 Environmental Archaeology Unit ........................................................................35 The Swifts ...........................................................................................................35 Simonyi Professor for the Understanding of Science ...........................................35 Appendices Appendix 1: Visitors of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History at 31 July 2009 .................................................37 Appendix 2: Staff of the Museum at 31 July 2009 ...............................................37 Appendix 3: Finance ..........................................................................................40 Appendix 4: Research Projects ...........................................................................41 Appendix 5: New Acquisitions ...........................................................................44 Appendix 6: Loans ..............................................................................................46 Appendix 7: Enquiry and Identification Services .................................................47 Appendix 8: Official Visitors ..............................................................................47 Appendix 9: Publications ...................................................................................48 Annual Report Part 1. Summary of the Year 2008-2009 Chairman’s Report The year saw a further increase in visitor that has been with us since 1860, and we numbers, such that the Museum was again look forward to the submission of the final the most visited of the University’s museums consultants’ report later in the year. Ensuring ever, and one of the top visitor destinations the survival of our collections for study by in Oxford. New displays and our outstanding future generations is a further priority. They education service play their role in attracting are a unique record of life, past and present, visitors, as does the magic of the building, its and a key to understanding how living things art and architecture. respond to environmental change and human intervention. We will build on the recent Popular as we are with the public, our major conservation project to safeguard our finances remain problematic. To address spirit collection of vertebrate animals, made this and the need to raise the profile of the possible by the generous support of the E.P.A. services we provide in our forthcoming 150th Cephalosporin Fund. Our next priority is to re- anniversary year, the Visitors agreed to the house more than 1.6 million insects preserved establishment of an Advisory Board, drawn in the historic Huxley Room, replacing the from both within and without the University. present unsatisfactory cabinets with new pest- I am delighted to announce the membership, proof storage. At the same time the specimens and look forward to our first meeting in will be conserved and documented so that they September with: Lady Heseltine (Chair), are accessible to workers everywhere. Sir David Attenborough, Ms Jana Bennett, Sir Hugo Brunner, Mr Robert Campbell, Our collections are not merely a national Sir William Castell, Professor Richard Dawkins, treasure: we provide a service to the Professor Raymond Dwek, Professor Dianne international community. In 2008-9, some Edwards, Mr Sam Laidlaw, Professor Sir Keith 11,350 individual specimens were loaned to O’Nions, and Lord Oxburgh. Our targets scientists worldwide. for 2010 are raising funds for a new visitor centre in space to the south of the Museum John Krebs frontage; the refurbishment of the fabric Chairman, the Visitors of the of the public spaces, and the resolution of Oxford University Museum of Natural History our leaking roof. This has been a problem Director’s Report The Museum continues to live in interesting Insect and plant displays were completed times, as do others in the University. The during the year, and our local geology and review of the Renaissance in the Regions gemstone displays are almost finished. The programme which provides the funding final major display challenge is the west that underpins our education, access and gallery. Here, high cases glazed with panes of outreach activities, as well as IT, conservation curved glass appear to have come from the Old and documentation, led to the extension of Ashmolean, and to date from the early decades support from this source until the end of March of the 19th century. Listed Building Consent to 2011. The Higher Education Funding Council replace them with cases that will protect both extended the core funding previously supplied contents and visitors has been sought, and by the Arts and Humanities Research Council if granted, the cases will be stored for future to 2009-10, and a review will take place late in use elsewhere in the University. An award of 2009. £100,000 from the E.P.A. Cephalosporin Fund will allow us to begin the renovations. Fund-raising continues to be a high priority, with over £379,000 raised from trusts, 2009 was the 200th anniversary of the birth foundations, and others, to whom we extend of Charles Darwin, and the 150th anniversary our thanks. of the publication of On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection. Darwin was The establishment of an Advisory Board to a Cambridge man, but in spite of this, we support our activities, as mentioned in the mounted a year-long exhibition that celebrated Chairman’s Report, will provide welcome his life in his own words, with images from external advice and assistance in this and other his published work and other sources. As ever areas. the new displays were a team effort, and I am grateful to my colleagues for their patience The review of the funding of the University’s with me on these matters. Darwin was also museums by the Services Funding Working celebrated by a major event in which the good Group of the Planning and Research Allocation auspices of Professor Raymond Dwek FRS Committee was approved by the Council of brought together the Institute of Biology, the the University. One of their recommendations Development Office, the Museum, and Oxford was the setting up of a review of the University Philomusica in a day of celebration in the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Sheldonian and the Museum. It culminated Museum with a view to developing closer with a debate between Richard Dawkins and collaboration and the possibility of a future the former Bishop of Oxford, Lord Harries of merger. This has been completed, and a full Pentregarth, with Jeremy Paxman as referee. report is awaited. This was followed by a dinner for invited guests on the Museum gallery. Visitor numbers continued to increase, by 7.3% to 448,704. This figure, and that for The ‘Great Debate’ on The Origin of Species 2007-8 were the highest visitor numbers ever between Thomas Henry Huxley and Samuel achieved by an Oxford museum. 18,781 UK Wilberforce, the then Bishop of Oxford, was students visited the Museum in school groups, held in the Museum on 30th June 1860. To an increase of 13% on 2007-8. Of these, 79% mark this a sculpted plinth will be installed received a taught session from one of our on the Museum lawn next year. The design education

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