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Standard Operating Procedure for UCO Mammal Collection

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Standard Operating Procedure for UCO Mammal Collection 1 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (UCONHM) MAMMAL SPECIMEN PRESERVATION & PREPARATION POLICIES & GUIDELINES Revised Jan 2010 William Caire & Lynda Loucks 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………..5 A. Purpose of Manual …………………………………………………………………………..5 B. Official Acronym of the UCONHM Mammal Collection …………………………………5 II. SCOPE AND TYPES OF SPECIMENS IN THE MAMMAL SECTION…………………………5 A. Teaching Collection …………………………………………………………………………..6 B. Research Collection …………………………………………………………………………...6 III. PERSONNEL OF THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM ……………………………6 A. Curators ……………………………………………………………………………………….6 B. Collection Manager…………………………………………………………………………....6 C. Nonprofessional Staff…………………………………………………………………………6 IV. CODE OF ETHICS OF THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM ……………………...6 A. Ethical Guidelines …………………………………………………………………………….6 V. ACCESS TO THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM…………………………………..7 A. Request to Visit the UCONHM Mammal Collection ……………………………………….7 B. Denial of Access………………………………………………………………………………..7 C. Tours…………………………………………………………………………………………...7 D. Use of Mammal Teaching Materials…………………………………………………………7 VI. GUIDELINES FOR USE OF THE COLLECTION AT UCO…………………………………….7 VII. ORGANIZATION OF COLLECTION…………………………………………………………….8 A. Arrangement of Cases ………………………………………………………………………..8 B. Arrangement of Specimens in Drawers ……………………………………………………..8 C. Arrangement of Fluid Specimens …………………………………………………………...8 VIII. DEPOSITION AND ACCESSIONING OF MAMMAL SPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS INTO THE UCONHM MAMMAL COLLECTION…………………………………..8 A. Delivery of Materials to the UCONHM Mammal Museum ………………………………..8 B. Criteria for Material to Be Cataloged/accessioned Into the UCONHM Mammal Collection ………………………………………………………………………………………8 C. Ownership of Mammal Specimens and Associated Materials …………………………….9 D. Cataloging/Accessioning of Mammalian Material into the UCONHM …………………..9 1. Official Catalogue ……………………………………………………………………9 2. Assigning Specimen Numbers ……………………………………………………...9 3. Entering Specimen Data into the Catalog…………………………………………..9 4. Original Field Notes and Data Associated With Mammal Specimens …………..10 IX. DISPOSAL/DEACCESSIONING OF MAMMAL SPECIMENS AND ASSOCIATED MATERIALS …………………………………………………….……………………………………...10 A. Reasons for Disposal or Deaccessioning Mammal Materials …………………………….10 B. Acceptable Processes for Disposal/deaccessioning of Specimens and Associated Materials…………………………………………………………………………………………11 1. Trades or Exchanges…………………………………………………………………11 2. Transfers……………………………………………………………………………...11 3. Institutional Sharing…………………………………………………………………11 4. Discarding Mammal Specimens and Associated Materials……………………….11 5. Sales…………………………………………………………………………………...11 C. Record Keeping………………………………………………………………………………11 D Catalog Numbers of Deaccessioned Specimens……………………………………………..11 X. APPRASIAL OF MAMMAL DONATIONS ……………………………………………………...12 XI. LOANS……………………………………………………………………………………………….12 A. Loan Conditions……………………………………………………………………………...12 B. Borrowing Mammal Specimens and Associated Materials ……………………………….13 3 C. Incoming Loans to the Mammal Section …………………………………………………..13 D. Mammal Tissue Loans – Including Invasive or Destructive Sampling…………………..13 1. Guidelines Governing Invasive or Destructive Sampling ………………………..14 2. Written Request for Invasive or Destructive Sampling …………………………..14 3. Additional Requirements of Tissue Sample Loans………………………………..15 E. Casting of Mammal Specimens or Associated Materials………………………………….15 F. Loan of Documents in the Mammal Section of the UCONHM…………………………...15 1. Guidelines Governing the Loan of Documents ……………………………………15 2. Written Request for Loan of Documents ………………………………………….15 G. Packaging of Loan Specimens to be Mailed ……………………………………………….16 1. Mammal Specimen Skins……………………………………………………………16 2. Skull and Skeletal Specimens ………………………………………………………16 3. Fluid Preserved Specimens………………………………………………………….17 4. Tissue Samples……………………………………………………………………….17 H. Documentation of loans……………………………………………………………………...17 I. Curation of Loan Material Returning to the UCONHM………………………………….18 XII. COMPUTER DATABASE OF THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM …………...18 XIII. INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTATIVE CONSERVATION OF MAMMAL SPECIMENS IN THE UCONHM………………………………………………..19 A. Pest management in the mammal section of the UCONHM………………………………19 XIV. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OF THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM…...20 XV. HEALTH AND SAFETY CONCERNS IN MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM …….20 A. Authority and Responsibilities………………………………………………………………20 B. Safety Inspections of the Mammal Section of the UCONHM……………………………..20 C. Hazard Elimination or Control in the Mammal Museum Areas………….……………...21 D. Safety Training……………………………………………………………………………….21 E. Hazardous Waste Disposal in the Mammal Section of the UCONHM…………………...21 1. Authority and Responsibilities……………………………………………………...21 2. Storage of Hazardous Materials…………………………………………………….21 3. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)……………………………………………….21 4. Chemical Inventory List…………………………………………………………….22 5. Container Labeling…………………………………………………………………..22 6. Training………………………………………………………………………………22 7. Disposal of Hazardous Chemicals…………………………………………………..22 F. Disposal of Biohazardous Wastes……………………………………………………………22 XVI. GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF MAMMAL SPECIEMENS FOR THE UCONHM………………………………………………………………………………………..22 A. Permits ……………………………………………………………………………………….22 B. Approved Methods of Collecting and Euthanizing mammals…………………………….22 C. Unprepared Mammal Material……………………………………………………………..22 D. Storing Mammal Specimens in the Field…………………………………………………...23 E. Data to be Recording in the Field with Each Specimen…………………………………...23 1. Field Data ……………………………………………………………………………23 a. Collector’s Catalog………………………………………………………….23 b. Collector’s Journal………………………………………………………….24 c. Collector’s Species Accounts……………………………………………….24 2 Data to be Recorded from and Preserved with Each Specimen ………………….24 a. How to Record External Measurements and Weight…………………….24 3. Specimen Tags for Dry, Fluid and Skeletal Specimens……………………………25 a. Skin Tag ……………………………………………………………………..25 b. Skull Tag for Any Skull Separated from the Skin ……………………….25 4 c. Skelton Tags …………………………………………………………………25 F. Voucher Specimens ………………………………………………………………………….25 1. Plaster Cast of Tracks……………………………………………………………….26 2. Photographs …………………………………………………………………..……..26 3. Wet or Fluid Specimens …………………………………………………………….26 a. Museum Fluid Preparation Method ………………………………………26 b. Field Containers for Fluid Storage of Mammal Specimens ……………..27 c. Cataloging and Storing Fluid Mammal Specimens……………………….28 4. Hair Samples ………………………………………………………………………...28 a. Hair Collecting from an Individual Mammal …………………………….28 b. Hair Taken at Collection (Snare or Rub) Stations ……………………….29 5. Tissue Samples……………………………………………………………………….29 a. TK Data Sheet ……………………………………………………………..29 b. Information Entered on TK Sheet………………………………………...30 c. How to Fill and Label Cryotubes …………………………………………31 d. How to Preserve Tissue Samples in Ethanol for DNA Analysis………….32 6. Traditional Museum Skin and Skull Specimens…………………………………...33 a. Preparing a Traditional Mammal Study Skin…………………………….33 7. Mammal Skeletal Material ………………………………………………………….40 a. Skull Extraction From/Before Making a Fluid Specimen ……………….40 b. Manual Cleaning of Skulls After Extraction From a Fluid Preserved Specimen……………………………………………………………….41 c. Cleaning Skull and Skeletal Material With Dermestid Beetles…………..41 (1) Drying & Preparation Mammal Skulls & Skeletons for Dermestid Cleaning…………………………………………..41 (a) Small Mammals (Bats, Mice, Squirrels)………………...42 (b) Medium/Large Mammals (Rabbits, Coyotes, Deer)……42 (2) After Drying the Specimen………………………………………..42 (a) Skulls………………………………………………………42 (b) Small Full Skeleton (e.g. Shrews, Bats, Mice)…………..42 ● 1st Method………………………………………….42 ● 2nd Method …………………………………………42 (c) Large Full Skeleton (badgers, deer)……………………..43 (3) Into the Dermestid Colony ……………………………………….43 (4) After Removal from the Beetle Colony ………………………….43 (5) Mammal Skull & Skeleton Labeling and Storage………………43 8. Preparing a Baculum ……………………………………………………………….43 a. Equipment for Baculum Preparation and Storage……………………….44 b. Steps in Baculum Preparation and Storage……………………………….44 XVII. EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH CURATING THE MAMMAL SECTION OF THE UCONHM……………………………………………………………………………………….44 XVIII. SUPPLIERS OF MAMMAL CURATORIAL EQUIPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES………………………………………………………………………………………….45 XIX. LITERATURE CITED …………………………………………………………………………...46 XX: COPIES OF FORMS………………………………………………………………………………47 A. Mammal Loan Form …………………………………………………………………47 B. Mammal TK Form ………………………………………………………………...48 5 I. INTRODUCTION Much of what is contained below in the University of Central Oklahoma Natural History Museum (UCONHM) Standard Operating Procedures and Specimen Preparation Guidelines have been paraphrased from several other excellent Collection Management Policy Manuals. One of these is the Manual of the Museum of Southwestern Biology, Division of Mammals located at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Those involved with the preparation of the MSB guidelines were Joseph A. Cook, Curator of Mammals, Michael A. Bogan, USGS Curator Emeritus, Jonathan L. Dunnum, Senior Collection Manager (MSB) and Cindy A. Ramotnik, Senior Collection Manager (USGS). Their manual is at http://www.msb.unm.edu/mammals/PolicyDOM.pdf. Another good source used was the animal sections of the Standards for Components of British Columbia's Biodiversity No.
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