BIOLOGY CURATORS GROUP - ~ NEWSLETTER Vol4 No9 AGM 88 AGM 1988 20.30 Biology Collections - UK Town Hall, Bolton Qpen discussion session Friday, 15 April 1988 Saturday, 16 April 1988 10.00 Assemble and coffee Visits to Mere Sands Wood Nature Reserve (Lancashire Trust for Nature Conservation) 10.30 Welcome. Dr John Gray (Chief and Martin Mere (Wildfowl Trust). Museums Officer, Bolton Museum and Art Gallery) Both these sites have visitor centres with interpretive and educational roles. 10.35 Introduction. Steve Garland (BCG Chairman and Senior Keeper, Natural Interest has been expressed by some members History, Bolton Museum in visiting Ainsdale NNR. If you require a permit to collect invertebrates for the 10.45 Non-chemical Pest Control weekend then contact Steve Garland (Bolton Techniques, Geoff Stansfield (0204) 22311 ext 2211) and he will arrange (Lecturer in Museum Studies, access. University of Leicester) For booking details contact Steve Garland, 11.15 Early detection of Insect Pests. Bolton Museum and Art Gallery, Le Mans Dr David Pinniger (MAFF, Slough Crescent, Bolton BL1 1SE. Booking forms Laboratory). Some live insect pests have already been sent out. The fee for the will be available for viewing. day is £.2.00. 12.30 Lunch 13.15 An opportunity to view Bolton Notice of Annual General Meeting - 1988 Museum's natural history collections and aquarium The Annual General Meeting of the Biology Curators' Group will be held at 3.30pm on 14.00 Computer Applications in Museum Friday 15th April at Bolton Civic Hall. Biology. Phil Philips (Liverpool Museum, National Museums on Agenda Merseyside) 1. Apologies 14.45 Desk-top Publishing talk and 2. Minutes of the Annual General Meetings demonstration. Dr David Jackson held on 16th April 1986 at Cambridge, and (Vuman Ltd., Computer Division) 3rd April 1987 at Sheffield 3. Secretary's report 15.30 Tea and AGM 4. Editor's reports 6. Election of officers and committee 16.00 Beetle Down Campaign an 7. Date and place of next meeting introduction. Derek Whiteley (BCG 8. Any other business (any business under Secretary and Assistant Keeper this heading should be notified in Zoology, Sheffield City Musuems) writing to the Honorary Secretary at least four weeks before the meeting). 16.30 Finish Nominations are invited for officers and 19.00 Dinner in the Dido Suite members of the committee. 158 Present posilion: (year of election in 5. Treasurer's Report. Adam Wright brackets) circulated a report on the accounts which was accepted. Prop I Evans, sec J. Mathias. Chairman: Steve Garland Secretary: Derek Whiteley 6. Editor's Report. John Mathias read the Treasurer: A dam Wright Editor's report (to be published in the Membership Secretary: A dam Wrigh t Newsletter), Advertising Officer: Adam Wright Editor: John Mathias 7. Election of Officers and Committee Special Publications Editor: Gordon Reid Committee: Chairman. Tony Irwin had recently resigned. Steve Moran (1986) Steve Garland was elected. Prop J Mathias, Rosina Down (1987) sec Derek Lott. Geoff Hancock 0985) retires Howard Mendel (1986) Secretary. Derek Whiteley was elected. Prop Graham Walley (1985) retires ,John Mathias, sec Steve Garland. Phil Collins (1986) Clem Fisher (1987) Special Publications Officer. Steve Garland Colin Plant (1987) having moved to Chairman, Gordon Reid was elected. Prop Steve Garland, sec John All officers are willing to stand for Mathias. re-election. Treasurer, Adam Wright; Editor, John Mathias; The committee has the power to eo-opt. committee members Geoff Hancock, Graham Present eo-opted members are Di Smith (GCG \Valley, Phil Collins, Howard Mendel and Steve representative), Dave Bolton, Kathy Way and ;>.1oran were willing to stand, and were Geoff Stansfield. re-elected en bloc. G eoff Stansfield has served three years and retires from committee. The committee consists of nine posts of which only eight are presently filled; two members The committee consists of nine posts of which retire at the AGM. four are filled. Three nominations were received: Nominations for officers and committee members must be supported by two members of Clem Fisher - prop Derek Whiteley, sec Steve the Group. Nominations, in writing, should Garland reach the Secretary at least two weeks before Colin Plant - prop Steve Garland, sec Bill Ely the Annual General Meeting. Rosina Down - prop Derek Whiteley, sec Adam Wright Derek Whiteley (BCG Secretary) City Museum, Weston Park, Sheffield SlO 2TP 8. Date and place of next AGl\1. Bolton, 15th April 1988 AGM 87 9. Any other business Reg Harris. John Mathias reported on the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at recent death of Reg Harris, a founder member Sheffield City Museum, Weston Park, Sheffield of the Group. The AGM wished to express its on Friday 3rd April at 4. OOpm. sadness at Reg's untimely death, and to minute the contribution he made to the Group, 1. Apologies were received from Gordon Reid particularly in the fields of training and and Phil Collins. publication. Rosina Down had attended the funeral on behalf of BCG. 2. Minutes of the 1986 AGM at Cambridge were unavailable for reading. Item deferred to There was no other business and the meeting next AGM. Ex-Secretary to be contacted again. finished at 5.20pm. 3. Chairman's Report. Steve Garland as Derek Whiteley Acting Chairman read a report of the year's ·Secretary activities (to be published in the Newsletter). The report was accepted, Proposed D Whiteley, seconded Rosina Down. NFBR 4. Secretary's Report. Derek Whiteley as Acting Secretary read a report on the National Federation for Biological Recording Committee's activities (to be published in the Newsletter). The report was accepted. The 1988 Annual Meeting will take place at Prop S Garland, sec Adam Wright. the University of Nottingham on Saturday 23rd Discussion followed on the charging policy of April following the two day MDA meeting on the British Museum (Natural History). Prop Computers in Museums. David Mellor, sec Sue Cross that "BCG Committee take steps to canvass the opinion The NFBR meeting will take the form of a of the membership and seek a mandate" series of demonstrations of the use of concerning the BM(NH) charging policy for micro-computers in the recording of species entrance to the museum. Carried by a and site records, followed by the Annual majority vote. General Meeting. 159 The report of the Biological Recording history, types etc. Working Party of the Linnean Society was Collecting policies: legal aspects, approved for publication by the Linnean relationship to display programmes Society Council in January. It is hoped etc. that it will be possible to distribute the lunchtime Course finishes report to County Trusts, Local Authority Departments and other interested bodies. A further note on the Curatorial Course from the Secretary, Derek Whiteley. Lose hill Hall has now been booked for the period of the Curatorial Course. course. The programme, outlined above, is now being finalised and will be given in full Natural Sciences Curatorial Course in the next Newsletter. Losehill Hall, Derbyshire 17th to 21st October 1988 The cost will be £150 and this will cover Organised jointly by BCG and GCG food, accommodation, tuition and transport by minibus to neighbouring museums. We have Provisional programme tried to keep the costs to a minimum. Although the course failed to attract grant­ Monday 17th: aid it is still cheaper than the first pm Registration curatorial course organised by BCG two years Introduction or so ago in Leicester. It should be good Brief history, functions, value for money! organisation and current trends in Natural Sciences in museums Queries on the course content should be sent evening Collections Research: sources/ to Steve Moran, Inverness Museum and Art importance Gallery, Castle Wynd, Inverness, IV2 3ED. Tel: 0463 - 237114. Tuesday 18th: am Study visit to Rotherham Museum Bookings can now be accepted with a deposit Running a Museum based records centre of £30.00, cheques made payable to 'Biology Collection, preservation and storage Curators Group'. Send your name, address, of invertebrates telephone number and any special requirements pm Study visit to Sheffield Museum you may have regarding the accommodation New displays (diet etc.), and deposit to Derek Whiteley Treatment and preservation of (BCG Secretary), City Museum, Sheffield material for exhibition purposes S10 2TP. Enquiry services The "Ecology Unit" evening Museums and conservation Beetle -.down .... Wednesday 19th: am Study visit to Buxton Museum "Beetle-down •••• to your local museum" Storage of geological collections Geological site recording 1. The Idea lunch Matlock Bath - also an opportunity to visit the Peak District Mining "I never realised that you do so much!" Museum exclaimed a staggered member of the audience, pm Study visit to Derby Museum following a lecture on the activities of our The practical and theoretical Natural Sciences department. "The museum was considerations involved in planning the last place I'd think of" said another, the new Derby Natural History Museum ·who couldn't believe that we are actually - plus a site visit to look at involved in local nature conservation. progress "I thought you just put things in glass cases evening Do we undervalue Natural Sciences and typed the label". How many times have we Collections? heard this remark? "But you should tell people what else is available!" added a Thursday 20th: particularly vociferous council activist, of am Study visit to Manchester Museum course, hitting the nail right on the head. Preservation, storage and And broadly speaking she was right •••• we documentation of vertebrate material very rarely advertise our bread-and-butter Preservation, storage and public services. documentation of botanical material Legal and practical aspects of live "Beetle down to your local museum", is displays in museums an attempt by BCG to tackle the problem pm Recent trends in Natural Sciences nationally, starting with a co-ordinated conservation campaign week, and then taking it from there.