Useful Collection-Related Papers

Jump to:

• Importance of Museums and Collecting
• Collection Management and Uses, Special Collections
• Genetic Collections, Voucher Specimens, and DNA barcoding
• Specimen Preparation and Field/Museum Techniques
• Data Management, Biodiversity Informatics, and GIS

Importance of Museums and Collecting

• Baker, R. J. 1994. Some thoughts on conservation, biodiversity, museums, molecular characters, systematics, and basic research. Journal of Mammalogy 75:277-287.
• Barlow, J. C. and N. J. Flood. 1983. Research collections in ornithology—a reaffirmation. Pp 37-54 in A. H. Brush and G. A. Clark, Jr. (eds.), Perspectives in Ornithology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
• Clancey, P. A. 1966. Some observations on collecting and the use of new techniques in systematic ornithology. South African Museums Association Bulletin 8:297-300.
• Collar, N. et al. (eds.). 2003. Why museums matter: Avian archives in an age of extinction. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club 123A (supplement, 360pp, 21 contributed papers - see http://www.boc-online.org/bulletin.htm#bul). Also see review in Wilson Bulletin 116:363-369 (2004).
• Davis, P. 1996. Museums, biodiversity and systematics. Pp. 128-145 in P. Davis (ed.), Museums and the Natural Environment, Leicester University Press, London.
• de L Brooke, M. 1999. Why museums matter. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 15:136-137.
• Diamond, J. M. 1987. Justifiable killing of birds? Nature 330:423.
• Easterla, D. A. 1967. Values of collecting birds for scientific specimens. Bluebird 34:10-12.
• Emery, A. R. 1993. Collections of biotic diversity: relevance to modern problems. Pp. 59-68 in F. Palacios, C. Martínez and B. Thomas (eds.), International symposium and first world congress on the preservation and conservation of natural history collections, Congress Book, Vol. 1, Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Archivos, Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid.
• Fitzpatrick, J. W. 1985. The role of scientific collections in ecological morphology, pp. 195-208 in E. H. Miller (ed.), Museum Collections: Their Roles and Future in Biological Research, British Columbia Provincial Museum [Occas. Pap. no. 25], Vancouver.
• Fjeldsa, J. 1987. Museum collections of birds—relevance and strategies for the future. Acta Reg. Soc. Sci. Litt. Gothoburgensis, Zoologica 14:223-228.
• Foster, M. S. 1982. The research natural history museum: pertinent or passe? The Biologist 64:1-12.
• Goodman, S. M. and S. M. Lanyon. 1994. Scientific collecting. Conservation Biology 8:314-315.
• Grinnell, J. 1910. The methods and uses of a research museum. The Popular Science Monthly 77:163-169.
• Grinnell, J. 1915. Conserve the collector. Science 41:229-232.
• Grinnell, J. 1922. The Museum conscience. Museum Works 4:62-63.
• Keast, A. 1973. The role of the museum in ornithology. Emu 73:242-247.
• Knell, S. J. (ed.). 1999. Museums and the Future of Collecting. Aldershot/Ashgate, Brookfield, Vermont.
• Mayr, E. 1973. Museums as biological laboratories. Breviora (Museum of Comparative Zoology), No. 416:1-7.
• Mayr, E. and R. Goodwin. . Biological Materials, Part I: Preserved Materials and Museum Collections. Biology Council, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council, Publication No. 399.
• Miller, E. H. (ed.). 1985. Museum Collections: Their Roles and Future in Biological Research. British Columbia Provincial Museum, Vancouver.
• Mueller, U. G., et al. 1994. The role of museums. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 9:64.
• Phillips, A. R. 1974. The need for education and collecting. Bird-Banding 45:24-28.
• Remsen, J. V., Jr. McGeehan, A. 1993. Two views on collecting vagrants (point/counterpoint). Birding (Apr):129-132.
• Remsen, J. V., Jr. 1995. The importance of continued collecting of bird specimens to ornithology and bird conservation. Bird Conservation International 5:145-180.
• Remsen, J. V., Jr. 1997. Museum specimens: science, conservation and morality. Bird Conservation International 7:363-366.
• Thomson, K. S. 1998. Museums: dilemmas and paradoxes. American Scientist 86:520-522.
• Suarez, A. V. and N. D. Tsutsui. 2004. The value of museum collections for research and society. Bioscience 54:66-74.
• Winker, K., et al. 1991. The importance of avian collections and the need for continued collecting. Loon 63:238-246.
• Winker, K. 1996. The crumbling infrastructure of biodiversity: the avian example. Conservation Biology 10:703-707.
• Winker, K. 1997. Letter in response to C. V. Grant, The role of taxonomy and systematics. Conservation Biology 11:595-596.
• Winker, K. 2004. Natural history museums in a postbiodiversity era. Bioscience 54:455-459.
• Winker, K. 2005. Bird Collections: Development and use of a scientific resource. Auk 122:966–971.
• Zusi, R. L. 1969. The role of museum collections in ornithological research. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 82:651-661.

Collection Management and Uses, Special Collections

• Cato, P. S. 1986. Guidelines for managing bird collections. Museology No. 7, Texas Tech University.
• Causey, D. and J. Trimble. 2005. Old bones in new boxes: Osteology collections in the new millennium. Auk 122:971–979.
• Gaunt, S. L. L. et al. 2005. New Directions for Bioacoustics Collections. Auk 122:984–987.
• Kiff, L. F. 2005. History, Present Status, and Future Prospects of Avian Eggshell Collections in North America. Auk 122:994–999.
• Rocque, D. A. and K. Winker. 2005. Use of Bird Collections in Contaminant and Stable-isotope Studies. Auk 122:990–994.
• Snow, N. 2005. Successfully curating smaller herbaria and natural history collections in academic settings. Bioscience 55:771-779.
• Willard, D. 1999. From Finches to Ostriches: The anatomy of a museum collection. In The Field:  March/April (viewable online).

Genetic Collections, Voucher Specimens, and DNA Barcoding

• Barrowclough, G. F. 1985. Museum collections and molecular systematics. Pp. 43-54 in E. H. Miller (ed.), Museum Collections: their roles and future in biological research. British Columbia Provincial Museum, Vancouver.
• Bates, J. M. et al. 2004. A need for continued collecting of avian voucher specimens in Africa: Why blood is not enough. Ostrich 75:187-191.
• Bates, J. M., S. J. Hackett, and R. M. Zink.  1993.  Tecnicas y materiales para la preservación de tejidos congelados.  Pp. 75-78 in Curación moderna de colecciones ornitolólogicas (P. Escalante-Pliego, ed.)  American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D. C.
• Bonhomme, F. 1993. Museum collections and the new molecular techniques. Pp. 63-69. In C. L. Rose, S. L. Williams and J. Gisbert (eds.), International symposium and first world congress on the preservation and conservation of natural history collections. Congress Book, Vol. 3. Dirección General de Bellas Artes y Archivos, Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid.
• Cherry, M. I. 1994. Ancient DNA and museums. Suid-Afrikaanse Tydskrif vir Wetenskap 90:437-438.
• Cooper, A. 1994. Dried Samples: soft tissues. DNA from museum specimens, pp. 149-165 in B. Herrmann and S. Hummel (eds.), Ancient DNA, Recovery and Analysis of Genetic Material from Paleontological, Archaeological, Museum, Medical, and Forensic Specimens, Springer-Verlag, New York.
• Dessauer, H. C. and M. S. Hafner. 1984. Collections of frozen tissues: value, management, field and laboratory procedures, and directory of existing collections. Association of Systematics Collections, Lawrence, Kansas.
• Edwards, S. V. et al. 2005. Future of Avian Genetic Resources Collections: Archives of Evolutionary and Environmental History. Auk 122:979–984.
• Hanner, R. et al. 2005. Salvage of genetically valuable tissues following a freezer failure. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 34:452-455.
• Houde, P. and M. J. Braun. 1988. Museum collections as a source of DNA for studies of avian phylogeny. The Auk 105:773-776.
• Kilpatrick, C. W. 2002. Noncryogenic preservation of mammalian tissues for DNA extraction: an assessment of storage methods. Biochemical Genetics 40:53-62.
• Mann, C. F. 2007. Use of skin from the feet of museum specimens as a source of DNA. Auk 124:339.
• Payne, R. B. and M. D. Sorenson. 2003. Museum collections as sources of genetic data. Bonner zoologische Beiträge 51:97-104.
• Ruedas, L. A. et al. 2000. Ruedas, L. A, J. Salazar-Bravo, J. W. Dragoo, and T. L. Yates. 2000. The importance of being earnest: What, if anything, constitutes a “specimen examined?” Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 17:129-132.
• Seutin, G., White, B. N., and Boag, P. T. 1991. Preservation of avian blood and tissue samples for DNA analysis. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69:82­90.
• Sheldon, F. H. and D. L. Dittman. 1997. The value of vertebrate tissue collections in applied and basic science. Pp. 163-174 in K. E. Hoagland and A. Y. Rossman (eds.), Global Genetic Resources: Access, Ownership, and Intellectual Property Rights. Association of Systematics Collections, Washington, D.C.
• Sheldon, F. H. 2001. Molecular collections for basic research: museums, methods, and morality. Pp. 331-346 in Z. Yaacob et al. (eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on In-situ and Ex-situ Biodiversity Conservation in the New Millenium. Yayasau Sabah, Kota Kinabaln, Sabah.
• Snow, N., and P. L. Keating. 1999. Relevance of specimen citations to conservations. Conservation Biology 13:943-944.
• Thomas, R. H. 1994. Molecules, museums and vouchers. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 9:413-414.
• Thomas, R. H. 1994. Analysis of DNA from natural history musuem collections. Pp. 311-321 in B. Schierwater, B. Streit, G. P. Wagner and R. DeSalle (eds.), Molecular Ecology and Evolution: Approaches and Applications, Birkhauser Verlag, Basel.
• Wheeler, Q. D. 2005. Losing the plot: DNA "barcodes" and taxonomy. Letter to the Editor, Cladistics 21:405-407.
• Winker, K., et al. 1996. Voucher specimens and quality control in avian molecular studies. Ibis 138:345-346.

Specimen Preparation and Field/Museum Techniques

• Cann, R. L. et al. 1993. Collection and storage of vertebrate samples. Methods in Enzymology 224:38-51.
• Corado, R. 2005. The importance of information on specimen labels. Ornitologia Neotropical 16:277-278.
• Herman, S. G. 1986. The Naturalist's Field Journal: A Manual of Instruction based on a System Established by Joseph Grinnell. Buteo Books, Vermillion, South Dakota.
• Johnson, N. K. et al. 1984. Suggested techniques for modern avian systematics. Wilson Bulletin 96:543-560.
• Kiff, L. 1989. Techniques for preparing bird eggs and nests. Pp. 111-117 in S. P. Rogers and D. S. Wood (eds.). Notes from a workshop on bird specimen preparation held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, in conjunction with the 107th stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union, 7 August 1989.
• Miller, L. 1955. The auxilliary barrel. Wilson Bulletin 67:297-301.
• Escalante-Pliego, P. (ed.). 1993. Curación moderna de colecciones ornitolólogicas. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D. C.
• Remsen, J. V., Jr. 1977. On taking field notes. American Birds 31:946-953.
• Rogers, S. P. and D. S. Wood (eds.). 1989. Notes from a workshop on bird specimen preparation held at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, in conjunction with the 107th stated meeting of the American Ornithologists' Union, 7 August 1989. (Available from Section of Birds, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. $10.00 postpaid).
• Schindel, D. E. 2005. DNA barcoding: A new mission of museum collections. SPNHC Newsletter 19:1-2.
• Seutin, G. et al. 1991. Preservation of avian blood and tissue samples for DNA analyses. Canadian Journal of Zoology 69:82-90.
• Winker, K. 1998. Suggestions for measuring external characters of birds. Ornitología Neotropical 9:23-30.
• Winker, K. 2000. Obtaining, preserving, and preparing bird specimens. Journal of Field Ornithology 71:250-297.

Data Management, Biodiversity Informatics, and GIS

• Ball, M. 2005. BioGeomancer unlocks historical observations. GeoWorld (August).
• Beaman, R. et al. 2004. Determining space from place for natural history collections in a distributed digital library environment. D-Lib Magazine 10 (no. 5).
• Foster, M. S. and  P. F. Cannell. 1990. Bird Specimens and Documentation: Critical Data for a Critical Resource.  Condor 92: 277-283.
• Graham, C. H. et al. 2004. New developments in museum-based informatics and applications in biodiversity analysis. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:497-503.
• Guralnick, R. and J. V. Cleve. 2005. Strengths and weaknesses of museum and national survey data sets for predicting regional species richness: comparative and combined approaches. Diversity and Distributions 11:349-359.
• Hale, S. 1999. How to manage data badly (part 1). Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 80:265-268.
• Hale, S. 2000. How to manage data badly (part 2). Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 81:101-103.
• Lowe, J. W. 2004. Bone rooms, bird bodies, and biodiversity informatics. Geospatial Solutions (April).
• Peterson, A. T., C. Cicero, and J. Wieczorek. 2005. Free and Open Access to Bird Specimen Data: Why? Auk 122:987–990.
• Ponder, W. F. et al. 2001. Evaluation of museum collection data for use in biodiversity assessment. Conservation Biology 15:648-657.
• Rowe, R. J. 2005. Elevational gradient analyses and the use of historical museum specimens: A cautionary tale. Journal of Biogeography 32:1883-1897.
• Wieczorek, J. W. et al. 2004. The point-radius method for georeferencing locality descriptions and calculating associated uncertainty. International Journal Geographical Information Science 18:745-767.

Corrections and further contributions welcome. Email Carla Cicero.

For additional comments on collection-related issues, see the AVECOL web site.