Dear Alyssa, We here at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology do not wrap our specimens in plastic, but we do place them in closing tupperware bins that we clean out afterwards and reuse.
-Monica On Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 3:17 PM, Becker, Alyssa TPCS <[email protected] > wrote: > > Hello, > > Here at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum I wrap anything to be treated for > insect pest infestation in polyethylene plastic prior to freezing. These > objects are most often natural history specimens (mounts) and textiles or > leather/hide/feathered objects from our Aboriginal History collection. > > Lately this practise has come into question - is it not a waste of time and > resources to do this, especially since much of the plastic must be thrown > away to prevent possible cross-contamination? Could the wrapping stage be > eliminated for adsorbent objects in good condition? > > My reasons to continue wrapping are listed below. However, I wanted to pose > these questions to the list for thoughts, from a practical point of view, as > to whether wrapping is important, and if so, how and when. Has anyone has > come up with a more environmental alternative? For example, has anyone found > a line of vapour -proof, washable tubs that would do the same job for a > variety of sizes of mounts? > > Reasons for wrapping: > 1. To contain infestation while transporting specimen to the freezer > 2. To prevent moisture content changes in the object during freezing, which > could result in dimensional changes and physical damage > > 3. To prevent damage from possible freezer failure (water drips/ floods, > debris from ceiling) > 4. To prevent condensation from forming during its acclimatization before > the bag is opened > 5. To prevent (or slow) re-infestation during acclimatization > > Your thoughts and ideas on the subject would be most appreciated! > > Sincerely, > > *Alyssa Becker* > *Conservator* > Royal Saskatchewan Museum > 2340 Albert Street > Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 2V7 > P: 306-787-2667 F: 306-787-2645 > [email protected] > > > -- Senior Museum Scientist Museum of Vertebrate Zoology 3101 VLSB University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-3160 phone: (510) 642-1379 http://mvz.berkeley.edu
