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How (and How Not) to Survey

a Systematic Invertebrate Paleontology Collection for

Locality Data

Paul MayerInvertebrate Paleontology Collections Manager

Field Museum of Natural History

The Problem

The Problem

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Methods

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0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Sweden

BCMNNJMan

Austria

NVNDWVIDNBRQeb

Bolivia

VAMA

BrazilEngland

Poland

SpnMTUTNM

RussiaAlbertaCzech

Belgium

OKKY NWT

France

TNPAWIINMDOHILFoto

Germany

MOMIOntIA

NY

Results

Brachiopods VS Trilobites

0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%22%24%26%28%30%32%34%36%38%40%42%44%46%

NYONTCZEGERMOFOOHILMIIN

MRCIAWITNOKPA

BOLMDKYPERMAFRANWTENGALB

ARBRZISR

NJMDWYMTNMUTQebPolSpnBelgRusMan

NDSweWVVAIDBC

NBRAUTMNNV

Trilobites

Brachiopods

Results

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

MRCARISRWYCZEBOL

NJMAENGONTBRZ

OKGER

NYOHFOMOILINTNKYWIMI

ALBPAPE

NWTFRAMDIAMDMTNMUTQebPolSpnBelgRusMan

NDSweWVVAIDBC

NBRAustMNNV

Brachiopods

Trilobites

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500

Results

Paleobotany13%

Vertebrate Paleontology

16%

Physical Geology

10%

Invertebrate Paleontology

61%

Field Museum of Natural HistoryDepartment of Geology Collections

Dangers

B-2.7

D1.0

Walker Collection 725,000 specimens

1964

Collection Survey and Map

• I Started January, 2008 • Third week asked for statistics on

size and volume of collection.• My main goal is to learn what is in

the collections.

Field Museum Geology Department Collection Size

Lots Specimens

2006 322,707 IP

1996 320,923 IP

1992 319,267 IP

1991 398,027 IP and PP

1989 397,257 IP and PP

1976 All of Geology 1,681,700

1964Walker Collection

added

additional 725,000

1946 All of Geology 407,430

Lots Specimens Lots Specimens Lots Specimens Lots Specimen272,538 1,702,000 47,717 298,000 18,500 320,000 2,000,000

TotalsSystematic Stratigraphic Types

White, R. D. and W. D. Allmon. 2000. Guidelines for the Management and Curation of Invertebrate Fossil Collection. The Paleontological Society Special Publication v. 10, p. 3, table 2.

2000 Paleontological Society Survey

150 cabinets sampled

Lots Specimens

Cataloged 29,536 100,642

Uncataloged 24,199 226,023

Totals 53,735 326,665

Estimates 195,595 1,189,060

8 people, April 2001 to October 2002

2001 - 2002 Collection Manager Survey

What is in the collection?

• Quick survey of collection– Several hours – Cabinet by cabinet

Collection #of cabinetsVolume incubic feet

Types 29 548.15Precambrian 0.5 9.45Cambrian 10.5 198.47Ordovician 60 1,134.11Silurian 70 1,323.13Devonian 125 2,362.72Mississippian 78 1,474.34Mazon Creek 52 982.89Pennsylvanian 19 359.13Carboniferous 2 37.80Permian 3 56.71Triassic 2 37.80Jurassic 16 302.43Cretaceous 38 718.27Mesozoic 1 18.90Tertiary 40 756.07Total 546 10,320.38

A more complete survey• 546 cabinets

– Drawer by drawer (over 13,000 drawers)

• Four to five months• Opportunity to see collections

• Curation level• Size• Maps

# 2X2.5 2.5X4 4x5 5X8 8X10 10X16 16X20 TOTALS Level % Filled Notes

1 0.0% EMPTY

2 27 7 5 1 40 3.0 89.8% BRACHIOPODA: SPIRIFER M-P

3 0.0% EMPTY

4 42 11 2 55 3.0 93.8% BRACHIOPODA: SPIRIFER R-Z

5 0 0 3 3 3.0 15.6% BRACHIOPODA: SPIRIFER STRIATUS ENGLAND

6 31 4 2 37 3.0 61.2% BRACHIOPODA: SPIRIFERINA-SPIRIFERELLA

7 0.0% EMPTY

8 23 4 4 31 3.0 61.2% BRACHIOPODA: STROPHE SU

9 0.0% EMPTY

10 12 6 1 19 3.0 36.5% BRACHIOPODA: SP-STROPHA

11 23 7 2 32 3.0 58.6% BRACHIOPODA: STROPHOMENA A-I

12 27 12 1 40 3.0 71.6% BRACHIOPODA: STROPHOMENA M-W + SP

13 14 6 5 25 3.0 59.9% BRACHIOPODA: SV-SZ

14 28 6 2 36 3.0 62.5% BRACHIOPODA: T

15 40 6 1 47 3.0 72.9% BRACHIOPODA: U - Z

161718 0.0% EMPTY

19 22 7 4 2 35 2.7 88.5% BRACHIOPODA: POSSIBLE TYPES

20 0.0% EMPTY

21 16 7 6 3 32 3.0 101.6% BRACHIOPODA: CASTS

22 0.0% EMPTY


24 0.0% EMPTY


335 97 38 9 0 0 1 480 2.98 42.6% TOTALS

1 1 83.3% BRACHIOPODA: SILURIAN CHICAGO AREA NIAGRA GROUP STRICKLANDIA PYRIFORMIS

3.0

Cabinet 1516 TYPES SPIRIFER M-Z, AND MISC

0 0 0 0 0 0

Grade Description

0.0 No Data

1.0 Stratigraphic and .Locality Data

2.0 Sorted by Phylum

3.0 Cataloged and Identified

4.0 Digitized and on WWW

How to display data?

• Lots of data collected (546 pages)• Maps

– Displays lots of information– Allows for quick comparisons– Easy to see patterns– Record of the collection

Summary• Benefits of a drawer by drawer survey

– Understand collection– See problems and their extent– Snapshot of collection– Easy to generate maps.

• Future work: expand accessibility of collection– Cataloging – Digitizing– Photographing