Fwd: Re: Raw's private collection note

[Daniel Janzen]

This thread seems to have forgotten that a HUGE amount of very high quality
collecting, inventory and taxonomy has been done by people doing what they
really LIKE doing - collecting, organizing, understanding a large body of
species and specimens, something that often results in a large personal
collection.  This in turn very commonly ends up in a public repository once
that individual moves on, and the public effort thereby gains a huge
cost-free input.   A great part of the collective knowledge of the
taxasphere rests on a base created by sweat-equity and "private" endeavors,
in various kinds of synergistic combinations with formally funded and
public endeavors.   Private collections are clearly a legitimate motor in
the taxonomic enterprise, irrespective that they can be distorted (usually
only temporarily) through normal human behavior - just as can institutional
protocols and collections.     Dan Janzen



>X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
>Date:         Wed, 25 Sep 2002 19:26:29 +0100
>Reply-To: Lynn Raw <lynn.raw at VIRGIN.NET>
>Sender: Taxacom Discussion List <TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG>
>From: Lynn Raw <lynn.raw at VIRGIN.NET>
>Subject:      Re: Raw's private collection note
>To: TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG
>Status:
>
> Anita,
>
> Private collections exist, have existed and will continue to exist no
>matter
> what you may believe.
>
> Private collections are often used by researchers at institutions, for
>teaching
> of university students and, through the continuity brought about by
>founding an organisation to bring about better security for the specimens,
>hopefully  these will still be available for those future endeavours you
>mention long after their individual owners have disappeared from the scene.
>
> I therefore find your remarks rather puzzling!
>
> Lynn
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Anita F. Cholewa" <chole001 at UMN.EDU>
> To: <TAXACOM at USOBI.ORG>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 2:29 AM
>> Subject: Raw's private collection note
>>
>>
>> Are we moving back in time?  Encouraging private collections undermines
>> everything we have tried to accomplish in terms of specimen preservation
>for
>> teaching, research, and future endeavors!  Museums are the recognized
>format
>> for specimen preservation with the experience, access to object
>conservation
>> research, an environmental controls that cannot be achieved in private
>> collections.  Why would anyone encourage private collections!
>>
>>
>> ________________________
>> Anita F. Cholewa, Ph.D.
>> Curator of Temperate Plants
>> Bell Museum of Natural History
>> University of Minnesota
>> 1445 Gortner Ave
>> St Paul MN (USA)
>> http://www.cbs.umn.edu/herbarium/vascularplantpage.htm
>>
>