1. Managing legacy & newly acquired
specimens of a large diverse collection.
Christine A. Johnson
Curatorial Associate
The American Museum of Natural History

2. Accessioning:
The formal, legal process of accepting an
object into the museum
Care for object in perpetuity

3. • Individual curator efforts
• Large-scale inventories
• Donations, bequests, purchases
Acquisitions:

4. • Relevance to museum mission and collection
• Specimens acquired legally and in compliance with
international law
• Owner legal title to and right to transfer the material
• Other third party interest in specimens
• Encumbrances by legal obligations or constraints
• Donor restrictions
Donations, Bequests, Purchases:

6. • Relevance to museum mission and collection
• Specimens acquired legally and in compliance with
international law
• Owner legal title to and right to transfer the material
• Other third party interest in specimens
• Encumbrances by legal obligations or constraints
• Donor restrictions
• Collection data for specimens known
Donations, Bequests, Purchases:

7. • How well defined institutional collections policies and
mission statement are conveyed and enforced
• Magnitude of the issue – number of new and pre-
existing specimens in a collection
Differences between
Large & Small Institutions

8. Central Park Arsenal
Curators are primary source of
acquisitions
Registrar’s Office processes
accession(s) and assigns number
Associate Dean of Science oversees
registrar’s office and enforces
proper permitting

9. Fluid Storage Facility (NSB)
July 1, 1999, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Pinned Insect Storage Facility

10. July 1, 1999, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
“Macro-leps” “Shells”

11. July 1, 1999, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Slide Collection

14. Curators
James Carpenter, Curator, Hymenoptera
Robert DeSalle Curator, Molecular Systematics
David Grimaldi Curator, Diptera, Amber Fossils
Lee Herman Curator, Coleoptera
Eunsoo Kim Assistant Curator, Protists
Susan Perkins Associate Curator, Molecular Systematics, Malaria Protists
Lorenzo Prendini Associate Curator, Arachnida, Myriapoda
Estefania Rodriguez Assistant Curator, Cnidaria, RINMS
Jerome G. Rozen Curator, Hymenoptera
Mark E. Siddall Curator, Annelida
Ward Wheeler Curator, Molecular Systematics
Emeritus Curators
William Emerson Curator Emeritus, Division of Invertebrate Zoology
Norman I. Platnick Curator Emeritus, Araneae
Randall T. Schuh George T. Willett Curator Emeritus, Hemiptera, Minor Orders
Richard Gilder Graduate School Students
Brian Falk
Phil Barden
Isabelle Vea
Stephanie Loria
Carli Tribull

15. RINMS & Mollusca
Library Archives of
Accessions & Donations

18. AMNH Accession #___________
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Accession Record
DEPARTMENT OF___________________Division of__________________Date of Receipt_____________
Department File/Accession #__________________________Dept. Catalogue #s_____________________
Donor________________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________
Telephone______________________Fax________________________Email________________________
Donation to be kept anonymous_______
Gift_______Internal Transfer________Bequest_______
Purchase________________(Fund & Price)_______________
Expedition_______________________(Name)_____________________(Date)______________________
Field Trip________________________(Place)______________________(Date)______________________
Exchange (Catalog #s & value of specimens given in exchange)____________________________________
Attach Copies of Collection Permits and USFWS 3-177 Forms
Description of Material:
Higher Taxon Description Geographic Origin Lot # Specimen #
Does Department have transaction on file showing legal ownership by owner?
Does Department have transfer of ownership record on file giving ownership to AMNH?
Explanation to “No” above________________________________________________________________
Restrictions ____________________________________________________________________________
Significance of Material___________________________________________________________________
Value: Less than $1000_____$1000-$5000____More than $5000____Estimated Value________________
If more than $5K and at donor request: IRS Form completed____ Sent to Donor_____ CC: Registrar_____
Signature of Division Chairman__________________Date___________
Registration Signature_________________________Date___________
Board Meeting_______________________________Date___________(over $5K)

19. AMNH Accession #___________
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Accession Record
DEPARTMENT OF___________________Division of__________________Date of Receipt_____________
Department File/Accession #__________________________Dept. Catalogue #s_____________________
Donor________________________________________________________________________________
Address_______________________________________________________________________________
Telephone______________________Fax________________________Email________________________
Donation to be kept anonymous_______
Gift_______Internal Transfer________Bequest_______
Purchase________________(Fund & Price)_______________
Expedition_______________________(Name)_____________________(Date)______________________
Field Trip________________________(Place)______________________(Date)______________________
Exchange (Catalog #s & value of specimens given in exchange)____________________________________
Attach Copies of Collection Permits and USFWS 3-177 Forms
Description of Material:
Higher Taxon Description Geographic Origin Lot # Specimen #
Does Department have transaction on file showing legal ownership by owner?
Does Department have transfer of ownership record on file giving ownership to AMNH?
Explanation to “No” above________________________________________________________________
Restrictions ____________________________________________________________________________
Significance of Material___________________________________________________________________
Value: Less than $1000_____$1000-$5000____More than $5000____Estimated Value________________
If more than $5K and at donor request: IRS Form completed____ Sent to Donor_____ CC: Registrar_____
Signature of Division Chairman__________________Date___________
Registration Signature_________________________Date___________
Board Meeting_______________________________Date___________(over $5K)

20. Bulk material, numbers and taxa unknown
USA: Tennessee: Knoxville,
Hotel Room Bed, 10-II-2012
Coll. CAJohnson Acc. 666
Accession number association with specimen

21. Multiple Databases with Disparate Information

22. Pre-existing confiscated CITES specimens

23. Issues
Bulk material, numbers & taxa unknown
Identifying accessioned & non-accessioned legacy material
Multiple database with disparate information
Securing appropriate documentation (Specimen transfer forms,
permits, proof of legal acquisition, change in CITES status)
Institutional Dissonance (Administration, Chairs, Curators)

24. R² = 0.976
15800000
15900000
16000000
16100000
16200000
16300000
16400000
16500000
16600000
16700000
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
Holdings(TotalN)
Year
Past Insecta Growth (1992-2007) Projected Insecta Growth (2008-2038)
16400000
16600000
16800000
17000000
17200000
17400000
17600000
17800000
18000000
18200000
2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040
Year
Holdings(TotalN)
Past Growth & Projected Growth for Pinned Insect Specimens

25. Past Growth & Projected Growth for
Pinned Insect Specimens
Year
Specimen
Growth
Necessary
Cabinetry
Needs
2008 46894 3 0
2013 233958 14 0
2018 467788 29 +18
2028 935448 57 +50 More space

26. Thank you.