Aggregating collection information. This is a useful way to share collection data from multiple institutions in a centralized database, and mineral databases are far behind our biological sciences colleagues. With
iDigBio and
GBIF, they help educate best practices for digitization, provide infrastructure for database management and a place to deposit data, and promote usage. IDigBio, has researcher highlights, best practices on collecting and sharing data, education & outreach working groups, K-12 integration, community science initiatives, and much more. The biological databases are good examples, as they work very well.
There needs to be an open and accessible centralized repository of information that has data on where specimens are housed, and scientific data on those specimens, plus all the needed education to keep mineral collecting and the related sciences moving forward. I understand that open databases can be abused, but an active user community can serve as an overseeing body to get things mostly accurate. Examples of some databases where geologists can contribute data are
Earthchem,
Crystallographic Open Database,
Pangea, but they typically only house data, and are not user-friendly.
How A Researcher Can Increase Their Impact
- Donate your no longer being used, but published, specimens. Please include a DOI (digital object identifier) and a photo if they are available.
- Donate characterized, but unpublished specimens. Do you have electron microprobe data, XRF, Raman, FTIR, ICP, XRD, or other? We can include that data in our database along with a photo. Plus, you can also write a short data report and publish it on a free pre-print server (like ChemRxiv, or Authorea which is my personal fav), so you have a DOI and people can reference your work.
- Ask for materials to perform research on, and if published, submit the data to a repository or back to the museum.
- Credit the museum for all work done on a museum object, this helps bring awareness to the museum’s strategic goals for making the collection accessible.
- Apply to a museum collection fellowships/grants to help with travel costs.
Help Your Museum Through …
- Community engagement, go to museum events!
- Go to classes/workshops, and suggest other workshops.
- Going on or leading local field trips, they can be fun!
- Not sure what to do? Just email your favorite museum mineral curator to discuss options.
Part Two: Public Trust & Education
Museums are among the most trusted sources of information to the public. Just google “
Do people trust museums?” and “
Do people trust universities?” and you will see a stark contrast of results. People trust Google above all else, so you know these results speak the truth. Sarcasm aside, keeping that trust, and also bringing the collection to the public is constant work.