FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Jordi Fabre]

Peter wrote:
>Perhaps an interesting second thread is the policy of various museums for the public to see specimens not on display.

Absolutely Peter, I already created here the new topic suggested by you.

BTW, welcome here Peter, you will be a great addition to this Forum!. As you also wrote:

>With digital imaging, it is both fast and less expensive to document a collection so that it can also be used online by interested parties.

I have the hope that maybe you wish to share with us images of your fine specimens?

Jordi

[Peter]

Buenos dias
The Swedish Pyrosmalite you had in Munchen was one of the finest specimens at the whole show! Of course I could post a few images. Of course I will try to contribute with some images. Your website is really excellent! Will see you in Tucson soon.

[John S. White]

The Curator

I think it also needs to be said that a museum may have the most sensible and reasonable policy one could ever hope for, but if the curator is not perceived to be “up to the job,” then serious collectors will be reluctant to place their treasures in such hands. Regrettably there are some curators who probably never should have been given responsibility for managing major collections and there are at least several reasons for this. A primary one is that many museums hire curators for the promise of important scientific research, not because of their love of minerals or their experience in personal collecting. In such cases curators may not necessarily be blamed for this because it is clear that they have been hired to produce science and not to manage a collection. It is, instead, the fault of the museum for having a misplaced emphasis.

Just the same, regardless of whose fault it is, there are at times weak curators in charge of major collections. Serious collectors talk among themselves and with dealers and they come to know who the better curators are. Thus, their opinion of the excellence of a curator at a particular museum may be a major factor in deciding where they want to donate their minerals. If the curator has not made an effort to get to know these collectors and dealers on a personal level, that definitely works against him or her. If a curator has demonstrated that he or she does not appreciate the finer qualities of a particular specimen, or does not know how to handle a delicate specimen, than that can really turn a potential donor away.

Then there is the “face” of the museum, which is the public display. If the mineral exhibit itself shows serious neglect, this fact certainly is not going to make a potential donor want to leave his or her minerals with that institution. We all know examples of major museums where dust thickly covers most of the minerals (poor case design in addition to neglect), where lights have been allowed to burn out and are not replaced, and where labels with incorrect information are not replaced. The curator who attends to these problems responsibly and goes out of his/her way to cultivate important contacts should be the one who benefits most from donations. The only problem with this obvious fact is that good curators do not live forever and at any institution we know that good curators can be replaced by poor ones.

What to do? In all honesty I feel that the only thing that the collecting community can do is to try to pressure these institutions to recognize that curation is at least as important in the hiring process as scientific research, actually in my view it is more important.

[Peter]

Hi John, curators and collector friends
Recently I visited the Geological Museum in Oslo, which is one of my favourite ones, with a very strong collection of Norwegian classical specimens. The exhibit halls are lovely, kept intact with a very strong display of Norwegian but also international minerals.
Lighting is good to very good, very active curator(s) with both very high knowledge in mineralogy, curating, field collecting and life long own interests in mineral collecting.
A newly added display shows accessory minerals from the silver mines at Kongsberg including some lovely fluorites in various colors and paragenesis, calcites etc. New finds and acquisitions are displayed in special display cases. I highly recommend a visit here as well as at the Mining Museum in Kongsberg which is a must for anyone with a serious interest in mineralogy. The display is simply unbelieavable! Tours into the mines by railroad and/or by foot are available in the summer months
Your words I fully agree with.

There is at least one national museum in Europe, where all displays are selected and made by the exhibit department, and it seems to me that the mineralogists/curator has very little to say about the exhibits.

I remember your critics about the newer part of the display at the Museum on Natural History in London, with the old fantastic systematic great collection! I have not yet seen the latest addition there, but I can assure you that the exhibit there is so much better than some others I have seen and is still among my favourites!
The last year I have revisited most of the great collections in Europe for the " forty eleventh" time and I can assure you that the long term impressions are recorded for any future thoughts when it comes to some of my own minerals. Seriousness and long term stability are key words!
I can highly recommend the numerous museums in Russia, foremost in St Petersburg (Mining Institute, St Petersburg university and others), in Moscow (Fersman Museum, Vernadsky State museum, Gems Museum, Moscow State University, Prospecting Mining Institute, Almazny Fonda and others), Ekaterinburg (Mining Institute) and many local museums usually concentrating on the deposits of the oblast (region).

[Gail]

I usually ask someone to introduce us to a curator, via email, and to request a private showing of back room minerals and gems. We then introduce ourselves upon hearing that the curator has been made aware us and give a little information about the time frame we have and to see if we can coordinate with the curator or his staff to be given a tour.
When we went to Harvard this past August we had a dealer friend make the introduction and then we contacted Carl to see if it was okay to come the next day and if he was available to meet us in person.
Same with Alan Hart in London..we want it made clear that we are very interested in seeing the back room collections as well as what is in the museum. He was very accomodating.
Ditto with the Smithsonian and it was a local federal judge who asked Jeff to give us a tour.
Each back room tour is a great treat, often just as..if not more...interesting than the display to the public.
I like to see how pieces are stored, hear about the history of acquisitions and to get to actually hold incredible pieces while under supervision.
I never reach into drawers or grab at anything, but respectfully keep my hands folded until an offer is made. I also keep my purse close and across my chest rather than just on my shoulder so it doesn't swing free and hit anything. Sometimes I don't bring a purse at all, less hassle that way.
I also ask permission before photographing anything and I state my intent and purpose if I do. ( Such as keep the photos and do not have them published. )
By communicating with the curators you will earn respect and be welcomed back again.
I like the idea as we can never take it all in at one visit.
It would never occur to me to just show up and expect a private tour either, I like to allow time for them to think about it.
In the case of Carl at Harvard, he was very accomodating by agreeing to show us around the next day. No offense would have been taken if he couldn't do it.
On a side note, I ask about taking photos of people's private collections also....on occasion people will say no.