I took over as Curator of Insects in the Museum of Zoology less than a year ago, so there is still a lot I need to learn when it comes to managing the Museum of Zoology’s collection of over a million insect specimens.
My colleague, Russell Stebbings, and I therefore jumped at the opportunity of meeting other insect collection managers from across the UK at the Twenty-fifth meeting of Insect Collection Managers Group, held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh earlier this month. Not only is this a chance to meet old friends and new colleagues, but it is a fantastic way of sharing knowledge across museums and starting up new collaborations.
When I first started as Curator of Insects, one of the things William Foster, my predecessor, recommended most was attending the Insect Collection Managers Group Meeting. “It is probably the most useful meeting I attend all year” were his exact words. This annual event includes attendees from insect collections across the UK. The style of the meeting is informal, with a social event in the evening and then a day’s session, discussing ongoing collections issues, such as making insect collection information available online, staff and volunteer training, controlling pests, and updates on best practice for collecting insects and managing newly-donated specimens. There is also a chance to look around a different collection each event, as the location of the meeting changes from year to year.
This year’s meeting didn’t disappoint. Not only was it based in the spectacular National Museum of Scotland (NMS) in Central Edinburgh, but it also included attendees from ten other institutions across the UK, including the World Museum in Liverpool, Manchester Museum, the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the National Museum of Wales, and the Natural History Museum in London. Representatives from the Food and Environment Research Agency and the British Entomological and Natural History Society were also present. For me, one of the best things about the meeting was the time given to chat to people informally and to find out about successes and issues people had experienced with their collections during the year. As the Museum of Zoology is currently being renovated, it was particularly useful to talk to other museums who had already been through renovation projects and to compare notes. A highlight was certainly the chance to look around the new NMS insect collection facilities, located just outside of the city centre. Housed in a new custom-built room, these are beautifully laid out, easily accessible and include lots of room for visiting researchers to carry out their work. There were also some spectacular insects of course!
This year has certainly convinced me to make these meetings a regular fixture in my calendar. Building connections and collaborations with other museums from across the UK and sharing knowledge and good practice benefits all of the collections involved. In fact, we have offered to host the event in Cambridge next year!
