Diatom Herbarium Policies

The ANSP Diatom Herbarium is a unit within the Center for Systematic Biology and Evolution. The mission of the Herbarium is to support diatom research. The staff of the Herbarium are: Dr. Marina Potapova (Curator), Ms. Jennifer Beals (Curatorial Assistant), and Ms. Alys Kirsch (Curatorial Assistant). The Herbarium is governed by the general ANSP Collection Policy, while this document outlines procedures specific to this Herbarium.

Collection Use Policy

Access

The Herbarium is open Monday to Friday, 9 am–5 pm. The ANSP staff and visitors are encouraged to use the Herbarium with the permission of the Curator or Curatorial Assistants. Arrangements to visit must be made in advance with the Curator. Visitors should sign the guest log and include their name(s), date of visit, research project, materials examined, and institutional affiliation.

Material Handling

Slides
Slides have to be removed from the boxes or trays carefully. A note should be placed in the slide slot indicating who and when removed the slide. A light microscope equipped with a digital camera is available for visitors to examine the slides. Those not familiar with the Zeiss AxioImager microscope or the imaging software will be instructed by the Herbarium staff. Report broken or poor quality slides to the Herbarium staff. Return slides to cabinets (or give them to herbarium staff for refiling) the same day. Please, remove all immersion oil from the slide before returning slide to the collection.

Processed and Unprocessed Samples
Secure permission from the Curator before removing any material from samples. Notify Herbarium staff about broken vials, lids, or torn packages.

The Library

The Diatom Herbarium library consists of books catalogued in the Main ANSP Library, diatom reprint collection, and personal library of late Dr. C.W. Reimer loaned to the Curator. Visitors are welcome to work with literature in the Herbarium area. At the end of each day all reading materials should be returned to their places. Photocopying is available at $0.25 per page.

Index Card Files

The following index card files may be useful to find materials of interest: the “geographic location” files (one for slides and another for raw and processed samples), the “taxon” file, and “bibliography” file. Please replace cards immediately aftre use.

Database

The Herbarium database is not yet accessible on-line. Please, consult the Herbarium staff to conduct database searches by location and taxon.

Annotations

We appreciate annotations, which are notes that update the determinations and/or cite the project for which specimens were examined. Annotations might be either handwritten or saved as computer files. See the Curator for more detailed instructions on format.

Loans

No specimens may be removed from the herbarium collection without proper loan authorization and forms.

All loans to individuals are made through the affiliated Institution of that individual and are considered loans to that Institution. The borrowing Institution has the responsibility for the secure custody and proper return of the specimens. Specimens may not be removed from the institution to which they were loaned without prior permission and appropriate paperwork. Loans are made without charge or service fee; it is expected that the borrowing institution will pay the costs of return shipment.

Loan requests may be sent to the Curator via email or ordinary mail. Requests should include:

  • The name(s) of the researcher(s);
  • The nature, and scope of the investigation;
  • A list of taxa or materials with accession numbers.

Loans are made for a specified period (usually six months for type slides or one year for other materials). Loan extensions may be requested before the termination of the requested loan period.

When the loan is sent, you will also receive a loan form that should be signed and returned immediately to the Herbarium staff. If any loan materials are damaged in transit, please, notify the Herbarium staff and note the damage on the loan form.

Please, necessarily notify the Herbarium staff by email when you are shipping loaned materials back to the ANSP. Please, also do this when you are returning slides not by the mail, but with a colleague traveling to Philadelphia.

Publications Benefiting from Herbarium Use

The ANSP Diatom Herbarium materials should be cited with the accepted herbarium acronym (“ANSP”) in all publications. Please inform us of all publications that use/cite our specimens. We appreciate receiving reprints of papers based on ANSP specimens; these are deposited in the Herbarium Library.

Acquisition policy

Acquisitions

The ANSP Diatom Herbarium acquires materials for the permanent collection via:

  • Field work by ANSP staff;
  • Donations from individuals and institutions;
  • Exchange with other institutions;
  • Purchase.

Criteria

To be accepted for the permanent collection, materials must be of reasonable quality, include adequate documentation, have been collected in full compliance with all laws and regulations of the country of origin and the federal government of the United States.

  • The following documentation is absolutely necessary:
    • Geographic location (country, province, county, water body, etc.).
  • The following information is standard:
    • Title of the project;
    • Collection date;
    • Name of collector (or collecting agency);
    • Type of the sample/habitat (e.g., plankton, epiphyton, soil crust, fossil, etc.);
    • Original collection number;
    • Detailed locality information (geographic coordinates, altitude, depth, etc.).
  • Optional, but desirable, information:
    • Taxonomic identifications;
    • Count data.

The information may be sent in any format, but electronic files are preferable.