Association of Science Museum Directors resolutions

[Neil Clark <gxha14@udcf.gla.ac.uk>]

In response to Roger's mail (not all negative).

Oh dear! Here we go again.....museum bashing.  Over generalisations,
inaccuracies and a misrepresentation of what museums are and what they
are for.  I know of no museum professional who doesn't encourage
"amateur" palaeontologists to build up their own collections and work
with palaeontological researchers.  I don't know how many
palaeontologists work in museums, but I suspect that it is a very
small proportion of the palaeontological workforce, so why are they
picked on so?  Perhaps it is because they are responsible for the
preservation of important and significant collections of our global
heritage for use by researchers, "amateurs", and the public now and in
the future.  Perhaps the author (Roger) would rather the specimens
erode to dust in a private collection rather than being saved for our
future generations by trained museum professionals?  This, of course
is yet another generalisation.  Many "amateur" collectors care for
their collections in a very professional manner.  Museum professionals
can also provide advice on how specimens can be best preserved.

As for licensing collectors, who is going to run the project?  Who is
going to enforce the regulations of such a scheme?  It all sounds like
a rather expensive way of controlling collecting (not that I am
advocating control).  We are always going to have "unethical"
collecting.  I feel that the best way to discourage such activities is
through education and by example.  I agree with Roger on the point
that blanket legislation is wrong and it will only encourage
black-market trade and "unethical" collecting.  There already exists a
black-market trade of fossils and museums do not buy from it now and
never will (unless they have a particularly stupid curator on the
staff).  I freely admit that museums have obtained specimens and
collections in somewhat dubious ways in the past, but curators are
subject to the same rules and regulations as everyone else.

I am not sure what is happening in the US at the moment with regard to
legislation on fossil collecting.  I would imagine that research
palaeontologists have a different view of fossil collecting than the
museum professional.  I know of some researchers who become so
possessive of the group of fossils they are researching, that they
purloin museum collections and refuse to return them until legal
action is threatened (don't read a generalisation into this please).
If any of the professional palaeontologists are going to support the
"amateur" collector, it is going to be the museum professional.
Please, please, PLEASE do not alienate us by accusing us of not taking
into account the interests of amateurs.

Sorry about this.  I know it has little to do with the dinosaur list,
but this debate keeps appearing here.  Just remember, none of us are
perfect, so we are unlikely to produce the perfect solution.  All we
can hope for is something that pleases none of us a lot and some of us
a little.

Neil