Care and Conservation of Specimens

We have a duty to provide a safe and secure environment for all of our collections. To protect our herbarium specimens from loss or damage, we have specifically designed storage and strict specimen handling guidelines. The condition of the collection is monitored, and repairs to specimens are carried out to appropriate conservation standards.

The sections below include information on

Agents of deterioration

Over time, herbarium specimens may become damaged due to:

  • a major disaster such as fire or flood,
  • insect damage.
  • poor storage environment
  • careless handling
  • breakdown of the materials used to prepare them

 

 

 

 

Examples of damaged Herbarium specimens

click to enlarge
click to enlarge
Poor storage – plastic bag
Poor storage – dirty specimens
Poor storage – unprotected bulky specimen
Careless handling – crushed specimen
Careless handling – cut sheet
Careless handling – torn label
Breakdown of mounting materials - brittle (acid) paper
Breakdown of mounting materials - ageing adhesive
Breakdown of mounting materials - detached tape
Insect damage – “grazed” specimens
Insect damage – larvae skins on specimen
Insect damage – insecticide residue

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    Major disaster – bomb damaged specimen

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    Poor storage – stacked specimens

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    Poor storage – plastic bag

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    Poor storage – dirty specimens

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    Poor storage – unprotected bulky specimen

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    Careless handling – crushed specimen

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    Careless handling – cut sheet

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    Careless handling – torn label

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    Breakdown of mounting materials - brittle (acid) paper

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    Breakdown of mounting materials - ageing adhesive

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    Breakdown of mounting materials - detached tape

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    Insect damage – “grazed” specimens

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    Insect damage – larvae skins on specimen

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    Insect damage – insecticide residue

Safe storage environment

The herbarium collections are housed in a secure, purpose-built building. We monitor the temperature and humidity of the storage environment, aiming for a stable 20 degrees temperature and 50% relative humidity (extreme fluctuations in temperature or humidity can damage the fragile plant material).

Metal storage cabinets with rubber door seals protect the specimens from light, dust and insects.

 

Repair Techniques

The techniques and materials we use to repair specimens have been developed with the help and advice of professional conservators.

Repairs or annotations to specimens, particularly if they are types or important historical collections, should interfere with the specimen as little as possible.

A simple but effective solution for fragile or damaged specimens is to use a large capsule with a sheet of mounting board inside it to protect and support the specimen.

For further information see our factsheet.

 

Some repaired herbarium specimens

Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Bulky fruits packed for safe storage in the carpologcal collection
Surface dirt removed with cleaning sponge
Specimen kept in folder to prevent loss of plant material
Type specimen repaired
Archival polyester pocket to protect a fragile label
Sellotape replaced with archival paper tape
Archival capsule added to collect loose material that would otherwise be lost
Sellotape removed from Echinops flower
Small flimsy sheets attached to supportive board using archival paper tape on reverse
Plastic bag replaced with archival paper folder

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    Capsule added to protect fragile flower

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    Capsule added to protect fragile flower

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    Bulky fruits packed for safe storage in the carpological collection

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    Surface dirt removed with cleaning sponge

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    Specimen kept in folder to prevent loss of plant material

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    Type specimen repaired with methyl cellulose glue and archival tape

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    Archival polyester pocket to protect a fragile label

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    Sellotape replaced with archival paper tape

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    Archival capsule added to collect loose material that would otherwise be lost

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    Sellotape removed from Echinops flower

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    Small flimsy sheets attached to supportive board using archival paper tape on reverse

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    Plastic bag replaced with archival paper folder

Specimen Handling

We have these posters in the Herbarium to remind staff and visitors how to handle specimens so as to minimise damage. Click on the images to enlarge.

click to enlarge    Click to enlarge

The video shows how to pack herbarium specimens for sending out to other institutions on loan:

 

 

Mounting Materials

If the materials used to prepare Herbarium specimens are not of archival quality, they may deteriorate over time. For further information see section 2 of RBGE Collections Care: Preparation and Care of Herbarium Specimens (link in the sidebar)

 

Condition surveying

Older specimens in the collection may have been stored previously in less suitable places or suffered damaged from careless handling.

In order to identify the types of damage to specimens in our collection, we carried out a condition survey during imaging and databasing of mounted herbarium specimens.

This allowed us to prioritize specimens for repair, and estimate the cost in terms of staff time and materials. Click on the image to enlarge.

infographic of overview of the Pilot Condition Survey

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