[Rockhounds] labeling

Mon Mar 22 06:59:27 PDT 2021

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit some of the "behind the scenes" rooms at the Smithsonian. I took a bunch of pictures of various specimens, and I can tell you that they all had catalog numbers pasted on them. The one I was looking at was a “small” piece of osmiridium about 2cm on the long axis. It actually had the number 87451marked on it twice: one in wite out and ink and the other a printed paper label. The cool thing about that number is that I can actually look it up online and share it with you:

https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/ms/?ark=ark:/65665/3961010b7f5c84db48bbe06e453dd01dd <https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/ms/?ark=ark:/65665/3961010b7f5c84db48bbe06e453dd01dd>

For some reason their website shows up very small on my screen, but you can click on the image and see it larger (and click again and see it even larger). 

Ultimately, this would be nice for all our specimens. An online lookup accessible anywhere. I know that Mindat can produce a unique ID number for any mineral, and if I upload images of any of my stuff to Mindat, I capture that ID in my records (for example, https://www.mindat.org/G49-CKE <https://www.mindat.org/G49-CKE>). Mindat also has the ability to host a catalog. I just tried it out, and it sucked up all the data associated with my photo and put it into the catalog, though you can add a lot more specific information, and it also appears to be password protected so everyone can’t just peruse your collection. 

Just curious if anyone out there actually uses Mindat for their own filing system?

Doug

> On Mar 22, 2021, at 5:31 AM, <rik.dillen at skynet.be> <rik.dillen at skynet.be> wrote:
> 
> A unique identification label FIXED ON the specimen (or, in case of a specimen mounted in a plastic box a label on the bottom inside of the box) is IMHO an absolute must!
> I once dropped a box with about 30 specimens from Hagendorf, which were very similar but all containing various phosphates (they had been collected and analyzed very carefully by Manfred Schaeffer, Germany, one of the greatest Hagendorf specialists in the eighties). At that moment the specimens were not already prepared to be included in my collection and database, and had not yet glued-on labels. Eventually I needed weeks to connect all specimens again with their corresponding labels and possibly I introduced errors! I learned my lesson.
> 
> Nowadays I put on all specimens a number according to an own system based on the classification of Strunz (for newer minerals available as 'Strunz 10' on Mindat - for which I am very grateful),
> e.g. vantasselite = 7.4.5.12/15 means
> specimen # 15 of vantasselite
> 7 = phosphates
>   4 = water-containing phosphates, arsenates and vanadates with extra anions
>      5 = strunzite-beraunite group
>         12 = species number in group 5
> And every specimen/box has a printed label in the neighborhood (shelf, drawer, flat...) with all data belonging to the specimen.
> 
> Seems complex, but it is not. Such a system is almost water-tight and allows you to classify quickly and easily related specimens. And the numbering is unique anyway.
> Moreover (since my new database was ready) I put into my database the weight of every specimen (if in a box including the box) in gram (rounded off to the gram). That is something I learned from Manfred Fabig (whose collection I purchased a few years ago), and that helped me as a secondary confirmation in the rare cases where two labels had been swapped.
> I have seen too many collections of deceased collectors that eventually became almost worthless because of a complete lack of straightforward and secured information directly linked (physically) to each specimen.
> Putting a label NEAR the specimen in a showcase is simply not good enough.
> 
> Therefore I strongly plead for a unique tag physically coupled to each specimen!
> You know perhaps the locality of every specimen, but your inheritors don't.
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> Rik Dillen
> rik.dillen at skynet.be
> Mineralogische Kring Antwerpen - www.minerant.org
> Lid worden van de MKA ?  www.minerant.org/MKA/lidworden.html
> MINERANT 2021 - ATTENTION : NEW DATE!
> 25-26 September 2021 - Antwerp Expo
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rockhounds <rockhounds-bounces at rockhounds.drizzle.com> On Behalf Of Paul van den Bergen
> Sent: Monday, March 22, 2021 7:16
> To: Johan Maertens <mr.calcite at verizon.net>; Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors <rockhounds at rockhounds.drizzle.com>
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] labeling
> 
> I've seen this missive a few times - pretty much spot on.  My modern take on it is that the label being separated from the specimen is the equivalent of the database being separated from the specimen.  I tend to take photos rather than stick labels to the specimen, for the same effect.  It also means I get to show off the specimens to a global audience - more or less.
> 
> On Mon, 22 Mar 2021 at 12:11, Johan Maertens <mr.calcite at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
>> This is my summary about labeling:
>> 
>> Labeling principles
>> Rock Currier: For specimens the most important is what I call a life 
>> saver label, a small label that you glue right onto the specimen.
>> 
>> The reason that these life saver labels are so important, is that 
>> historically it has been shown that labels have a habit of getting 
>> separated from their specimens. When this happened the specimen is in 
>> jeopardy. The identity of the mineral can always be determined by 
>> analysis, but if the label is lost the locality information is often gone forever.
>> 
>> The importance of having a catalog number on the specimen cannot be 
>> stressed enough. If a specimen becomes detached from its number, it 
>> has lost most of its scientific significance.
>> 
>> You need to make sure your catalog will survive. If you have it on a 
>> computer, give others get access to the files.
>> It might pay to keep a copy of the catalog on a thumb drive and have 
>> the software version, a pdf file (I believe access will allow printing 
>> one), and a csv file in asci if all else fails.
>> 
>> Collectors love making catalogues, but I agree with Rock Currier that 
>> all important info must be attached to each specimen individually. 
>> I've seen many collections get dispersed over the years, but I have 
>> never seen a case where all the buyers of those specimens had access 
>> to the original catalogue or its information, so the catalogue ended 
>> up being pretty useless for the majority of people who acquired the specimens.
>> 
>> I would even go so far as to say that catalogues are only useful if 
>> your collection goes in its entirety to a museum and the museum agrees 
>> to keep it together and curate it, but that sort of thing happens very 
>> rarely nowadays. So my conclusion is, don't even bother making a 
>> catalogue - Waste of time and paper. Perhaps an online catalogue, like 
>> Mindat offers, would be more useful to posterity...
>> 
>> Label Content
>> The only *critical* information to save with a specimen is the 
>> locality
>> (+ID-number)
>> It is easy to identify/analyze the ID of the mineral. It is nearly 
>> impossible to identify its origin.
>> 
>> Label paper
>> •       pale tan or ivory-colored paper
>> •       have a neutral to slightly alkaline pH (pH 6.0-8.0);
>> •       have a lignin content of less than 0.3%
>> •       be of long-fibered cotton stock, although alpha-cellulose,
>> ground-wood papers are also acceptable
>> Note: Do not use alkaline-buffered (“buffered”) paper, which has a pH 
>> of
>> 8.5 or higher, for labels in direct contact with specimens.
>> Letter sized, fit for laser printer
>> I sue Neenah Paper Astroparche Cardstock, 250/PK
>> 
>> Adhesive/Coating
>> Acryloid (Paraloid) B-72, clear Lacquer, SKU TPD017001 Paraloid B- 72 
>> Glue, SKU B1500-001
>> 
>> 
>> On specimens I apply Gaffer Power Tape white, 1 inch wide and mark the 
>> catalog code
>> 
>> Label application:
>> Apply a barrier resin (B-72 in acetone) to the object prior to 
>> applying the label.
>> 
>> “Mark objects in an accessible locations that is not visible to the 
>> public when on display. Choose stable surfaces unlikely to be 
>> destroyed by abrasion. Avoid marking places where an object sits (e.g. 
>> its base), where it will be touched when routinely handled, and where 
>> the surface is flaking or damaged.”
>> 
>> I created a catalog using MS Excel = spreadsheet format and export its 
>> data to MS Word (home word processor and publishing tool) to create 
>> custom format labels, printed on the archival paper using a laser printer.
>> I print specimen box labels, collection labels and QR codes:
>> I use a MS Word QR code feature to print one by one inch QR codes as 
>> labels I adhere to specimens (preferred) or their box.
>> I can pack about 120 characters in the QR code. Most smart phones can 
>> read the information quickly.
>> All the label information comes from the MS Excel catalog or is 
>> manually typed in MS Word.
>> 
>> Johan Maertens
>> mr.calcite at live.com
>> 
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> 
> 
> --
> Dr Paul van den Bergen
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