Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections

Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
Name	Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
Abbreviation	SPNHC
Formation	1973
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	United States
Region served	International

Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections is an international professional association dedicated to the conservation, curation, and stewardship of biological and geological collections housed in museums, universities, and research institutions. Founded in 1973, the organization connects curators, conservators, collection managers, taxonomists, and institution leaders to develop standards and training for long-term preservation. Through conferences, publications, working groups, and outreach, the society liaises with major cultural and scientific institutions worldwide.

History

The society traces roots to collaborations among professionals at institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, London, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, and Field Museum of Natural History, responding to preservation challenges faced by collections after events like the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and increased international specimen exchange under frameworks like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Early leaders included curators associated with Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, University of Oxford, and University of Toronto who sought formal networks similar to existing associations such as the International Council of Museums, American Alliance of Museums, and Society for Historical Archaeology. Over time the society formalized committees, partnered with organizations like the Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA), Canadian Museum of Nature, Australian Museum, and Royal Ontario Museum, and responded to disasters including the Hurricane Katrina impact on collections and recovery efforts coordinated with entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and UNESCO.

Mission and Activities

The society’s mission aligns with priorities advocated by bodies such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and United Nations Environment Programme by promoting durable care for specimens used in research by communities associated with Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution Archives, and university departments at Stanford University, University of Cambridge, and University of Chicago. Activities include policy advice comparable to contributions from International Council on Archives, collaborative grants with funders like the National Science Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Wellcome Trust, and participation in standards dialogues with ISO and national standards bodies.

Membership and Organization

Membership comprises staff and volunteers from institutions such as Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Kew Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden, Botanic Gardens Conservation International, California Academy of Sciences, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and academic units at Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University. Governance features an elected board, standing committees and regional representatives who coordinate with networks like Biodiversity Heritage Library, Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Catalogue of Life, and professional groups including Conservation of Cultural Heritage specialists from Getty Conservation Institute and International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property.

Publications and Resources

The society publishes proceedings and guides analogous to outputs from Journal of Natural History Collections Management and produces manuals used alongside resources from Biodiversity Informatics Standards (TDWG), Darwin Core, and repositories such as GBIF and Biodiversity Heritage Library. Educational materials reference techniques employed at institutions like Natural History Museum, Vienna, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Zoological Society of London, and laboratories at Max Planck Society. Digital resources and best-practice documents are distributed to curatorial staff at organizations including New York Botanical Garden, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

Conferences and Training

Annual meetings and regional workshops occur in collaboration with conference hosts such as American Alliance of Museums, International Council on Archives, and universities like University of California, Davis, University of Florida, University of Minnesota, and Michigan State University. Training programs address specimen care methods used at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Peabody Museum of Natural History, and conservation studios influenced by practices at Victoria and Albert Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art. The society partners with disaster-response initiatives inspired by actions taken after 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami and 2015 Nepal earthquake to offer salvage and recovery courses.

Standards and Best Practices

SPNHC develops standards interfacing with technical frameworks like ISO 21127 and works alongside groups such as TDWG and GBIF to promote interoperable specimen data schemas including Darwin Core and linked-data approaches used in projects with Europeana and Wikimedia Foundation. Best-practice guides reference conservation techniques practiced at Natural History Museum, London, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Smithsonian Institution, and specialized labs at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Salk Institute for specimen preparation, storage, pest management, and digitization workflows.

Impact and Notable Projects

The society has influenced major initiatives including digitization efforts comparable to the Biodiversity Heritage Library and collaborative data mobilization projects with GBIF, iDigBio, and VertNet. Notable project collaborations have assisted recovery operations at institutions affected by Hurricane Katrina, facilitated collection repatriation dialogues echoing cases involving Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act consultations, and supported large-scale specimen imaging campaigns similar to those at Natural History Museum, London and Smithsonian Institution. Through partnerships with funders such as the National Science Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Wellcome Trust, and alignment with science policy actors like the National Research Council and European Commission, the society continues to shape stewardship practices used by museums, herbaria, and geological repositories worldwide.

Category:Professional associations Category:Natural history museums Category:Conservation organizations