Natural Sciences Collections Association

Dried Insects collections on pins, stage mounts or folded in envelopes are prone to a number of conservation problems. UV fading of colours, Anthrenus and Rheesa beetle attack, verdigris of old brass pins, unstable glues used in previous specimen repair, deterioration of celluloid, polyporus and cork stage mounts and gelatine capsules, all can be major problems in an insect collection. Within NatSCA, we have the experience of entomologists who can help or give advise if you have such problems.

Microscope Slides

Microscope slides have been used as a method of preservation and microscopic observation for almost 200 years for microstructure of minerals and whole organisms and the microscopic parts of larger organisms. These can be affixed to glass, wood or plastic slides as liquid, solid or dry mounts and can be transparent for through light microscopy or opaque for reflected light. Many different methods have been applied to improve optical quality and in the past glues and mounting media have been considered to be free of deterioration problems but this is not so! Many mounting media which were thought of as being perfect optically are now drying out, shrinking, crystallising and are even eating the specimens! There is an increasing requirement for the conservation of such collections and to understand why glues and mounting media are deteriorating so as to avoid future problems.

Thin mounts and sections of a "permanent" nature can be stored vertically and become their own indexed collection. Liquid and thick media mounts would leak or slump under the influence of gravity and must be stored horizontally so storage methods must be correct for the type of slide collection you have.

Within NatSCA, we have the experience of seasoned slide workers who can advise if you have a collections management or conservation problem with your slide collection.