Tristram Besterman

Cornwall Butterfly Conservation

This article is concerned with people– rather than objects – and their return. Human remains illicitly removed from source communities to UK museums during the colonial period are now being repatriated at an unprecedented rate. However, a few UK institutions remain deaf to the voices of descendants, whose feelings of violation can be deepened by un...

RésuméCet article se préoccupe des personnes– plutôt que des objets – et de leur retour. Les restes humains soustraits illégalement à leurs communautés sources à destination des musées du Royaume-Uni pendant la période coloniale sont aujourd’hui rapatriés à un rythme sans précédent. Pourtant, quelques institutions du Royaume-Uni restent sourdes à l...

The Philosophical Origins of EthicsCodifying Museum EthicsAccountability: To Whom?Collections: Ethical Management of a Core ResourceApplying Ethics in the MuseumEthics and the LawConclusion

There is nothing inherently wrong about museums purchasing specimens from commercial dealers who act honestly and in good faith. Indeed, a significant amount of the taxonomically important material in the UK's great public collections has been acquired in this way. Doing business with the trade does, however, carry risks, and there are many ways in...

The Warwickshire Museum has been attempting to breathe a little life into some of its more important fossil material. A full-size reconstruction of Dasyceps bucklandi (Lloyd) is now on display in the geology gallery next to the holotype skull. And Rhynchosaurus sp. lurks as the first of a planned group of three models (1/3 scale) of animals from th...

This book provides guidelines on the handling, preservation, documentation, storage, and display of geological specimens. Both mineralogical and palaeontological materials are considered and there is also a chapter on occupational hazards of certain mineral substances, from the points of view of toxicity and radioactivity.-A.M.C.