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Natural Science Forum / Biology / Paleontology / May 2005Natural History Museum...enquiry about trilobites
Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. Nothing on the little map - so went to the information desk: "Could you point us in the direction of any trilobites?" "trilo..what?" came the retort! To which my son (age 9) responded, "arthropods then...?". Seriously though, there was nothing bar a selection of "British Fossils". I know the days of huge dusty halls, full of glass-topped cabinets, packed to the gunnels with exhibits has gone. But to be replaced with interactive, text-based, animatic displays seems a step too far in the other direction. The saving grace of the museum came when we went into the Darwin Centre and were able to view the specimens accumulated by the museum. If anyone has any pointer for museums where one can see more than a cross-section of trilobites, please advise. T  SignatureBlustering Blellum in vino veritas > Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went > expecting to go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. Arthropod collection & also birds & some mammals are in the Natural History museum at Tring. It is part of the British Museum of Natural History. SignatureGautam Majumdar Please send e-mails to gmajumdar@freeuk.com Anything in Scotland would be helpful. T >> Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went >> expecting to go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. >> > Arthropod collection & also birds & some mammals are in the Natural > History museum at Tring. It is part of the British Museum of Natural > History. SignatureBlustering Blellum in vino veritas > Anything in Scotland would be helpful. No trilobites, but isn't there a museum in Rhynie, site of the Rhynie Chert? I regret I didn't go there when I was in Scotland. But you should definitely see the place if you're interested in fossil arthropods. > Anything in Scotland would be helpful. There may be some in Hunterian museum & art gallery. See there webpage at http://www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk/museum/museum_index.html SignatureGautam Majumdar Please send e-mails to gmajumdar@freeuk.com > Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went > expecting to go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > T If you serious want to find out more about a particular group, contact the curator of that group - in this case, Dr Andrew Ross: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/palaeontology/i&p/ajr/ajr.html Curators will sometimes allow children to view the collections and discuss it with them. SignatureJohn S. Wilkins, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biohumanities Project University of Queensland - Blog: evolvethought.blogspot.com "Darwin's theory has no more to do with philosophy than any other hypothesis in natural science." Tractatus 4.1122 > Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to > go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > T As a person who worked at a natural history museum for five years before they turned it into a "kiddy carnival", all I can say is I feel your pain. Alas, like everything else in modern society, museums have to make money to survive. Natural History Museums don't make much money, nor do they bring in huge crowds. So these gems of the past are going the way of the trilobites, I'm afraid. >>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > Natural History Museums don't make much money, nor do they bring in huge crowds. > So these gems of the past are going the way of the trilobites, I'm afraid. Natural history museums aren't in the business of making money, precisely. But they do bring in huge crowds. The (U.S.) National Museum of Natural History is the most-visited museum on the National Mall, for example. And they have a nice wall full of trilobites, as I recall. And the American Museum (New York) and Field Museum (Chicago) are doing big business too. NMNH is funded by your tax dollars, AMNH has big bucks from private endowment. FMNH is less secure, but still doing OK. Don't count them out. >>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > from private endowment. FMNH is less secure, but still doing OK. Don't > count them out. Last I heard the Field was doing just fine. It is certainly better off than the fading Museum of Science and Industry which has become little more than a bunch of kiddie rides masquerading as a museum. Ken >>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>>>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > than the fading Museum of Science and Industry which has become little > more than a bunch of kiddie rides masquerading as a museum. I'm not saying it's in trouble or anything, just chronically short of bucks, as are many public institutions. There is, for example, currently a hiring freeze on curators, despite there being several open slots. And the management has been reduced to such humiliating tactics as the "Jackie" exhibition to try to raise money. If you're a billionaire philanthropist reading this, why not contribute to the FMNH endowment? I'm sure you can get something named after you, an exhibit hall or perhaps a new species of beetle. >>>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting >>>>>to [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > to the FMNH endowment? I'm sure you can get something named after you, > an exhibit hall or perhaps a new species of beetle. And if that billionaire is interested in adding to the collection there, perhaps he could by the entire collection at the Lousiville center (300,000 artifacts), since the only thing it is doing these days is gathering dust. >>>>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting >>>>>>to [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > he could by the entire collection at the Lousiville center (300,000 artifacts), > since the only thing it is doing these days is gathering dust. A lot of university museums are closing down, unfortunately. Generally their collections are managing to find their way to one of the major museums. Fortunately. >>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>>>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > > Ken That is exactly what they turned the Louisville Museum of History and Science into (now called the Louisville Science Center). What a sick joke that was. >>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > from private endowment. FMNH is less secure, but still doing OK. Don't > count them out. Yes, the National Museums do well, but primarily because they are well endowed. Not so the smaller, regional museums. The Louisville Museum of Natural History was a respected natural history museum for 100 years until their board decided that it would make more money and bring in more people by converting (perverting) to a regional science center. So they changed the name to the Louisville Science Center, layed off their entire science and history curator staff, their exhibit fabricators conservators and preparitors, the security personnel, locked up their 300,000-artifact collection (including the largest fossil and mineral collection in the midwest (outside of Chicago), farmed out their exhibit fabrication and the maintenance crew, and installed millions of dollars of push buttons for the kids to enjoy, and an Imax theatre. I swear to you, it isn't much different than a giant video game hall, And not much more educational. Everyone who was formerly employed there has been completely disgusted with what they've done to the place. But they have what sells so the new "science center" has been a "success". Science? What science? >>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting to >>>>go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 53 lines] > disgusted with what they've done to the place. But they have what sells so the > new "science center" has been a "success". Science? What science? Now that's sad. A lot of the smaller university museums were just plain shut down a few years ago, and the LA County Museum underwent an experience similar to what you describe. But not so much lately. Now that NSF has decided to spend some money on systematics, maybe things will improve a bit. Don't tell W. >>>>>Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting >>>>>to [quoted text clipped - 67 lines] > that NSF has decided to spend some money on systematics, maybe things > will improve a bit. Don't tell W. Don't get me started! > Just taken my son to the Natural History Museum in London..went expecting > to go off and see some of the museums trilobit collection. [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > T You might try the Dudley Museum near Birmingham. They have displays of the Wenlock Limestone, which has very good trilobites. The Lapworth Museum in Birmingham University is another source. Also the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge, and the University Museum in Oxford. Denis Bates |
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