Marischal Museum

Anatomy Museum

Geological Collections

Herbarium

Pathology & Forensic Medicine Collection

Natural Philosophy Collection of Scientific Instruments

Zoology Museum

National Audit Collection Data
The tables below show the number of items in the University's collections and the relative significance of each collection in terms of its International, UK-wide, National, Regional or Local importance. The data were gathered as part of the National Audit of museum collections carried out by the Scottish Museums Council during 2001. The assessments of significance have been independently verified by the National Audit Significance Panel.

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Collecting Policy for Marischal Museum

Purpose and aims

1. Marischal Museum has been charged by the University to care for particular collections and to use them as a resource for teaching, research and inspiration. The Museum is specifically recognised as a key element of the University's mission to 'develop its role as a local, regional and national cultural centre to benefit both the academic and the local and regional communities' (University Strategic Plan 2000-2004).

2. Marischal Museum aims to use high quality and imaginative ways to inspire people about its collections, the peoples associated with them, and the culture and heritage of the University, and to safeguard and curate these collections to the highest standards.

3. Major developments at Marischal are made difficult by uncertainty relating to future plans for the complex. This aside, and within the constraints of available funding, over the next three years the Museum plans to:

• Actively increase the promotion of the Museum to attract more University and external users
  
• Work with others to increase the promotion of the University through the Museum, including recruitment and outreach
  
• Refurbish and extend the displays in the Museum galleries and develop further off-site display facilities within the University
  
• Continue to develop a programme of temporary exhibitions, lectures and events
  
• Complete the LEMUR project and encourage additional teaching and research use of the resources created
  
• Enhance the Museum web site, including the creation of a virtual museum and access to the Museum catalogue (with images of many items)
  
• Continue to redevelop the education service, with increasing emphasis on enabling schools to use the facilities with minimal Museum staff assistance
  
• Complete the rehousing of the collections in more appropriate storage with better access
  
• Complete a survey of the overall condition of the collections; plan and implement a conservation strategy
  
• Complete the computerisation of the primary data associated with the collections (excluding numismatics) and complete a significant part of the inventory of the collections
  
• Upgrade security and environmental conditions
  
• Seek additional funding to support these and other objectives

4. The collections of Marischal Museum are the product of hundreds of years of collecting, driven by the research and teaching activities of staff and the exploits and generosity of graduates and friends. Holding items acquired by the University and its constituent institutions from their foundation in 1495, it was not until 1786 that a museum was established in Marischal College. The Museum was re-established in 1907 as the Anthropological Museum of the University of Aberdeen, incorporating other material such as the Archaeological Museum of King's College and the Wilson Museum of Marischal College. It has continued to collect a wide range of material throughout the 20th century to the present day.

5. Marischal Museum now cares for a rich collection with some notable strengths and it forms an important element of museum provision in Scotland. Throughout its history the Museum has operated alongside other collections in the University, the region and nationally. This collecting policy recognises the roles of these other collections, aiming to work with them to preserve significant material for the public benefit in the present and future. The Museum therefore expresses its willingness to lend items for display in other museums and elsewhere, on condition that appropriate conservation and security conditions are met. The Museum's collecting priorities will be guided by the principles and priorities laid out in this policy. Other material will not be collected other than in extreme circumstances to protect significant items from loss or destruction. In such cases, they may subsequently be offered to museums with appropriate collecting policies and would be formally acquired only following the approval of the University's Court.

6. The collections of Marischal Museum number almost 80,000 items. These lie within five major areas, as follows:

This policy lays out the principles and priorities for collection in each of these areas, as well as considering the collection of other material to support the teaching and research priorities of the University.


General Principles and Priorities for Collecting

7. Acting within the frameword and guidelines of the University's overall Acquisitions and Disposals Policy:

To preserve important material for the benefit of the University and the general public, in conjunction with other museums and collections.
To build on the existing strengths of the collection.
To collect material to support teaching, research and display.


Principles and Priorities for Scottish History and Archaeology

8. The Museum's collecting area is North-East Scotland, approximating to the local authority areas of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray. Archaeological material will only be acquired though the Treasure Trove procedure or from the Historic Scotland Finds Disposal Panel, with relevant contextualising or supporting material from outwith this area only being considered for acquisition if more appropriate local museums do not wish to acquire it.

9. The collection of historical material will also be confined to this area. Items which have close associations with the North-East, such as through use, will also be acquired, with due regard to the collecting policies of other registered museums.

Prehistoric - Early Historic
10. Assemblages deriving from recent archaeological fieldwork with associated contextualising information.
11. Items reported through the Treasure Trove procedure and the Historic Scotland Finds Disposal Panel deriving from the North-East of Scotland.
12. Particular emphasis will be placed on the acquisition of Iron Age and Early Historic material in which the collection is weaker.

Medieval to Modern
13. Archaeological material will only be considered for acquisition if no other local registered museum wishes to acquire it
14. Material relating to the traditional culture of the North-East will be acquired, especially if relating to the teaching and research activities of the Elphinstone Institute.
15. Items deriving from mixed assemblages of archival and artefactual material will be collected where these relate to the collecting priorities of the University's Special Libraries and Archives.

University History
16. Items of museum merit presented to or purchased by the University will be acquired for their long-term preservation
17. Items relating to University teaching and research may be acquired, particularly those dating prior to 1907.

Militaria
18. Items made or used in the North-East or by North-East people may be acquired, though the collecting priorities of the Gordon Highlanders' Museum in particular will be respected.
19. Items will continue to be acquired for the Gordon Collection (mainly militaria associated with members of the Gordon clan, donated by Mr A. Gordon). Offers from others will be discouraged.


Principles and Priorities for European and Mediterranean Archaeology

20. European and Mediterranean archaeological material is often illegallly excavated and exported. The Museum therefore places a low priority on the acquisition of archaeological material from these areas. Coherent assemblages historically associated with people from the North-East may be collected, while individual items of importance or that fill gaps in the collection may be considered for acquisition. In other cases, potential donors will be recommended to offer material to appropriate museums in the originating country or to the National Museums of Scotland.


Principles and Priorities for Non-Western Ethnography and Archaeology

21. The Museum is aware of the illegal excavation and export of material in this area and the sensitivity of certain items. Acquisition of material in this area will therefore be approached with particular care and consideration. Active collection of material should be associated with the research and teaching activities of the University and should aim to establish long-term relationships with the people from whom material is collected. Archaeological material will not normally be collected, except where it is in coherent assemblages historically associated with the people from North-East Scotland. Items will not be collected if they have been acquired in a way that contravenes the spirit of the 1970 UNESCO Convention or the 1995 Unidroit Convention.

Europe, Asia and North America
22. Among the existing collections from these areas is some particularly important Inuit material. Current priorities aim to extend this aspect of the collection and add to it other material from northern Eurasia and North America. Such collecting will be conducted in collaboration with anthropologists in the University and the people from whom the material is to be collected. Other material will only be accepted if it is well contextualised, protects material from destruction or loss, relates to areas of particular strength in the existing collections or is of particular value for display or teaching purposes. Potential donors of material from outwith the priority areas will be recommended to approach appropriate museums in the originating country or to the National Museums of Scotland as more appropriate repositories.

Africa, Oceania, Central and South America
23. The existing collections include particularly important groups of material from these areas which offer a valuable resource for teaching and display. Howwever, current research and teaching priorities of the University mean collection from these areas has a low priority and material will only be accepted if it is well contextualised, protects material from destruction or loss, relates to areas of particular strength in the existing collections or is of particular value for display or teaching purposes. Potential donors will normally be recommended to approach appropriate museums in the originating country or to the National Museums of Scotland as more appropriate repositories.


Principles and Priorities for Numismatics

24. In general, there will be no further additions to this area of the collection. Exceptions relate to items associated with the history of the University, such as prize medals, and military medals that are donated as part of the Gordon Collection. Potential donors of other material will be recommended to approach Aberdeen City Museums, the Hunterian Museum or the National Museums of Scotland.


Principles and Priorities for Fine Art

25. The Fine Art collection is the result of acquisitions over five centuries and closely reflects the history of the University. It has an important assemblage of early Scottish paintings, most notably 17th to 19th century portraiture, and there are a number of photographs of staff and students from the late 19th and earlier 20th centuries, as well as a many topographic views of Aberdeen. Donations such as the Keith bequest (19th century landscapes) and the Linklater bequest (Scottish Colourists etc.) have broadened the scope of the collection, but are relatively few in number. Acquisitions will aim to build on the strengths of the existing collection, prioritising material associated with the history of the University and 20th century Scottish art. Items will also be collected to support teaching of Art History in the University, notably through the Teaching Print Collection.

Teaching Print Collection
26. Acquisitions of items for the collection will follow the principles and priorities laid out in the Collecting Policy for the Teaching Print Collection. A balance of styles, media, traditions and schools will be selected, mainly from Europe and North America with a nucleus of Scottish material, to support teaching in the Department of History of Art. Duplication with other local collections will be kept to a minimum. (Further details of policy in this area will be found below.)

20th Century Scottish Art
27. Works of art will be acquired that build on the existing collections, notably the Linklater Bequest. Priority will be given to extending the representativeness of the collection, particularly where it supports the teaching of Art History. Particular note will be taken of the collecting areas of other local institutions, such as the Aberdeen Art Gallery, Grampian Hospitals Art Collection and the Peacock Printmakers Archive.

University history
28. Items associated with the history of the University will be collected, with the criteria for selection being the significance of the item to the University, the quality of the item and the costs associated with acquisition and curation.


Collecting for University research and teaching

29. The acquisition of material outwith the above categories may be considered if it would support the teaching and research aims of the University. Particular note will be taken of the strategic aims of the University, with aspects that may have an impact on the collecting focus of the Museum including the establishment of the Research and Graduate Programme in Social Anthropology, Ethnology and Cultural History and the formation of a Faculty of Education.

30. Such collection will only take place following discussion with relevant academic staff and will take into account the need for the curation of the material in the long-term. Aspects such as conservation requirements, the provision of storage facilities and the potential value of the material in the future will be considered. To ensure that Marischal Museum is the most appropriate repository for material collected for this purpose, Curators of other university collections and museums outwith the University will be consulted as appropriate.





Collecting Policy for the Teaching Print Collection (Marischal Museum)

Aim
1. To establish and maintain a collection of old master and modern prints for teaching (primarily within the History of Art Department) and to enhance the environment of the University; to establish a sound coverage of graphic art from earliest times (fifteenth/sixteenth century) to contemporary work.


Introduction
2. This is a relatively new collection which will build on the limited existing prints within the University's collection. It was established in the first instance on the basis of a purchase fund provided from the Principal's resources of £2,000 per annum for five years, from 1999-2000, and curatorial overheads of £1,000 per annum to cover mounting, framing, documentation and hanging. The collection will help to familiarize students in the Department of History of Art with graphic techniques and with the history of art as seen through the various graphic media.

Management
3. The collection will be managed as part of the Art Collection under the responsibility of the Marischal Museum.

Purchasing
4. Purchasing policy will be determined by a Prints Purchase Committee consisting of the Convener of the Museums, Collections and Galleries Committee, the Manager of Historic Collections (Chair), the Curator responsible for the Art Collection, the Head of the Department of History of Art and two further members from that Department nominated by the Head of Department on the basis of their expertise and contacts. The latter two will be appointed for terms of up to five years and be eligible for reappointment. The Committee will meet once each year.

5. All acquisitions will be executed by the Museum, on the joint recommendation of the Head of the Department of History of Art and the Curator responsible for the Art Collection, in consultation with other members of the Committee as appropriate.

Curation & Display
6. Newly acquired prints will be fully documented. Appropriate data and, copyright permitting, digital images will be web-mounted on the Historic Collections web pages as soon as practicable after acquisition.

7. New prints will be conserved, mounted and framed as appropriate. Certain material may be mounted and stored in solander boxes.

8. Taking consideration of security and conservation issues, there will be a presumption that items of quality or distinctive interest will be hung at venues throughout the Old Aberdeen campus, to be accessible to History of Art students and others. Where security is not compromised, the locations will be noted on the web pages to assist viewers.


General Principles and Priorities
9. Prints will be acquired for this collection primarily to support teaching in the Department of History of Art.

10. Only original prints will be purchased; modern reproductions, including photographic copies, will not be actively acquired.

11. Where possible, acquisition through donation will be encouraged; for purchases, additional funding will be sought where appropriate to supplement the existing financial resources.

12. The collection will consist primarily of European and North American prints.

13. A nucleus of Scottish works that will both exemplify the national school and document Scottish history will be acquired.

14. Prints from other important traditions (e.g. Japanese) may also be considered for purchase where these have specific use in teaching.

15. A range of examples representative of the graphic media (intaglio, or line, engraving; woodcut; wood engraving; etching; mezzotint; aquatint; lithography; screen-printing) will be acquired.

16. A balanced coverage of schools and style periods will be acquired, from earliest times (fifteenth/sixteenth century) to the modern period.

17. Wherever possible, copyright permissions for limited digital or other use will be acquired with prints for which this is relevant.

18. Local contemporary examples will be kept to a minimum to avoid overlap with the Peacock Printmakers Archive.

19. Duplication of (mainly twentieth-century) prints in which the Aberdeen Art Gallery is strong (e.g. those of James McBey) will be avoided.

20. The Grampian Hospitals Art Collection is rich in predominantly contemporary Scottish art, and duplication will be avoided where possible.

21. Although artistic quality will be a dominant consideration, some prints that do not meet this criterion may be acquired specifically to support particular teaching purposes.

22. Works requiring extensive conservation will not normally be acquired.

23. Within the existing Art Collection, documentation of existing prints will be prioritised to assist the management of the Teaching Prints Collection.







Policy toward sacred objects and human remains (Marischal Museum)


Introduction
1. Collections of non-Western ethnography and antiquities in major museums, especially in Europe and North America, are most often a by-product of imperial history. Interests representing the indigenous societies of former colonial territories and possessions have begun to question the moral and, in some cases the legal, basis of such collections. Public interest has been aroused by, for example, the debate over the Parthenon sculptures, the Lakota Ghost Dance Shirt, and Australian aboriginal demands for the return of skeletal remains. Cultural politics has entered the arena of academia and international relations. In general the issue has been presented as one of historical injustice being remedied by the repatriation of cultural materials to their places of origin. There is great need for a proper dialogue about the meaning and use of such materials, and about the role they play in the construction of identity of the original owners and in the identity of the societies of which they now form a part. This dialogue has hardly begun. Meanwhile, certain factors should be taken into account when considering any assertion of rights over objects in the Marischal Museum collection.


General principles
2. There is no ambiguity about ownership of the collections in Marischal Museum. With the exception of a small number of loans or conditional gifts, clearly recorded as such, the material is the property of the University and legal title rests with the University Court.

3. The collection is an accumulation of gifts and bequests by friends and graduates of the University to their alma mater over more than two centuries. The objects, with associated documentation and photographs in many cases, are a resource for understanding and illustrating the customs and beliefs of other cultures. In addition, and of equal importance, they reflect the ideas and attitudes of their collectors, as individuals and as representatives of their civilisation, toward 'Other' people and places. To resign responsibility for any part of the collection is to neglect understanding of the donor's contribution to our history and our world view.

4. Advice and criticism about the use of the collection from any source should be acknowledged and respected. If the critique derives from representatives of the original owners of the relevant parts of the collection, it should be responded to with proportionately greater sensitivity.

5. Any request to the University by persons seeking rights over the use of the collections, or repatriation of parts of the collection to their place of origin should be judged on its merits, taking into consideration background factors (see above), the character of the material in question, the character of the persons concerned and the circumstances of the request. Such consideration should take account of the Museums and Galleries Commission's Restitution and Repatriation: guidelines for good practice (2000). If the request concerns human remains or 'sacred' objects it should be responded to with proportionately greater sensitivity.

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Collecting Policy for Anatomy Museum

Purpose and Aims

1. The Anatomy Museum has been charged by the University to care for the anatomy collections and to develop them for use as a resource for teaching and research.

2. The Anatomy Museum aims to safeguard and curate these collections to the highest standards.

3. Major developments at Anatomy are made difficult by uncertainty relating to future plans for the complex. This aside, and within the constraints of available funding, over the next three years the Museum plans to:

• Actively increase the promotion of the Museum to attract more University and external users
  
• Refurbish and extend the displays in the Museum galleries and develop further off-site display facilities within the University
  
• Seek to rehouse the collections in more appropriate storage with better access
  
• Undertake a survey of the overall condition of the collections; plan and implement a conservation strategy
  
• Undertake a significant part of the inventory of the collections
  
• Upgrade environmental conditions
  
• Seek funding to support these and other objectives.

The Collections

4. The collections of Anatomy Museum are the product of over 100 years of collecting, driven by the research and teaching activities of staff. The exact opening date of the Anatomy Museum is uncertain but dated specimens can be traced to the early 1880s.

5. The Anatomy Museum now cares for a rich collection with some notable strengths. The Museum expresses its willingness to lend items for display in other museums and elsewhere, on condition that appropriate conservation and security conditions are met (and within the restrictions laid down by the Anatomy Act 1984 if appropriate). The Museum's collecting priorities will be guided by the principles and priorities laid out in this policy. Other material will not be collected other than in extreme circumstances to protect significant items from loss or destruction. In such cases, they may subsequently be offered to museums with appropriate collecting policies and would be formally acquired only following the approval of the University's Court.

6. The collections of Anatomy Museum number are estimated at over 500 items. These lie within three major areas, as follows:

• Skeletal 300
  
• Potted specimens of preserved human tissues 100
  
• Models (wax, papier mache, plastic) 100
  
• Non-biological artefacts of anatomical relevance* 40

*Items of non-biological artefacts include instruments for preparation or examination of anatomical specimens and drawings of anatomical specimens

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

7. Acting within the framework and guidelines of the University's overall Acquisitions and Disposals Policy:

• To preserve important human anatomical material (and related non-biological artefacts) for the benefit of the University and the wider anatomical discipline
• To build on the existing strengths of the collection.
  
• To collect material (and related non-biological artefacts) to support teaching and research in the human anatomical and related disciplines.
  
• To concentrate on material which is primarily within the distribution of human anatomical variance:
  (i) material overtly of primary pathological or forensic interest will only be considered following discussion with the curator of the Pathology and Forensic Medicine Collection,
  (ii) material overtly of archaeological interest will only be considered following discussion with the curator of the Marischal museum,
  (iii) material of non human origin will only be considered following discussion with the curator of the Zoology museum.
  (iv) all human tissue specimens will be accepted under procedures laid down by the Anatomy Act 1984, or related Acts, and any additional guidance as may, from time to time, be put forward by HM Inspector of Anatomy.
  
• Normally, only to collect material connected to the North of Scotland. Within the North of Scotland there is no conflict with other equivalent museums. Where material is considered from outside the North of Scotland it would only be considered in consultation with museum authorities in the area of origin.
  

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Purpose and Aims

1. To maintain and enhance the existing collections in mineralogy, palaeontology and rock types, and use the collections for teaching, research and community education.

2. The key aims relate to the future well-being and educational use of the collections.

• To provide a secure repository for the various collections, particularly the Type and Figured palaeontology material and material used in published research.
  
• To maintain the condition of material in the collections.
  
• To update accession systems, and produce a security copy of accession information.
  
• To maintain the geological collections in a fit state to service the teaching needs of the University.
  
• To promote interest in geology outwith the University.

The Collections

3. The collections are a repository for research material of palaeontological, mineralogical and lithological nature. This is particularly true of the Palaeontology collection with an important holding of Type and Figured material. The collection is also used by researchers from other institutions. A major function of the collection is to support teaching in the Geology Department. A small proportion of the collection is on display in corridor wall cases in public areas of the Department.

4. Palaeontology Collection (blue labels) 12,380 Items

The collection contains over 500 'Type and Figured' specimens for which a published catalogue exists. The collection is currently curated on a card-index system.

Strengths of the collection are (a) Fossil corals and bryozoa collected by H.A. Nicholson when Professor of Natural History at Aberdeen; this includes the majority of our type material holding. (b) The recent acquisition of the Lyon Collection of material from the Early Devonian Rhynie chert of NE Scotland. This collection is being used in current research, and new Rhynie chert material is being added to the collection.

5. Mineral collections (yellow labels) 12,372 Items

The mineral collection incorporates the 'Gordon Collection' that was given to the University by the Rev. J.M. Gordon in memory of his father.

The mineral collection is of high standard with many 'show' specimens from world-wide localities. Some use of the collection is made for research purposes.

6. Rock Collections (white labels) 8,802 Items

The rock collection contains material of world-wide origin, but the strength lies in material from NE and northern Scotland. Much of the material was collected and added to the collection by Prof. T.C. Phemister. The collection is valuable in that many localities are no longer available for collecting.

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

7. Collecting takes place under the framework and guidelines of the University's overall Acquisitions and Disposals Policy.

8. Being restricted by storage space and manpower, our acquisitions are limited to material of research, display and teaching value. Most acquisitions are obtained through collecting by staff and students in the course of their professional activities. Geology is a world-wide subject, hence material in the collections comes from all continents, but there is an emphasis on Scottish material. Different policies are adopted for the three collections as follows.

• Palaeontology Collection. Acquisitions relate to current palaeontological research work within the University. Recent additions to the collection include Scottish Devonian fossil fish, and Permian trace fossils from the Falkland Islands. A collection relating to the Devonian Rhynie chert has been recently bequeathed to the University (Lyon Collection).
  
• Mineral Collection. The mineral collection provides reference specimens of minerals from world-wide localities. Additions are only made of exceptional specimens, or of mineral species not represented in the collection.
  
• Rock Collection. The rock collection contains a fine selection of Scottish rocks, together with many of world-wide origin. Priority is given to rocks for which analyses are available, specimens from classic localities, and specimens mentioned in research publications.

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Purpose and Aims

1. The duty of the Herbarium is to maintain, develop and research the University's collection of plant material, and promote interest in botany.

2. Over the next three years, the aims of the Herbarium are to ensure the continued safe curation and use of the collections:

• To provide research facilities for the study of the material
  
• To provide and receive material on loan for research
  
• To carry out active curation of the collection, developing the documentation of the collection in particular
  
• To promote interest in botany outwith the University

The Collection

3. The Herbarium is the only significant plant collection in the North of Scotland. The University has recognised that the collection is a valuable source of reference and, particularly with regard to SE Asia, is of international standing. The material for Thailand, for example, is regarded as the second most important collection in the world. The collection is used in undergraduate teaching and has sustained a considerable number of postgraduate research projects as well as underpinning staff research. Material is loaned to other herbaria for research and this is a reciprocal arrangement dependent on the Herbarium's formal status in Index Herbariorum. Material is also used for identification of plants for research workers, public bodies and amateurs and the staff of the Herbarium provide this service free of charge.

4. The Herbarium contains approximately 120,000 herbarium specimens, with special emphasis on British (Scottish) and SE Asia (Thai) material. A project on the flora of Bangladesh (1997-2000) funded by the Department for International Development is a major focus of current activity, leading to acquisition of much new material following a series of expeditions.

5. Our material from Thailand comprises approximately 20,000 specimens. It was principally collected by Arthur Francis George Kerr, who was born in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim, Ireland, while he was in the service of the Government of Siam as Medical Officer of Health from 1902-20, and in charge of the Botanical Section, Ministry of Commerce, from 1921-31. The Herbarium obtained its material through Professor Craib, for whom Kerr collected while he was a Lecturer in Forest Botany at Edinburgh University. Professor Craib came to Aberdeen from Edinburgh as Regius Professor of Botany in 1920 where he remained in the Chair until his death in 1933. Dr Euphemia Barnett, who was Assistant to Professor Craib at Aberdeen, also worked on AFG Kerr's material. The genus Barnettia (Bignoniaceae) was named by Dr Santisuk in honour of Dr Barnett "whose taxonomic work enormously contributed to our knowledge of the Thai flora" [Santisuk, 1973, Kew Bulletin 28(2):172]. The genus, of two species, is endemic to Thailand. The Herbarium was honoured to receive a visit from the Princess of Thailand in May 1995, a recognition of the international importance of our collection.

6. The British material of approximately 55,000 specimens was collected by several past Professors of the University, particularly Trail (including fungi), Dickie (mainly algae), and William MacGillivray, but also amateur collectors such as McMurtrie, Lewis Gavin, and Stables. All the British plants collected by George Nicholson, Curator at Kew from 1886-1901, were bequeathed to Professor Trail and, together with Trail's extensive collection, these form the foundations of the British collection. George Nicholson also assisted Professor Trail in the planning of the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, adjacent to the Herbarium.

7. The initial collections, which form the foundations of the Herbarium, come from 1860, when Marischal and King's Colleges were united. The specimens were at that time variously located within the University premises and Professor JR Matthews who held the Regius Chair of Botany from 1934-1959 planned to bring them all together. In 1948 under the Keepership of Mrs AH Sommerville the specimens were incorporated into the British, European and Thai collections and became accessible to the public for the first time.

8. The collection is in good condition, located in one large room within the Cruickshank Building, and housed mainly in folders/boxes in purpose built wooden cabinets. The specimens are catalogued according to Dandy (British), Bentham and Hooker (all other material). Our oldest specimen, of Gentiana campestris, was collected by Dr. Knight in 1772, later Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University, and found in Principal Campbell's herbarium. The herbarium continues to incorporate new specimens, especially new local records and voucher material resulting from research at Aberdeen University.

9. During the last 10 years, we have trained overseas PhD students in taxonomy from a number of research institutes and universities in Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia. These students have all specialised in their own floras during their studies in Aberdeen and have remained good colleagues and friends of the Herbarium.

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

10. The collection's strengths lie in material from Scotland and South-East Asia. Further acquisitions from these areas will be encouraged. Material from other parts of the world will be regarded as lower priority and will only be accepted after consideration of its value to teaching and research, and the cost of its curation. Most collecting is passive.

11. Taxonomic research necessitates the identification and preservation of type specimens when new species are discovered. Equally, researchers working on other aspects of plant science, such as DNA analyses, need to deposit vouchers of the material they have used for future reference. The Herbarium will accept voucher material from researchers working at the University, or on Aberdeen specimens.

12. New distributional records of plants should be recorded by specimens for confirmation of their identification. The Herbarium will accept such voucher material in support of distributional records where these are of local interest or related to fields of study of local researchers.

13. The Herbarium will accept unsolicited donations of other plant material only when it is accompanied by adequate documentation and following consideration of its value to teaching and research.

14. Scientific equipment is not collected.

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Purpose and Aims

1. The primary purpose of the Pathology and Forensic Medicine Collection is the instruction of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the health professions in the appearance and manifestations of human pathology and forensic medicine. The key aims centre on:

• The preservation, housing and display of existing specimens of human pathology & forensic medicine
  
• The design and use of interactive study packages to compliment these specimens

2. It is our intention to help develop the use of the Collection by incorporating (at least parts of it) in a Learning Resource Centre envisaged for the Foresterhill site which the medical school shares with its major NHS partner, the Grampian University Hospitals Trust. The University and Trust, in collaboration from the Robert Gordon University and local Postgraduate Medical authorities, have already begun to develop the Westburn Centre on the site as such a Centre. Currently it houses a Clinical Skills Centre, used by health professional students and postgraduates, as well as several other training areas. A feasibility study is being carried out to incorporate the University's Anatomy unit in the Centre, as well as develop library/IT facilities there. The expansion of such learning facilities in the Centre - to include at least parts of the Collection - would go a long way to turning the Westburn Centre into the modern all-encompassing Learning Resource facility which we require for our students and staff.

3. The transfer of the records of the Collection to a PC-based system within the next 5 years is in itself essential for the proper documentation of the material, but also to allow its incorporation into areas such as the Learning Resource Centre.

The Collection

4. The Collection is a historic record of disease manifestations in the population of NE Scotland in the middle third of the 20th century and includes artefacts relating to crimes of note committed in the Aberdeen area around the same period. The Collection contains models dating from earlier in the century demonstrating a range of pathological appearances. The Collection is wholly owned by the University with no items on loan.

5. The Collection is composed mainly of examples of human organs showing pathological conditions, in preservative fluid & presented in sealed perspex containers. It covers the range of functional body systems demonstrating the features of disease in each. There are folders that accompany each exhibit providing anonymous clinical details of the case that allow the Pathology to be viewed in the appropriate clinical setting. The Forensic Medicine part of the Collection shows examples of traumatic pathology, presented in the same way: it includes exhibits such as murder weapons linked to the specimen concerned. Both collections include wax models dating from the early 20th century that present a variety of pathological appearances. Overall there are several thousand specimens and the material is of historical significance because it represents a snapshot of disease and unnatural death in the middle third of the 20th century. Some conditions in the collections are no longer prevalent; besides which the opportunity to collect such material no longer exists.

6. In addition to the specimens, there are photographic plates, mostly glass, of various experiments that were made as part of the research of Professors in the 1950s and 1960s. This includes several cans of 16mm film made of in vivo experiments at this time. The collection includes the work-books and notes of these individuals. There is also a collection of scientific instruments (microscopes, microtomes etc) used in the preparation and examination of pathological specimens.

7. The Pathology and Forensic Medicine Collection represents a unique opportunity to study the disease states that afflicted the population of the NE Scotland during the middle third of the 20th century. They are carefully presented and include excellent detailed work that permits contextualisation of the exhibits. They represent the work of a succession of Regius Professors of Pathology and Professors of Forensic Medicine - and their staffs - in the University of Aberdeen over a defined period. It is worth noting that many collections similar to these were destroyed in the 1980/90s by other medical schools seeking to use display space for other purposes. Complete collections, such as ours, are rare anywhere in the UK: there are no others in the north of Scotland.

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

8. Our objective with the Collection is to ensure its preservation and active use in the education of health care professionals. In the current climate surrounding the retention of human organs and tissues, it would probably be impossible to build up such a collection again. That climate - as well as funding issues - means that at the moment, the expansion of the Collection is unlikely. Were it possible to do so, it would be our intention to centre any new acquisitions on material not yet represented in the Collection, eg new variants of disease. Such material would almost always be obtained from within the NE of Scotland (eg from operative specimens), although it is possible that individual items of exotic (eg tropical) disease might come from elsewhere. Due to the ethical and legal constraints associated with the retention of human material, the acquisition activities of the Pathology and Forensic Collection do not conflict with those of any other body.

9. Any future collecting would follow the highest ethical standards and only take place with the informed consent of the individuals concerned. Any new acquisitions from elsewhere would only be accepted if accompanied by such appropriate documentation. The incorporation of material (eg anatomical or archaeological) of interest to one of the other University collections would only be considered after discussion with the relevant curator.

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Purpose and Aims

Aims of the collection

1. Science is founded upon experiment. The collection aims to preserve in appropriate conditions University related physical apparatus of interest in the context of the history of science, cultural history and the history of the University and the region: to preserve items that are relevant to displays aimed at the public understanding of science, of scientific techniques and applications of science. Some sub-themes of these topics are to illustrate:

• how the truth of many basic physical principles has been and can be demonstrated
  
• how techniques of measurement and standardisation have evolved
  
• examples of a wide range of applications of physical principles, with particular reference to how these have evolved over time
  
• how scientific equipment design is integrated into the cultural and aesthetic values of the times
  
• the changing use of materials and equipment in the progress of science
  
• apparatus that has been associated with notable academics, teaching and research ventures that feature, or deserve to feature, in the history of the University of Aberdeen.

2. To make available for display either whole exhibitions or items contributing to exhibitions, where appropriate environmental conditions and security is guaranteed.

3. To make items of historical interest available for scholarship, under appropriate conditions.

4. To act as original source material for images and other descriptive material used on the WWW.

5. To provide illustrative material for University teaching and related educational activities, under suitable supervision.

6. To provide specialist material with regional associations that supports the collections of the national museums in the UK and is available for loan, with due acknowledgement to the University of Aberdeen.

7. To encourage an interest in the history of science amongst the academic community, which includes many individuals who are very well placed to provide expert knowledge on the function and purpose of scientific equipment.

Aims for future activities

8. Over the next three years:

• To participate in the LEMUR project
  
• To complete a large proportion of the cataloguing
  
• To improve the general care of the collection
  
• To improve the storage conditions
  
• To make items available for scholarship and other use
  
• To promote the use of material in displays both within and outwith the University

9. To respond to short term funding opportunities and changes in University circumstances as far as possible.

Conservation policy

10. Scientific equipment degrades in two stages. First, it ceases to work properly or perhaps at all, due to such effects as corroded contacts, degraded insulation, faulty components, seized joints or broken parts. At this stage it may still look in good condition. Secondly, its appearance degrades because of ageing of materials, damage to external parts or loss of some of these parts. For most of the collection, this second stage is a slow process and the objects are comparatively robust on a timescale of many decades. It is our policy to minimise this visual decay by providing storage in stable conditions of temperature and humidity. Light is minimised by having no natural light in the shared storage area, which is therefore in darkness unless anyone is present.

11. The most conspicuous cases of degradation in the collection over the last 20 years have been those inflicted by accidents during several enforced moves. Our second rule of conservation has been to argue the importance of long-term planning.

12. There is a great deal of scope for remedial conservation, particularly to restore function to equipment where this is possible. Our policy, dictated by resources, is to undertake little of this excepting for special cases where objects will be used for research or put on display.

13. We would like to have storage in protected cabinets. At present, we do not. Building works both at the current site and in the building where the collection was previously housed has caused a noticeable deposition of grime on numerous items. Our conservation priority is the removal of this grime by approved means.

14. Our conservation policy therefore aims:

• To provide adequate, environmentally monitored, secure, storage for the collection
  
• To minimise the movement of complex items (the majority of the collection)
  
• To undertake repairs and restoration only when deemed 'necessary'
  
• To maintain the cleanliness of the objects as well as possible

Display policy

15. The prime concerns for displays are

• appropriate security
  
• suitable environmental conditions
  
• responsible handling and transport

16. Material is currently displayed permanently in the University Visitor Centre, at the Marischal Museum, in displays in the Fraser Noble Building, and temporarily in other sites such as the Queen Mother Library.

17. The lack of further permanent display facilities necessarily means that some of the purposes of the collection are not fully realised. Most of the collection will remain a hidden asset in the absence of additional resource becoming available.

18. Material will be considered for loan to other museums (the Royal Scottish Museum and the Science Museum in London have been recipients) providing adequate security and environmental conditions.

19. In the medium term, substantial effort is being put into virtual display through the LEMUR project.

The Collection

The origin and context of the collection

20. The Natural Philosophy collection is based upon material that has been in use in the University of Aberdeen primarily for the purpose of teaching and research in the area that used to be called Natural Philosophy. The subject has diversified in modern times but the mainstream has developed as Physics.

21. Since the application of physical principles is an integral part of teaching this subject, areas of application that have been associated with the teaching of physical science are particularly represented. These include meteorology, medical physics, computation and, for earlier material, areas such as navigation and surveying.

22. Most of the material has come from the University's Department of Natural Philosophy, now the School of Physics. The earliest material dates to the mid 18th century; the most recent material to the end of the 20th century.

23. Although the Professor of Natural Philosophy at the end of the 18th century began a collection of equipment and demonstration apparatus that some historical writers called a 'museum', the modern recognition of the material as 'a collection' and the display of part of it in a museum dates from 1973.

Description of the collection

24. This is one of the most diverse collections of historical scientific instruments in any British University, and one of the most extensive, covering 250 years of the evolution of this genre.

25. Physically, the collection encompasses a wide range of apparatus, from the simplest demonstration pieces to state-of-the-art research equipment, with no uniformity in size, shape or constructional materials.

26. The collection is estimated to be around 2000 items, though a significant number of items include accessories and there are undoubtedly many more than 2000 objects.

27. Metal, wood, glass, glue, varnish, paint, wax, paper, plastics, plaster, ink, oil, minerals, and fabric are some of the construction materials commonly found.

28. The smallest items are individual components, like microscope objectives and slides; several of the largest items weight over a tonne, such as the electron microscope on display in the foyer of the Fraser Noble Building, an unusual X-ray generator of the 1950s with a demountable X-ray tube and a pioneering reciprocal space explorer for X-ray structural crystallographic work.

29. In addition to the scientific instruments, there is a significant amount of accompanying documentation in terms of instrument manuals, student experiment instructions, illustrative photographs of equipment and related matters, glass-plate slides and negatives produced for teaching and research, instrument catalogues, books and pamphlets relating to scientific equipment, purchase receipts and assorted relevant material.

Subject coverage

30. About 50 pieces, or fragments of pieces, can be associated with an 1822 inventory of Marischal College equipment, and further contemporary items are assumed to come from King's College. These cover subjects such as Astronomy, Electrostatics & Magnetism, Mechanics, Optics, Pneumatics and Hydraulics, Surveying and Navigation.

31. The collection follows the diversification and specialisation of Natural Philosophy in the 19th century, with particularly significant examples in Optics and its applications, Acoustics, Meteorology, Current Electricity and its measurement, and its public application at the end of the century in the fields of lighting and power.

32. The 20th century component of the collection is one of its major strengths. Some themes covered are X-rays and their application in medicine and crystallography, electronic instruments, electrical measurements and the evolution of electrical components, the expanding use of the electromagnetic spectrum, measuring radioactivity, measuring properties of materials and the development of precision instrumentation, the evolution of computational machines, optical equipment, changing techniques in teaching physics. Special topics include superconductivity, liquid helium, electron diffraction, science and the second world war, seismology, atmospheric research, the growth of synthetic crystals.

The strengths of the collection

33. Diversity: diversity of subject matter, diversity of objects, diversity of areas of relevance.

34. Quality: The collection is, of course, almost all used material but, particularly for the 20th century items, we have been able to select items of quality from a much larger pool.

35. Rarity: In the context of artefacts in general, historic scientific instruments are a rare commodity. Most of the collection consists of specialist equipment, some made as 'one-offs', much of the rest made in small numbers. Survival of similar pieces is not common and it would be very difficult to replace most of the collection. Within the collection, it is not difficult to find items by international makers that are not duplicated in any known collection.

36. Novelty in context: Even for the 18th and 19th century material where there is an overlap in subject with collections in the other Scottish universities, there is very little duplication of items in the Aberdeen collection with those elsewhere. In the 20th century, this applies a fortiori, for the collection necessarily represents a selection from a very large pool.

37. Depth: Within the subjects covered, the depth of the collection allows themes to be developed over a long time span.

38. Coherence: For the most part, the collection represents the activity of one subject in the University over a period of two-and-a-half centuries. This gives it a coherence of context that no national collection or acquisition by a private collector can match.

39. Continuity: The continuity of material from the clearly historical to the present day is an aspect that even the national museums find hard to match. In fact the 20th century equipment, which a great many institutions have thrown out, is a particularly important part of this collection and is arguably better in the areas covered than that of the National Museum of Scotland.

40. Association: Natural Philosophy has been prosecuted at Aberdeen by a line of professors of distinction. Internationally famous have been Professor James Clerk Maxwell, Nobel Prize winning Professor G. P. Thomson and Professor R. V. Jones; men of national reputation, Professors Patrick Copland, Charles Niven, FRS, Sir John Carroll and the meteorologist George Aubourne Clark, and many others of local note. The apparatus they have used provides substantial, important and tangible evidence of their activities.
41. Specific Location: Aberdeen is a particularly appropriate location for a collection of physical demonstration equipment. The 18th century Professor of Natural Philosophy at Marischal College, Patrick Copland, was an educational innovator who introduced into universities the extensive use of demonstration equipment in the teaching of his subject. The trend became world-wide and lasted for almost 200 years before dying out in very recent times. One of the last great exponents of the technique was Professor R V Jones. The practice at Aberdeen has covered the alpha to omega of a very important stage of University education in science.

42. General location: A collection of scientific equipment at a University is exceptionally well-placed in that there is present on-site a wide range of expertise on the historical context of its use and the technical specifications of its performance. A historic university such as Aberdeen can also provide an unmatched library of relevant historic literature. No national or regional museum, or collection founded by a benefactor can match this accompanying resource.

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

43. Three precepts guide the development of the collection:

• relevant historical material in the University should be preserved.
  
• the collection must keep its relevance to modern science by maintaining a link with the evolution of scientific equipment and techniques. The existing body of the collection defines the subject areas collected.
  
• new equipment collected must have a strong relevance to the science that is, or has been, taught or practised in the University.

44. Redundant scientific equipment in the broad areas described above will be collected mainly from departments practising physical science within the University, and from the Computing Centre. The principal benefactor has been the Department of Physics, now the School of Physics.

45. Occasionally, departments whose main business is not physical science will offer equipment. Where this otherwise meets the principles of this policy, it will be considered for acquisition.

46. Material offered to the Natural Philosophy Collection that is more relevant to other University collections (or to external collections) will be offered elsewhere. In particular, offers of equipment which may be of interest to Marischal Museum will only be considered for acquisition following discussion with the Curator. Offers from outside the University will not normally be accepted.

47. In keeping with the historical context of the collection, material should date between 1500 to the present day.

48. Severe storage restrictions mean that in practice the collection is not increasing at a rate of more than a few items per year.

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Purpose and aims

1. The Zoology Museum is responsible for the care and development of the University's collections of zoological specimens, for promoting their use for teaching and research within the institution and for enhancing the understanding and enjoyment of zoology by the general public.

2. There are two major aims for the next three years and it is here that we plan to concentrate our efforts. These are:

• To radically improve the level and quality of curation and preservation afforded to the existing zoology collections.
  
• To modernise the labelling within the Museum and to improve the quality of information associated with our permanent displays both for the benefit of our undergraduate students and for the scientific understanding of the visiting public.

The Collection

3. Aberdeen University has the only large, international collection of zoological specimens in the north of Scotland.

4. The Zoology Museum cares for the University's zoological collection and uses it as a resource for teaching, research and for the enhancement of the public's understanding of science. The zoological collections are the result of collecting over the last 200 years or so by the teaching and research activities of our staff and students and by the gifts of graduates and friends of the University. The Museum aims to document and to conserve this collection to the highest possible standards and to use it in imaginative and sustainable ways to inspire knowledge about the living world and the need to conserve living creatures and ecosystems for the current and forthcoming generations. Our collections are used in undergraduate teaching and in research by our own researchers [staff and students] and by visiting scientists. The Museum acts as a primary resource for the Conoco Natural History Centre, based in the same building, which exists to educate young people in the area of natural history and nature conservation. We look forward to our new Faculty of Education making great use of the Museum as part of its teacher training activities. The Museum is open, on a daily basis, to the general public and we every year we welcome several thousand visitors, free of charge.

5. The Zoology Museum cares for a wide range of material that is worldwide in scope and which covers the whole of the animal Kingdom, from protozoa to the great whales.

6. The collection contains around 75,000 specimens with major holdings of vertebrates (c. 15,000 items), marine and fresh water invertebrates (c. 40,000) and terrestrial invertebrates (c. 20,000).

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

7. Our overall aim is to preserve important zoological material for the benefit of the University and the education of all our visitors and users.

8. In general, collecting will build on existing strengths, and fill important gaps when the opportunity arises.

9. Specifically, we aim to acquire worldwide material to support research by staff and graduate students, and the education of undergraduates and the general public about biological principles, the diversity of living creatures, their taxonomic relationships, their adaptations to life and the conservation of biodiversity.

10. Before any acquisition is made we will consider our ability to provide long-term curation. We will also ensure to the best of our ability that the specimen has been acquired legally and ethically in its country of origin and that its collection did not infringe any current regulations concerning animal welfare, or species protection legislation such as the CITES regulations.

11. We recognise the need to avoid unnecessary overlap with the other University collections and do not intend to collect material of primarily anatomical or archaeological interest. Material associated with human pathology will only be considered for acquisition when animal parasites are involved and after consultation with the relevant Curators. Fossil specimens will only be collected after discussion with the Curator of the Geology Collection.

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