Natural Science Collections at Dudley Museum & Art Gallery

Welcome to

Natural Science Collections

in West Midlands Museums and Botanical Gardens

Dudley: Dudley Museum & Art Gallery

Contact: Graham Worton, Keeper of Geology/Site Manager

Tel: 01384 815575

email: graham.worton@dudley.gov.uk

Collections: Our main collection is the Dudley Geological Collection which consists of approximately 15,000 specimens of fossils, minerals and rocks. This contains the definitive collection of Much Wenlock limestone marine invertebrate fossils and a very fine collection of Middle Coal Measures plant and Terrestrial animal fossils. We also have a small c200 specimen Victorian collection of birds eggs. Approximately 20-50 type and figured specimens. Much of the collection remaining is of at least regional importance, representing the best of the South Staffs Coalfield fossils and relates to few other national collections containing similar/contemporary specimens, eg. those of NHM, us and Birmingham's Lapworth. A small part of the collection is common objects that occur in many other locations (particularly the minerals).

Access: Small percent, less than 5% of material on display. Monthly ID sessions for public. Best collaboration in post grad. projects and undergraduate. Palaeontological research on Siurian and carboniferous parts of the collections. We hold occasional special geological events for general public. I run many outreach teaching sessions and host school groups. We have a collections database which is about 60% complete available on request.

Key Issues:

1. Documentation - currently migrating to CALM 2000 to provide links with related databases in the Authorities (DMBC) archives and libraries ICT systems. We have much more to do to catalogue the remaining 30% of the collections to what we would consider to be a reasonable standard for documentation but lack the staff/resources to make this happen quickly.

2. Storage - we are currently relocating much of the collection to larger storage which include an office/research facility and we are reviewing the collection policy to ensure that capacity exists for many years of future acquisition.

3. Funding - is very limited in the current regime and immediately limits the pace and scale of what can be achieved for improved access to the collections.

4. I am the only member of curatorial staff for natural history and my time is increasingly drawn to management matters. We are looking at formalising volunteer programmes.

5. Current displays are temporary due to buildings maintenance problems and we want to move to very dynamic and innovative enganging methods of exhibition and display. Developments: As above we are currently migrating data to a better more functional ICT system, moving collections to improved storage and redesigning displays.