Organization | | Membership | | Announcements | | Publications | | Mineral Museums | | Site Map | | Contact Us |

AUGUST 1996 NEWSLETTER

Editor: James F. Hurlbut

PRESIDENTS MESSAGE

Time goes by so quickly, it is hard to believe that it is almost time for the Denver show. The SMMP will be hosting our third public workshop this year, on Sunday afternoon, on the subject of"Displaying and Storing Collections at Home". The first two workshops, which were held last year at Denver and this February in Tucson, covered basic collections care issues. This workshop will provide more indepth information about materials, security, safety and other related topics. During the next year, the Education Committee will be working with other SMMP members to create a series of educational pamphlets, based upon the workshop subjects, which we will make available to the public.

There are now three standing committees within SMMP. These are active groups, headed by one or two members having a strong interest in these areas, and a willingness to spend time on projects during the long period between Tucson and Denver (and Tucson).

The basic role of each committee is described here, and the chairman's name and address are given. If you are interested in serving with any of these groups, please contact the chairman directly.

Education Committee: Prepares educational materials and organizes symposia, lectures and demonstrations for other professional groups and for the public.

Chair: Ginny Mast (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, phone: 3032733823; email: vamast@mines.colorado.edu)

Computer Committee: Works toward establishing a SMMP home page on the World WideWeb; acts as a focus and resource group for SMMP members wanting to work with collections on the Internet.

Cochairs: Tony Kampf (Los Angeles Co. Mus. Nat. History, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90007, 213744-3328; email: akampf@bcf.usc.edu) and Joe Nagel (2961 Semiahmoo Trail, Surrey, B.C. V4P IH4, Canada, 604-5316879; email: jnagel@geology.ubc.ca)

Collection Committee: Keeps track of orphan collections and curators; prepares correspondence on behalf of SMMP to institutions having orphaned collections or other collectionrelated problems

Chair: Virgil Lueth (New Mexico Bureau of Mines, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro. New Mexico 87801, phone: 5058355140; email: vwlueth@nmt.edu)

If you have any thoughts on other committees or projects that may be useful to the Society, please contact me or any other member of the Board. A list of current Board members, with addresses. is included in this newsletter.

The SMMP meeting at the Denver show is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Look for notices at the show for time and place.

After many years of meeting at the ArizonaSonora Desert Museum, scheduling and logistics problems have forced the move of the SMMP meeting in Tucson to another venue. On behalf of the Board and the SMMP membership, I would like to express our appreciation to Dave Thayer, Anna Domitrovic and all the staff of the AS Desert Museum for their kind hospitality over the years. The location and schedule for the Tucson meetings and workshop will be discussed in Denver, and will appear in the next newsletter.

Thanks to all of you who have participated in the Society in one way or another so far this year. I hope to see you in Denver.

Jean F. DeMouthe, President

KEEPING TRACK OF YOUR DUES

The mailing label on this newsletter tells you the year for which your dues have been paid. If the number is 96, then you are paid up through the annual meeting, February 1997. If your dues were paid for 97 or beyond, that year should appear by your name. The Society's dues for 1996 is $10.00 U.S., payable to David Thayer, treasurer, ArizonaSonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743.

NEW DIRECTORY

The new membership directory will be produced in time for the Tucson meeting in February 1997. Please send any changes or additions to Jean DeMouthe, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 941 18. This year, a space will be provided for worldwideweb addresses. So if your institution has a home page, please let us include it in the SMMP directory.

DENVER MEETING

The Society of Mineral Museum Professionals will meet on Friday., 13 September, in the Speaker's Room at the Merchandise Mart. Board Meeting 1:30 2:00, General meeting 2:00 3:00

DENVER WORKSHOP

The Society of Mineral Museum Professionals will host an educational workshop for the public on Sunday, 15 September, in the Speakers' Room at the Merchandise Mart. It is scheduled to go from 2:30 to 4:30 pm.

This workshop will consist of a series of brief presentations by SMMP members on subjects related to "displaying collections at home". This will include such subjects as cabinet design and materials, insurance, security, keeping track of specimens and protection. Questions and interaction with the audience will be encouraged.

If you are interested in participating as a presenter, please contact Ginny Mast (address given previously in the president's message). All SMMP members are encouraged to come to the workshop and join in the discussions. These workshops give the SMMP a valuable link with the public, and it is important that as many members as possible attend and participate.

CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS

The following table gives the names and addresses of the nine people currently serving as the SMMP Board of Directors. Officers and Board members are elected annually during the Tucson Show in February.

NAME

OFFICE

TERM

INSTITUTION

PHONE / FAX

Dmitry Belakovsky

Director

95-98

Fersman Mineralogical Museum - Moscow, Russia

952-57-40 / 952-48-50

Ferdinand Damaschun

Director

94-97

Museum fur Naturkunde - Berlin, Germany

030-2897-2544 / 030-2897-2561

Jean DeMouthe

President

96-99

California Academy of Sciences - San Francisco, CA

415-750-7094 / 415-750-7090

Anna Domitrovic

Treasurer

96-97

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Tucson, AZ

602-883-1380 x264 / 602-883-2500

George Harlow

Secretary / Past President

96-99

American Museum of Natural History - New York, NY

212-769-5378 / 212-769-5339

James Hurlbut

Director / Newsletter Editor

95-98

Denver Museum of Natural History - Denver, CO

303-370-6387 / 303-331-6492

Anthony R. Kampf

Director

95-98

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Los Angeles, CA

213-744-3328 / 213-744-3326

Jeffrey Post

Director

94-97

National Museum of Natural History - Washington, DC

202-357-4009 / 202-357-2476

Marc Wilson

Director

96-99

Carnegie Museum of Natural History - Pittsburgh, PA

412-622-3391

 

Organization | | Membership | | Announcements | | Publications | | Mineral Museums | | Site Map | | Contact Us |

The Society of Mineral Museum Professionals
Webmaster: Anthony R. Kampf