Microfossil Slide Boxes
Purpose
The microfossil collection at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is comprised of ~9,000 slides. These slides were stored on their sides in wooden slide boxes and that storage arrangement contributed to the physical degradation of the slide collection. We found that non-archival glue used to adhere the specimens to the glass slides had dried out and storing the slides on their sides allowed the specimens on the slide to fall to the bottom of the box. Cabinets that are specifically designed for storing glass slides can be an elegant solution for storing microfossil slides but have several limitations. They can be expensive, take up valuable storage space in collections rooms, and in some designs cause the slides to be stored vertically on their sides. We designed a storage solution for the slide collection that is economical, allows us to utilize and maximize existing cabinet space, and store slides together in groups according to their taxonomy or associated publication. Importantly, the slides are now stored horizontally, with Ethafoam padding in the boxes, resulting in a significant improvement in their physical housing.
Author(s)
Ruth O’Leary and Bushra M. Hussaini
Division of Paleontology
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
Telephone: 212 769 5068
Email:oleary@amnh.org
Photo Credits: Ruth O’Leary
Publication: 2018
Description
The base unit of this storage solution is a custom-made open slide box measuring approximately 8.5cm L x 3.6cm W x 2.7cm H (Figure 1). The second unit in this storage solution is a custom-made box, with lid in which multiple slide boxes are housed. Medium-sized boxes (13.5cm L x 9.1cm W x 5.6cm H) can store six slide boxes; large-sized boxes (21cm L x 9.1cm W x 5.6cm H) can hold ten slide boxes. Pieces of Ethafoam are placed on the top and sides of the slide box as appropriate.
Figure 1. Slide box holding five microfossil slides.
Materials, Tools & Supplies
- Custom made archival slide boxes; one size (Figure 1)
- Custom made archival cardboard boxes; two sizes, with plastic sleeve adhered to top of box for label (Figure 2). Boxes were manufactured by All Packaging Co.
- ¼ inch Ethafoam (polyethylene foam)
Figure 2. Large outer storage box holding 10 slide boxes, and showing lid with label holder and specimen labels on top of slide boxes.
Construction
The open slide box houses five glass slides. The box was designed to have one of the long sides open downwards as a flap to allow easy access and minimal handling of the slides. The flap is cut in a way that it doesn’t open flat (Figure 3). Therefore, the integrity of the shape of the box is maintained. Slips of ¼ inch Ethafoam are placed along the side of the box and on top of the stack of slides as needed.
Figure 3. Side view of slide box showing lowered flap on one long side of the box.
The outer box with lid in which the slide boxes are housed comes in two sizes, each holding multiple slide boxes. One of the long sides of the lower half of the storage box opens downwards in the same manner as the slide box. This allows easier access and minimal handling of the slide boxes (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Large-sized outer storage box. Inside are eight slide boxes containing slides and slips of Ethafoam for padding. Two slide boxes are inverted and empty.
The interiors of these boxes have a set of cardboard dividers that separate the slide boxes on the vertical plane (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Medium-sized outer storage box showing two interior vertical dividers that help to maintain the placement of the slide boxes.
The upper portion or lid is notched at the sides to make opening the box easier. There is a plastic label holder adhered to the top of the lid which is also notched.
This storage solution of microfossil slide boxes is designed to be housed inside metal specimen cabinets and to maximize the storage space in the drawers in those cabinets (Figure 6). However, it is a flexible enough solution to be used in various other types and designs of cabinets.
Figure 6. Specimen cabinet drawers containing microfossil slide boxes.
An additional design feature we addressed is the ability to store microfossil specimens together in either taxonomic groups or publication groups. Slide boxes and two sizes of outer boxes allowed us to store the collection in arrangements that relate to how researchers browse and use the collections. Most traditional slide storage solutions did not offer that flexibility.
Comments
An improvement on this storage solution would be to seal the cut edges of the flaps in both the slide and outer boxes. That would make for a more finished appearance and possibly prevent wear and tear.
Keywords
slides, microfossils, storage
Special Purposes
Special Considerations
Collection type
Natural Science