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The composition, conservation
and documentation of the zoological collections are almost as
manifold as the organism groups and special fields of research of
the many responsible curators. Correspondingly, the requirements for
maintenance and administration vary a lot, not least due to the
eventful history of collection parts and some damages and losses
during the wars that mainly affect the documentation. Meanwhile,
apart from very few exceptions, the accessibility and documentation
of the collections are good. The exchange of loans as well as
working conditions for guest scientists can be organized in a
satisfying manner. However, it can still be quite time-absorbing to
search for certain material, and digital recording of the inventory
can only be partly done in the course of loan exchange, the
integration of new collections and specific collecting activities.
This is also due to the fact that there is only very slow progress
in establishing a compatible program that combines the specific
collection requirements of all Natural History Museums. The current
GBIF - Projects however, will accelerate this process. It has to be
considered, too, that a reliable data input according to modern
systematic criteria has to be done by the curators themselves (often
after extensive literature studies): geographical indications of the
kind "bought in Deutsch Ostafrika, 1.III. 1913" or "Southpacific"
can often be found in the catalog records; it often was and still is
necessary to identify type material on the basis of literature
descriptions, because the labels have become pale or have
disappeared at all during the turmoil of war; earlier fusion of
voluminous collections into the museum's collection with
insufficient catalog recordings also cause problems of
identification and assignment until today (for example the formerly
separated old anatomical and zoological collections). These
difficulties are certainly not specific for our collection alone,
but might be especially accentuated here. However, the conventional
entry book and card registration system allows quick access to the
material in most cases, at least according to taxonomic criteria on
the species and generus level. Systematic investigations referring
to animal geography and large groups usually take a bit more time,
though.
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