By Jennifer Bauer (@jbauer)
Research Museum Collections Manager, University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and former FOSSIL Postdoctoral Associate
The myFOSSIL eMuseum has undergone some remodeling over the last year. The back end structure now corresponds to museum data standards. This means that the myFOSSIL eMuseum uses similar underlying data language to other large museum databases like the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History!
Now, after you upload fossil specimens through the database, a team of volunteer curators examines your data. The curation team will research your fossil specimen and based off the images you provide and the information entered determine if the information can be verified. Specimens with high quality images and associated data will also be sent to iDigBio, so we can share your amazing fossils with the scientific community. iDigBio has a portal where people can search all museum collections that have digital records of their specimens. The curation team may comment to help clarify missing aspects or help you improve your data collection skills. This is something everyone has to work at! If you are interested in learning more about how to curate high quality data check out our YouTube series by clicking here.
The curation team is currently composed of Samantha Ocon as lead curator, Bill Heim, Gloria Carr, and Matthew and Christa Speights. The goal of creating a team is so that each person brings their own skills and expertise to the project. Bill Heim is a shark expert, Gloria Carr has expertise in vertebrate fossils of the Pacific Northwest, and the Speights are exerts in marine invertebrate fossils. Learn more about the mission, vision, and team by clicking here!
Other new updates to the myFOSSIL eMuseum include the ability for you to export your collection as a spreadsheet! Head to your profile, click on specimens, and look for the download CSV button. Additionally, you are able to print out specimen labels for your specimens through your specimen page! The development team is now working to implement a filtering system as the primary display for the eMuseum, so check back in to explore the community uploaded specimens by time period or taxonomy!
