Guidelines for orienting visitors

Hosting a Visitor

If you are hosting visitors to the herbarium, please keep the following in mind:

• Visitors must make arrangements in advance to use the herbarium. They should contact Lisa Lall (x8626) who will add them to the Visitor List. Lisa emails this list every Friday to Science and Security, so we know who to expect the following week. If you would like to be included on the email, please contact her.

• When a visitor arrives, they must sign the guest book on the fourth floor and get a Herbarium key card through Lisa. This key card will also serve as the visitor's ID for Security when entering the grounds.

• Each visitor must be oriented to the Herbarium by a herbarium staff member (usually Edgardo or Sophia for the Phan., and Laura for the Crypt).  If you want details on the orientation, ask one of these people.

• For visitors not using the herbarium for research, tours of the herbarium, mounting room and imaging lab should be arranged in advance through Nicole, Matthew or Laura.

Guidelines for Assisting Visitors

 

1. Sign in:  Take the visitors to sign the guest book on the fourth floor of the Library Building. If the Visitor Form was not filled out digitally prior to arrival, visitor should fill out paper form, which is next to the guest book. Give them a key card to the PSC, show them how it works, and (if applicable) a give them a key to their study room. Key card will also serve as their visitor ID and should be worn at all times.

 

2. Information sheet:  Give the visitors the printed information about the herbarium and its rules and ask them to read it before using the collection. You can find the printed copies next to the guest book.  [update this section -- this sheet is filled out when they email to make visiting arrangements, yes? Need to find this information sheet or re-write, and put link to it in this section]

 

3. Loans:  If the visitor wants to pull a loan, ask that they leave all folders in the cases and the specimens selected for the loan should be left on the half-highs in the herbarium with a clear note signifying this is a loan, for [visitor name], at [visitor institution]. Make it clear that before the loan can be approved or sent, the Director of the visitor’s herbarium must send a loan request (letter or email) to the Director of the NY Herbarium.

 

If this is a cryptogamic loan, please put the specimen inside a temporary folder (on the half highs near the collections). Write the taxon name of the folder it was removed from on the outside if the name is different, or leave the specimen on top of the folder or box it was removed from.  If nothing was removed from either the folder or cubby box, please carefully return the specimens to the cases in the correct order.

 

4. Sampling specimens:  If the visitor wishes to remove material from specimens they must read and sign the Destructive Sampling Policy. The signed form should then go to Matthew Pace  or to Laura Briscoe (if a cryptogamic specimen) who must approve prior to any sampling work.

 

5. Library:  If the visitor wishes to use the Library, give them the appropriate information (closed Monday, etc.) and take them there.  Arrange for a tour for long term visitors (one month minimum) with Stephen Sinon.

 

6. Filing system: When in the herbarium, explain the arrangement of specimens and point out the colorful map on the wall by the entrance of each floor.  Stress our appreciation for their returning material to the cabinets in the correct order. For their reference, they can also view our herbarium use guidelines. 

 

7. Supplies:  Make sure that visitors have access to annotation slips and glue.  Ask them to glue annotation labels with their new determinations to the vascular plant specimens.  In the crypt, put the new annotation under the lip of the packet or inside the box.

 

8. Handling specimens:  Show the visitor how to handle folders of specimens: put the folder down on a flat surface and ask them not to turn specimens over. Tell the visitor to leave any specimens with new determinations and any types found in the general collection on the counter top. Ask the visitor to return all folders to the cases in the correct order.  For how to handle the cryptogamic collections, see #3. 

 

9. Equipment use:  Demonstrate how the cabinet doors should be securely closed.  Show how the compactor cranks and locks are to be used, and emphasize that no more than one bank should be moved at a time.  Also show correct door handle position.  If they will work in the herbarium make sure the microscope they will use is set up correctly.  If they brought their own laptop, show them how to connect to NYBG_Guest WiFi.

 

10. Lights:  Explain that the lights are on a timer. At 25 minutes they will blink as a warning and at 30 minutes they will go off. Show them how to reset for another 30 minutes.  

11. Type Herbarium: Phanerogamic type specimens are filed under the basionym in the currently accepted family (3rd floor). Fern and lycophyte types are filed at the end of the fern collection (5th floor), alphabetically by basionym (ignoring geography). Cryptogamic types are filed in the general collection, inside the first red folder for each genus, by basionym.

If the visitor selects types for a loan, emphasize that only the specimens themselves should be removed from the cabinets and placed on the countertop.  All folders must be returned to the cabinets in the correct order.

 

12. Study rooms: Show the visitor to their office.  Show them the NYBG_Guest WiFi, point out the microscope, and the cart which can be used to bring specimens back and forth from the herbarium.  Ask that, when they leave for the day to: make sure that the microscope is covered.

 

13. Specimen clean-up:  Specimens left by the visitors will be handled by Edgardo Rivera and Sophia Bulzoni for vascular plants, and by Laura Briscoe or Ginger Apolo for cryptogams. Newly annotated, barcoded specimens will be updated in EMu.  Vascular specimens that just need to be refiled can be put in the returned loan cabinets in the vestibule on each floor of the PSC, with a drop tag indicating the family.  Cryptogamic specimens can be left on the nearest half high in the herbarium, and Laura Briscoe or Ginger Apolo should be made aware of this.  Vascular specimens wanted as a loan will be handled by Amy Weiss. Cryptogamic specimens wanted as a loan will be handled by Laura Briscoe.