A MODEL FOR PRESERVATION OF UNIVERSITY MINERAL COLLECTIONS: THE MICHIGAN MINERAL ALLIANCE

There are examples of university and public mineral collections held in the public trust being sold, and thereby widely dispersed, to private collectors. This results in a loss to the public and to the academic community as e.g., these collections may include specimens no longer available and unlikely to be available in the future resulting in the loss of opportunity for future mineralogical research. The University of Michigan’s mineral collection was initiated in 1838 and is part of the long and distinguished history of mineralogical research at the University of Michigan; it includes about 1500 especially noteworthy specimens. The collection was not actively curated for decades; thus, it was not well used for educational display or research. Over time one could expect the value of the collection to be lost or that it would finally be sold. Ewing initiated an inventory and assessment of the collection, completed by his post-doctoral research assistant, Stefano, which provided the basis for its preservation. A unique arrangement between the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum of Michigan Tech and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan, Michigan Mineral Alliance, provides for shared responsibility and co-ownership of the collection; for educational exhibition at the museum in Houghton, at the University of Michigan, and at mineral shows; and for continued mineralogical research through well-curated access. The Michigan Mineral Alliance preserves the legacy of the collection and keeps the collection in the public trust where it can continue to benefit future generations.