FROM MOUNDS OF DUST TO CACHE: MAKING THE CASE FOR A STRUCTURED PALEONTOLOGICAL EDUCATION COLLECTION

Education collections whether used for classroom teaching, museum education or public outreach often live as misfits below mounds of dust due to the lack of metadata importance for research. Because of this many times, these collections are left undocumented and unorganized making it impossible for effective use. Through summer internship work an education collection was curated and procedures and policy were created along with classroom curriculum, and movable displays to engage the public with authentic paleontological specimens. These procedures have helped establish effective preservation of palaeontological and geological education specimens and increased public involvement with collection work.