Annual Return to the Chari�es Commission -
Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts
For the Year Ending 31 January 2024
Charitable Incorporated Organisa�on Name:
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on (NatSCA)
Registra�on Number:
1186918
Address:
c/o Yve�e Harvey, NatSCA Secretary
Royal Hor�cultural Society
RHS Garden Wisley
Woking, Surrey
GU23 6QB
Trustees in post for the period 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024:
Jack Ashby (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Eimear Ashe (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Clare Booth-Downs (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Clare Brown
Belle Buchanan-Smith (ra�fied at AGM 27 April 2023)
Tannis Davidson
Pa� Wood Finkle
Jan Freedman
Jen Gallichan (re-appointed Co-Chair at AGM 27 April 2023)
Amy Geraghty
Isla Gladstone (re-appointed Co-Chair at AGM 27 April 2023)
Yve�e Harvey (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Lucie Mascord (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023)
Laura McCoy (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Emma Murphy (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Glenn Roadley (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023)
Laura Soul (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023)
David Gelsthorpe (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023)
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Structure & Governance:
NatSCA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisa�on run by elected volunteer trustees from its membership. NatSCA is managed according to a Cons�tu�on of a Charitable Incorporated Organisa�on with vo�ng members other than its charity trustees. This states that NatSCA must have a minimum of nine and maximum of 15 trustees. Named trustee roles to ensure key func�ons operate are Chair or Co-Chair, Secretary, Membership Secretary, Treasurer, Editor. Ordinary member trustees support NatSCA’s delivery of training, conference, social media and online blog, website, advocacy, conserva�on, awards, and bursaries.
At every AGM one-third (or number nearest to one-third if not a mul�ple of three) of the trustees re�re by rota�on according to those who have been longest in office. Vacancies are adver�sed to the membership and wider NatSCA community through our website, email lists and social media channels, and filled by decision of the members at the AGM.
Annual Ac�vi�es and Objec�ves:
NatSCA supports natural science collec�ons and the people who work with them, to improve care, access, and enjoyment for all. We are UK-based but welcome interna�onal members and users.
NatSCA’s objec�ves are to:
(1) to advance the educa�on of the public in the care and use of natural sciences collec�ons and specimens.
(2) to promote for the benefit of the public the highest standards in the prepara�on, care, conserva�on, management, interpreta�on and research of natural sciences collec�ons and specimens.
(3) For the benefit of the public to promote the science of natural sciences collec�ons conserva�on and cura�on.
These are achieved through a combina�on of; training workshops, seminars & conferences; peer-reviewed journal; networking opportuni�es; website & sector resources; member bursaries; member project grants; advocacy.
NatSCA’s achievements and performance 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024:
The following report is compiled from an extract of the Annual General Mee�ng of the Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on (NatSCA) held on 18 April 2024 and addi�onal commentary, where relevant. At the AGM the trustee annual reports detailing what has been achieved by NatSCA for public benefit were presented to our members. Minutes and annual reports from NatSCA’s AGMs are also published in print and online in our Journal of Natural Science Collec�ons.
The Annual Accounts included below in the Treasurer’s report and were approved for signature at the AGM.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Secretary’s Report: Yve�e Harvey
Nine Zoom commi�ee mee�ngs and one hybrid Away Day (October) have been held between February 2023 and January 2024. With the excep�on of January 2024, all mee�ngs had over 10 trustees present and lasted c. 1 hr 30 mins. The typed minutes were prepared and distributed
amongst the Trustees.
| ii.2023 | iii.2023 | iv.2023 | v.2023 | vi.2023 | vii.2023 | ix.2023 | xi.2023 | i.2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Ashby | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Eimear Ashe | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Clare Booth-Downs |
Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| Clare Brown | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Belle Buchanan- Smith |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Tannis Davidson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Pa� Wood Finkle |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Jan Freedman | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||||
| Jennifer Gallichan |
Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| David **Gelsthorpe ** |
Y | Y | |||||||
| Amy Geraghty | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Isla Gladstone | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Yve�e Harvey | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||
| Lucie Mascord | Y | ||||||||
| Laura McCoy | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Emma Murphy | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | ||||
| Glenn Roadley | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | |||
| Laura Soul | Y | Y | Y | ||||||
| Total No. present |
13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 |
Minute taking was shared between Yve�e Harvey and Eimear Ashe, the former is very grateful to the la�er for stepping in and helping.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith
| Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith | Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith | Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith | Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith | Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts Summary 01Feb2023 - 31Jan2024 | ||||||||||
| Income | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | Expenditure | 2023-24 | 2022-23 | |||||
| Ins�tu�onal Subscrip�ons | Running costs | |||||||||
| Previous Years | £- | £- | Commi�ee Expenses |
£ (1,957) | £ (333) | |||||
| Current Year (bank) | £ 1,972 | £ 1,880 | Website, Zoom etc | £ (467) | £ (815) | |||||
| Future Years | £ 80 | £ 40 | Postage | £ - | £ - | |||||
| £ 2,052 | £ 1,920 |
Payment Fees | £ (128) | £ (141) | ||||||
| Personal Subscrip�ons | Data Protec�on | £ (35) | £(35) | |||||||
| Previous Years | £ - | £ 20 | **£(2,587) ** | £(1,324) | ||||||
| Current Year | £ 4,135 | £ 4,475 | **Workshops ** | |||||||
| Wrong amount | £- | £- | Catering etc. | £ (286) | £ - | |||||
| Future Years | £ 20 | £ 150 | £(286) | £ - | ||||||
| £ 4,155 | £ 4,645 |
Conference | ||||||||
| Workshop Income | 2023: So how do we actually do all this? |
£ (9,239) | £- | |||||||
| Mobilising BiodiversityData |
£ 409 | £ - | 2022: SPNHC | £ - | £(53) | |||||
| Natural Science Legisla�on |
£ 243 | £ - | £(9,239) | £(53) | ||||||
| £ 652 | £ - |
Publica�ons & Informa�on Provision | ||||||||
| Conference Income | 2021 Journal print & postage |
£- |
£ (2,174) | |||||||
| 2023: So how do we actuallydo all this? |
£ 15,235 | £ - | 2022 Journal print & postage |
£(2,466) |
£ - | |||||
| £ 15,235 | £ - |
**£(2,466) ** | £(2,174) | |||||||
| Dona�ons | Charitable | |||||||||
| Dona�ons | £ 5 | £ - | Bill Pe�t Fund | £(2,100) | £(2,528) | |||||
| £ 5 | £ - |
Bursaries | £(616) | £(1,504) | ||||||
| Other | Sector support | £- | £ - | |||||||
| Misc. | £- | £- | **£(2,716) ** | £(4,032) | ||||||
| Publica�ons | £ 6 | £ 12 | Other | |||||||
| Bank interest | £ - | £ - | Misc. | £ - | ||||||
| £ 6 | £ 12 |
£ - | £ - |
|||||||
| TOTAL INCOME | £ 22,105 | £ 6,577 |
TOTAL EXPENDITURE | **£(17,294) ** | £(7,583) | |||||
| 2023-24 | 2022-23 | |||||||||
| Cash Surplus/ (Defcit) for the Year | £ 4,811 | £(1,006) |
Commentary on the Financial Year:
2023/24 has seen a small decline in subscrip�on income overall, which has been offset by income from workshops.
In April 2023 the first full conference since 2019 took place, with both online and in person delegates. High a�endance has led to a healthy surplus for the year. Bursaries were offered for the conference, however uptake was lower than in previous financial year.
No new Bill Pe�t Grants have been commi�ed to this year; the amount paid out relates to a grant approved in 2020.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Running costs are returning to pre-Covid levels with the largest increase in commi�ee expenses as a result of the full 2 day planning away day.
| Cash Flow Statement | Cash Flow Statement | Cash Flow Statement | Cash Flow Statement | OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE | OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE | OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01.02.2023 | Current a/c | £ 47,785 | 2023 Journal Es�mate | £ 2,500 | ||||
| Paypal a/c | ||||||||
| £ 47,785 | £2,500 | |||||||
| 31.01.2024 | Current a/c | £ 52,596 | EXPECTED INCOME | |||||
| Paypal a/c | ||||||||
| £ 52,596 | ||||||||
| Balance IncludingLiabili�es | £ 50,096 | £ - | ||||||
| Adjusted Surplus/(Defcit) | £ 2,311 | Adjusted balance 31.01.2024 | £ 50,096 |
Reserve Policy:
NatSCA has been cau�ous in use of reserves over the past 2 years, during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this period the CIO general reserves were increasing year on year, largely due to consistent membership levels and good turnout at the annual conference. The trustees have reviewed the level of reserves required, based on spending commitments and �mings, and consider that reserves in the region of £20,000 would be sufficient to ensure a secure basis for the con�nued opera�on of the charity and delivery of objec�ves.
Current reserve levels are more than twice this level and the trustees are working on plans to u�lise excess funds to the benefit of members and the wider Natural Sciences Collec�ons community. Ini�al plans over the next 3 years include:
(a) Improvement of the online offering via the NatSCA website and resources.
(b) Increasing training and workshops to pre-pandemic levels or above.
(c) Offering addi�onal support in the form of bursaries and subsidised a�endance fees to assist with the cost-of-living crisis, and low training budgets.
The trustees will review reserve levels a minimum of 6 monthly, to monitor available budget for opportuni�es for addi�onal areas of work, member and public support, and advocacy across the sector.
Annual Accounts
The following accounts were presented and approved for signature by the members at the AGM.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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| Charity Name: | Charity Name: | Charity Name: | Charity Name: | Charity Name: | No: | No: | No: | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on (NatSCA) |
1186918 | |||||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | ||||||||||
| For the period from |
Period start date |
To | Period end date |
|||||||
| 01/02/2023 | 31/01/2024 | |||||||||
| Sec�on A Receipts and payments | ||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | ||||||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
||||||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||||||
| Ins�tu�onal Subscrip�ons | 2,052 | - | - | 2,052 | 1,920 | |||||
| Personal Subscrip�ons | 4,155 | - | - | 4,155 | 4,645 | |||||
| Workshops | 652 | - | - | 652 | - | |||||
| Conferences | 15,235 | - | - | 15,235 | - | |||||
| Dona�ons | 5 | - | - | 5 | - | |||||
| Publica�ons | 6 | - | - | 6 | 12 | |||||
| Bank Interest | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 22,105 |
- | - | 22,105 | 6,577 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales | ||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Total receipts | 22,105 | - | - | 22,105 | 6,577 | |||||
| A3 Payments | ||||||||||
| Runningcosts | 2,587 | - | - | 2,587 | 1,324 | |||||
| Workshops | 286 | - | - | 286 | - | |||||
| Conference | 9,239 | - | - | 9,239 | 53 | |||||
| Publica�ons & Informa�on Provision |
2,466 | - | - | 2,466 | 2,174 | |||||
| Charitable Ac�vi�es : Bill Pe�t Grants |
2,100 | - | - | 2,100 | 2,528 | |||||
| Charitable Ac�vi�es : Bursaries | 616 | - | - | 616 | 1,504 | |||||
| Sub total | 17,294 | - | - | 17,294 | 7,583 | |||||
| A4 Asset and investmentpurchases | ||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Totalpayments | 17,294 | - | - | 17,294 | 7,583 | |||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | 4,811 | - | - | 4,811 | - 1,006 | |||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | 47,785 | - | - | 47,785 | 48,791 | |||||
| Cashfunds thisyear end | 52,596 | - | - | 52,596 | 47,785 |
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
6
| Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
|||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||
| B1 Cash funds | Current Account | 52,596 | - | - | |||
| PayPal | - | - | - | ||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| Total cash funds | 52,596 | - | - | ||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) | OK | OK | OK | ||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
|||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||
| B2 Other monetary assets |
- | - | - | ||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||
| Current value (op�onal) |
|||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (op�onal) | |||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Details | Fund to which **asset belongs ** |
Cost (op�onal) | Current value (op�onal) |
||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Details | When due (op�onal) |
||||||
| Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (op�onal) |
||||||
| B5 Liabili�es | Journal 2023 | Unrestricted | 2,500 | ||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees | |||||||
| Signature | Print Name | Date of approval |
|||||
| Jennifer Gallichan (Chair) |
18 April 2024 | ||||||
| Annabelle Buchanan-Smith (Treasurer) |
18 April 2024 |
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
7
Membership Secretary’s Report: Clare Brown
For 2023 the membership sta�s�cs are as follows:
-
278 members (56 ins�tu�onal, 222 personal).
-
This is 18 fewer members than 2022-23 (19 fewer individuals and 1 more ins�tu�on).
-
Around 75% of our membership is UK based, we also have members in 17 other countries.
-
103 members chose to receive a hardcopy of the journal.
● In addi�on there were 13 free/complimentary mailings of the journal either for legal/copyright reasons or networking ( Bri�sh Library LDO, Bri�sh Library CRO, GCG, Smithsonian Ins�tute Library Gi� and Exchanges, ACE, SPNHC, MA, Zoological Record, plus five copies to Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries).
Membership numbers have dropped very slightly from 2022. However, this was not by a great deal and so the decline in membership numbers seems to be slowing down. Membership rates usually increase with our offer of training events and in-person conferences and so our plans for these in 2024-25 should help with our numbers. Uptake of the hardcopy of the journal is down again this year, with most people choosing to look at it online.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me with the membership work over the last year, Belle Buchanan-Smith, Eimear Ashe, Glenn Roadley and Jus�ne Aw in par�cular.
Editor’s Report: Jan Freedman
Volume 12 of the Journal of Natural Science Collec�ons has been published both in print and online. Members who requested their hard copy will have received it in the post, and the password to access the online ar�cles has been sent by our Membership Secretary. The first three ar�cles are open access as they focus on decolonising work in the sector, and we want these to be accessible to everyone.
The latest Volume includes 10 ar�cles covering decolonisa�on, community engagement, collec�ons, and conserva�on. Ar�cles wri�en by interna�onal experts from around the world have made my final Volume an impressive one.
Thank you to the amazing Editorial Board, who work so hard behind the scenes to check ar�cles and find reviewers: Paolo Viscardi, Verity Burke, Emilie Pearson, and Lisa Winters. They are pa�ent, fantas�c and dedicated, and without them this Volume would not be what it is. Thank you to all the anonymous reviewers, who ensure that each ar�cle is to the highest of standards. All the reviewers and the Editorial Board work in their own �me to go through the ar�cles in so much detail, and I am very grateful for all of their �me they give to the Journal.
Volume 12 will be my last Volume as Editor for NatSCA. I have really enjoyed working for you all as the Editor for the Journal, and although it is an awful lot of work, I will genuinely miss it. The ar�cles, the authors, the editorial board, the commi�ee, the edi�ng, the forma�ng: everything, I will miss.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Having worked as Editor since 2008, with a small hiatus, I began with NatSCA News , and transformed this into the Journal of Natural Science Collec�ons . It has been something I have really enjoyed working on, and something I'm very proud of. I have really enjoyed mee�ng and working with so many different people along the way.
I will miss being a part of the NatSCA commi�ee: those individuals who work relentlessly out of their working hours to do so much, from the blog to the organising of the conference – there are so many tasks that they all work on, most of which are not seen. One of the greatest things about the commi�ee is their suppor�ve, enthusias�c work ethic. I am proud that I was a small part of this great commi�ee.
And a final thank you to you , the members. The workshops, the JISC Mail, the conferences, have all been full of new ideas, support, collabora�ons, and fun, because of you . This really is such a passionate group to be a part of. Some�mes being the only natural history curator in a smaller regional museum can feel as though there is no support, but being a part of NatSCA shows what an amazing community there is. An amazing community that cares for amazing collec�ons.
Co-Chairs’ Report: Jen Gallichan and Isla Gladstone
2023 marked the first year with NatSCA Co-chairs, with the posi�on being divided into two to support capacity and shared leadership. It has been a posi�ve year of transi�on and learning. NatSCA has worked hard to con�nue to grow and adapt our ac�vity. We are mindful of difficult situa�ons colleagues are facing globally and locally, and con�nue to focus on community, support and advocacy.
In April we held our first in-person NatSCA-led annual conference since 2019, at The Po�eries Museum & Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. This was hybrid in format for both speakers and a�endees, thanks to the hard work of Glenn Roadley and Jus�ne Aw. Titled “So how do we actually do all this? Hopeful futures and turning theory into prac�ce for big issues in natural history collec�ons ”, conference lead Pa� Wood Finkle reports that we had 26 presenta�ons and introduced a new “keynote/grandees/discussion” format for the final session on the first day, which was well received. A conference survey compiled and circulated to the NatSCA commi�ee by Jack Ashby showed overwhelmingly posi�ve feedback. A�endees par�cularly valued: sessions presen�ng prac�cal approaches as well as sessions on decolonisa�on; presenta�on formats including both lightning and longer talks; friendliness for new and seasoned a�endees; the range of speakers and sizes of their ins�tu�ons; the organisa�on of presenta�ons was well thought out; opportunity for hybrid. The biggest complaints were the audio for virtual a�endees on day 1 and the lack of biscuits for the in-person a�endees.
Planning for 2024’s conference started in summer 2023. Titled “Trials and Triumphs: sharing prac�ce across the museum sector ” and hosted at Oxford Museum of Natural History and online. By the end of the 2023 NatSCA year we had received 55 papers for 26 speaker slots, as well as organising tours, caterers and AGM.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
9
Training lead Laura McCoy reports that NatSCA delivered two training events this year, one in person and one online, both of which were sold out. “ An Introduc�on to mobilising your collec�on’s biodiversity data” was held in July. It was organised in partnership with the Natural History Museum London’s DiSSCo UK team as an in-person workshop with 10 par�cipants. A�endees were taken through the steps required to digi�se and share specimen occurrence data (‘what, where, when, who’), and understand some of the community standards used by the Global Biodiversity Informa�on Facility (GBIF). A mixture of talks and exercises were provided to help people find achievable solu�ons and aid delegates make the case for future investment. Supplementary online seminars were also offered by the DiSSCo team to deliver more in-depth training and help answer any specific ques�ons. “An introduc�on to natural science collec�ons legisla�on” was held in November online. With six speakers and 96 a�endees, subjects included: CITES rela�ng to plants and animals, poisons in herbaria, loans (including shipping and packing), the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Geological legisla�on considera�ons and the Human Tissue Act 2004 in rela�on to museum collec�ons.
Monthly lunch�me chats have been consistently well a�ended and of the ten provided in 2023 we have had around 200 a�endees cumula�vely. Challenges sourcing speakers have been helped in 2024 through offering places to conference speakers who we were unfortunately unable to accommodate due to very high levels of speaker applica�ons. Talks are recorded and the link sent out to members. Please do contact training@natsca.org if you would like to offer a training topic or Lunch�me Chat.
Blog Editor Jen Gallichan reports that visits and views of NatSCA’s blog pages are maintaining a steady level. We are consistently a�rac�ng between 1700 to over 2000 views a month, with an average of 55 to 75 views per day. We have been successful in a�rac�ng submissions from across the sector, including from those in receipt of NatSCA bursaries and through Jisc mail call outs. The highest number of visitors are s�ll coming from the UK, but ar�cles are ge�ng more interna�onal coverage than ever before. We con�nue to a�ract visitors from the USA, Australia and parts of Europe and have had considerable increase in readers from Canada and India. Over 40 blogs were posted in 2023. Our most read blogs of all �me focus on collec�ons management and conserva�on including ‘how to’ blogs sharing best prac�ce, as well as decolonial prac�ces. Popular blogs this year include the NHM collec�ons move update and Jazmine Miles-Long’s blog on taxidermy and death.
Top Posts Private Bone Collec�ons: The Good, The Bad and The Illegal Giant Sequoia at The Natural History Museum Freezing Specimens and how to Mi�gate Freezer Burn What is Taxidermy? An in�mate rela�onship between death and maker. How to do decolonial research in natural history museums Resurrec�on 101 Preparing collec�ons for a big move Telling The Truth About Who Really Collected The ‘Hero Collec�ons’ The Herbarium Handbook – Sharing best prac�ce from across the globe Deaccessioning of the non-Manx herbarium in the Natural History Collec�on, Manx Museum
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
10
NatSCA Website lead Glenn Roadley reports that a forced switch in analy�cs pla�orm mid way through 2023 means obtaining a complete picture of website traffic for the year is tricky. Website traffic peaked around late April, coinciding with the NatSCA 2023 conference, with some higher peaks also appearing later in the year. Overall we had 41,435 page views this year, down 12% on the same period last year but a smaller decrease than the one that brought us in line with pre-2020 levels last year. Monthly page view figures range from 2,600 to over 4,600.
Users over �me
Feb – June 2023 (Pre-Google Analy�cs 4)
July – Jan 2024 (Google Analy�cs 4)
Top Pages (GA4 data)
| Rank | Page | Page Views |
Users | Avg. Time on Page (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Home | 2,911 | 1,677 | 16 |
| 2 | Jobs | 1,798 | 6,33 | 35 |
| 3 | Taxidermy | 1,149 | 944 | 28 |
| 4 | Journal | 848 | 313 | 21 |
| 5 | Nature Read in Black and White | 809 | 574 | 16 |
| 6 | Events and Workshops | 798 | 451 | 20 |
| 7 | Publica�ons | 517 | 301 | 38 |
| 8 | Care and Conserva�on | 516 | 292 | 26 |
| 9 | Resources | 439 | 284 | 16 |
| 10 | Membership | 429 | 292 | 42 |
Website updates have included: 36 sector job vacancies, commi�ee member profiles and a consolida�on of resources rela�ng to Collec�ons and the Law following 2023’s training event.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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NatSCA’s current website has been in use for over 10 years. It lacks many quality-of-life and accessibility features of more modern websites, par�cularly the ability to respond to a user’s screen size – changing shape to ease naviga�on on tablet or mobile. Its content has also grown substan�ally over that �me, with several areas now requiring consolida�on and upda�ng. Furthermore, the NatSCA blog website is a different site en�rely, detached from the main site. As such development has started on a new website, which aims to migrate all exis�ng features and content of the current site, while also integra�ng the blog posts and providing a more modern browsing experience. At �me of wri�ng, the design of the website is complete and all content has been migrated with the excep�on of blog posts and publica�ons, which we aim to complete in the next few weeks. Once confirmed that the basic func�onality of the website is in place and working as expected, a review of all content will take place, with the membership consulted on any changes they’d like to see. We aim to launch the new website a�er the NatSCA 2024 conference.
It remains a difficult �me financially for many individuals and organisa�ons. NatSCA has significantly increased our bursary offer both in terms of number of bursaries and total amount offered, to support members to a�end our events. We are also able to write le�ers of advocacy for specific collec�ons at risk , please contact: chair@natsca.org. Through pla�orms such as our conference, we will con�nue to pla�orm best prac�ce that helps to sustain collec�ons, and offer opportuni�es for connec�ng with colleagues for mutual support.
In terms of na�onal network projects , NatSCA has con�nued to par�cipate in pilot work to scope a na�onal digital research infrastructure for natural science collec�ons called DiSSCo UK (Distributed System of Scien�fic Collec�ons UK). We are excited to see this opportunity develop, and will con�nue to work to support par�cipa�on and benefit for small to large collec�ons across the UK.
Elec�on of NatSCA trustees commi�ee:
Trustees form a steering commi�ee with obliga�ons to ensure NatSCA meets our mission, ensure good governance and conform to Charity Commission regula�ons.
Below are the nominees for NatSCA trustee posi�ons standing for elec�on at this AGM. The Membership Secretary has confirmed that those proposed, those proposing and those seconding are all current personal members of NatSCA. No term will exceed three years without re-elec�on.
Below are the nominated candidates standing for Ordinary Member posi�ons on the commi�ee:
| Nominee | Posi�on | Proposed | Seconded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tannis Davidson | Ordinary Member | Hannah Cornish | Jack Ashby |
| Natalie Jones | Ordinary Member | Arianna Bernucci | Emilia Kingham |
| Pa� Wood Finkle | Ordinary Member | Jen Gallichan | Jack Ashby |
There are three vacancies for Ordinary Members and three nominees.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Below is the nominated candidate for Membership Secretary :
| Nominee | Posi�on | Proposed | Seconded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clare Brown | Membership Secretary | Isla Gladstone | Jen Gallichan |
There is one vacancy for Membership Secretary and one nominee.
Below are the nominated candidates for Editor (Journal) :
| Nominee | Posi�on | Proposed | Seconded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emilie Pearson | Editor | Abbie Herdman | Nadine Gabriel |
| Glenn Roadley | Editor | Olivia Beavers | Paolo Viscardi |
There is one vacancy for Editor, and there are two nominees for the role.
Proposal 1: An elec�on will be held for the posi�on of Editor.
Proposal 2: If Glenn Roadley is elected Editor by a simple majority vote, his current Ordinary Member posi�on will become available. In this scenario, we propose Emilie Pearson is elected as an Ordinary Member to support the Editor role. (For the informa�on of members: If Emile Pearson is elected Editor Glenn Roadley will con�nue his current term as Ordinary Member to NatSCA’s AGM in 2025.)
Proposal 3: We propose one ‘en bloc’ vote for all remaining nominees (three nominees for Ordinary Member, one nominee for Membership Secretary).
All proposals were passed with the required 50% at the AGM; Glenn Roadley was duly appointed as Editor and Emilie Pearson as ordinary member, all other appointments as listed above were agreed.
Vote of thanks
NatSCA would like to thank everyone who has been involved in delivering our ac�vi�es in 2023 for sharing their �me, exper�se and content.
We would like to thank NatSCA’s trustees for all of their hard work leading on key ac�vi�es and contribu�ng to the overall running of NatSCA.
New trustees welcomed in 2023 were: Eimear Ashe, Clare Booth-Downs, Belle Buchanan-Smith (ra�fied as Treasurer in 2023; joined in 2022), Emma Murphy.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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Commi�ee capacity con�nues to be affected by wider sector pressures, and as such we are moving to a more collabora�ve approach to delivering key roles. In addi�on to the area leads who have provided and are named in annual reports, we would like to express huge thanks to commi�ee members suppor�ng delivery of our ac�vity. Commi�ee members suppor�ng Pa� Wood Finkle with conference include: Jack Ashby, Clare Brown, Belle Buchanan-Smith, Jen Gallichan, Amy Geraghty, Yve�e Harvey, Emma Murphy, Glenn Roadley; suppor�ng Laura McCoy with training: Amy Geraghty and Emma Murphy; suppor�ng Yve�e Harvey Secretary and Clare Brown Membership Secretary: Eimear Ashe; suppor�ng DiSSCo UK work: Jack Ashby, Clare Brown, Isla Gladstone, Emma Murphy, Glenn Roadley. Tannis Davidson has been working on re-releasing the Bill Pe�t award in 2024.
We thank Jus�ne Aw for highly valued external technical support.
Jen Gallichan and the trustees would like to pass on hear�elt thanks to the great group of volunteers who compile our monthly Digital Digests including Olivia Beavers and Milo Philipps, with par�cular thanks to Glenn Roadley who has now had to step down due to other commi�ee du�es. We are also pleased to welcome Ellie Clark who joined the team in January.
Editor Jan Freedman has shared thanks to the Editorial Board for their valued support: Paolo Viscardi, Verity Burke, Emilie Pearson, and Lisa Winters.
NatSCA would like to extend special thanks to those trustees stepping down from commi�ee this year: Jan Freedman for all of his work as NatSCA’s Editor over many years, and Amy Geraghty for all of her support for conference and training. Their contribu�ons have been highly valued, and they will be missed.
NatSCA’s strength is in being community-led, and we value your contribu�ons towards this past and future. Please do get in touch if you are interested in volunteering for NatSCA or in how our commi�ee works: chair@natsca.org.
Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: www.natsca.org
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