Illuminating an Uncatalogued Micropalaeontological Collection at the Lapworth Museum of Geology, University of Birmingham

The Lapworth Museum of Geology (LMoG) at the University of Birmingham (UoB) holds >300,000 specimens, including a sizable micropalaeontology collection. However, ~50% of the total LMoG collection is not digitised (e.g., there is no digital record) and thus inaccessible to external audiences. We contributed to the LMoG’s ongoing digitisation efforts by assessing the curation, historic and scientific significance of an uncatalogued assortment of “large” micropalaeontological specimens. We digitised and curated 219 specimens (comprising 307 parts) made up of hand specimens, containers and vials of loose fossils and sediment, and thin sections. The collection contained organisms from ten different phyla but was dominated by Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF). This dominance is reflected in the predominantly low-mid latitude geographic distribution of the collection, reflecting LBFs subtropical ecological preferences. The completeness of specimen metadata varied considerably with generally good geographic, chronostratigraphic, and taxonomic information at higher levels but poorer information with increasing detail and in relation to acquisition. Despite these limitations, we find that the studied collection was primarily assimilated for teaching purposes with donations from UoB staff and other specialist museums, and purchase from commercial dealers. There is little evidence for research on these specimens to date. Future work at the LMoG will digitise the collections and contribute to the ongoing efforts of international bodies to create large, open-access natural history datasets.