{"id":6539,"date":"2022-01-18T09:37:17","date_gmt":"2022-01-18T09:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ditsong.org.za\/en\/?p=6539"},"modified":"2022-08-17T12:13:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T12:13:03","slug":"my-journey-as-a-junior-curator-in-the-bird-collection-of-ditsong-national-museum-of-natural-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ditsong.org.za\/en\/my-journey-as-a-junior-curator-in-the-bird-collection-of-ditsong-national-museum-of-natural-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"My journey as a junior curator in the bird collection of DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mahlodi Tlhako, Junior Curator, Ornithology Department, DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2010, I was appointed as an education assistant at DITSONG: Museums of South Africa (DMSA). Part of my duties was to present educational programmes and to conduct museum tours to visiting learners and the public. This included guiding visitors through the Austin Roberts bird\u2019s exhibition hall, where I presented a variety of ornithology related information. Furthermore, on several occasions, I would accompany visitors into the ornithology collection rooms for \u201cbehind the scene\u201d tours with the curators. It is through these talks and visits that my interest and appreciation for birds grew.<\/span><\/p>\n

I was officially appointed as a junior curator in the ornithology section at the DITSONG: National Museum of Natural History (DNMNH) in 2020. My initial expectation of the transition process from the public programmes section to the ornithology section was that it would be a relatively easy process to follow due to my natural appreciation for wildlife, particularly birds. Although my journey thus far has been great, transitioning from being a tour guide to junior curator has been a challenging learning experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

My first impression of the ornithology collection was the large storage rooms, filled with bird specimens. The ornithology collection consists of dry and wet specimens. The dry collection consists of bird skins and skeletons housed in separate collection rooms (Figure 1, 2 and 3). The wet collection consists of avian (bird) tissue specimens and organs stored in preservative alcohol (Ethanol).<\/span><\/p>\n

In retrospect of my experience as a junior curator over the past year, I have interacted with research visitors, students and authors. Interacting with experts in the field gave me the opportunity to learn more about birds. Some of my duties as a curator include locating and withdrawing specimens for collection visitors. I will also be in charge of a collection and assist with exhibits in the Museum as well as assisting the Public Programmes Department in content development for educational programmes and exhibitions. In addition, I will have to conduct research and fieldwork. It is prudent that I be knowledgeable about bird\u2019s scientific classifications in order to locate specific specimens in the large collections. Additionally, I have to maintain care of the collection, and be certain that the specimens are returned to their rightful storage locality at all times. I also monitor threats to the collection such as infestations and report it to the conservation specialist. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t