Loaning Anatomical Models

[mmyers]

The A&P faculty used grant funding to purchase a few models for the library to loan to students (in-house only). We already have an assembled skeleton and a few skulls. But the new models are much more intricate. We have a leg with 23 removable parts, a dis-articulated skeleton (like 200+ bones in a box), and a torso with removable organs. The A&P lab has the same models (or very similar ones), but students are always monitored while in the lab. So they don't do a check-out or inventory of any sort. 
If you have similar models, how do you keep track of all the pieces? We're not able to monitor students like occurs in the lab setting. I'm thinking it's just not going to be feasible to count 200+ pieces in the dis-articulated skeleton box, count the multiple layers of pieces in the torso and leg, etc. Not in a timely fashion, anyway. I'd love any examples or ideas!

Thanks!
Marci

[lbishop]

Parham Campus Library at Reynolds doesn't have anatomical models but we do have a box of rocks and fossils. They're in divided boxes so we can see if there is an empty space - but that doesn't help you much. So I did a Google search for "library circulating anatomical models" and found several libraries that do circulate models. The staff at these libraries might be able to help you. For example:

University of Nevada at Las Vegas? (http://guides.library.unlv.edu/bodyparts)

The folks at the University of Maryland libraries did a poster session on anatomical models. Again, you'd want to contact them directly for more information about maintaining inventory, but it sounds like they just live with the notion that parts will go missing. (https://drum.lib.umd.edu/handle/1903/18076)

I don't know how these folks maintain their collection, but they do a fun job of marketing their models:
http://library.cscc.edu/anatomy/delaware

Those are just the first few that came up.

-Lisa Bishop

[mmyers]

Thank you, Lisa. Our A&P lab monitors also live with the notion that parts will go missing and they roll with it. I'll take a look at the links you've sent.

[kmccarrell]

Marci,

We do check out some anatomical models of the smaller variety, but we don't check to see if all the parts are still there. We trust that our students will do the right thing. I suppose at Halloween, we probably should be more dilligent in case a hand goes missing or something, but we just trust the students, for better or worse.

Kyle

[mmyers]

Thanks, Kyle. We're hoping our students will do the right thing as well. For now, we have photographed each of the pieces to our new models. That way, if we need to order replacement parts at some time, we will have an idea of what they are supposed to look like in addition to having a list of pieces. We may check for pieces once a semester or so. It's just not going to be feasible with each checkout.
Marci

[rparrott]

Hi, Kyle.

We also have some anatomical models--we haven't had any issues just checking models out without supervision to students except for a few occasions. Last fall, there were issues with students who used both our Box of Bones (not as many as 200) and our individual skulls which can be disassembled. Students would check both out and mix up the pieces, so the individual skulls were missing important parts (like the jaw) and later we would find it in the Box of Bones or in a different place entirely. For us, we had to address the issue with a specific group of students. We also just started mentioning to students to reassemble any bone models they take apart before turning them in. The verbal instruction seemed to work fine and we haven't had any issues since.

I also created a Inventory list for our Bone Box to check periodically if something seems off, but I'm not sure that will work for your specific model with the 200+ pieces.

Thanks.


Rebeca Parrott
Midlothian Library Assistant
John Tyler Community College

[mmyers]

Thank you Rebeca. That's very helpful information. We are finishing up an inventory list, including photos of all the pieces, now. Thanks for pointing out the mixed up pieces. I'm sure there will be groups that would like to use more than one model at a time. We can just address that from the beginning.

Marci