It will come as no surprise that the GCG committee has been affected by the current Coronavirus pandemic. Certainly the majority of our membership is now likely to be working from home and adjusting to new ways of doing things without direct access to our collections.
However we still intend to function as a committee, using whatever tools we can. You can still contact us using the contact details on our committee pages and we will do our best to answer you. Our JiscMail list is still functioning as always.
We will try to flag up links and resources that you might find useful. Right now, why not look at:
- We are still posting regular blog posts on our blog site at https://geocollnews.wordpress.com/
- The Museum Computer Network is compiling "The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections" - have a look and do ask them to add any resources that you think are missing.
- In the UK, The Collections Trust is asking important questions about "Collections in Lockdown" and "Remote Access"
If you know of anything that could add to this list, let us know directly on
The GCG Committee were saddened to hear last week of the passing of Jenny Clack, whose work on the origin and evolution of early tetrapods will have been familiar to many of our members. The University of Cambridge has posted a short notice here
We would like to extend our condolences to Jenny's family and friends.
Hugh Miller was a self-taught Scottish geologist born in 1802, whose writings are widely credited with arousing the interest of the public in the new science of geology. In 2017 GCG published what is to date one of the largest issues of our journal dedicated to his life and works. Under our long standing open access policy, this month we are able to make this edition freely available via our website. It represents the culmination of many hours of hard work on the part of the authors and editor, and is well worth a read if you are interested in the geology of Scotland, or in the early history of the science. Head over to the journal page now and download yourself a copy.
If you want access to our latest journals, including the popular Ethics and Pyrite Oxidation special issues, now is a good time to join GCG. You can do this online and get instant access via our Membership page.
We have just heard that the funding target set to retain Charles Lyell's notebooks in the UK as been met via pledges from a wide variety of anonymous and named donors. You can read more on their website
https://www.ed.ac.uk/giving/save-lyell-notebooks
We look forward to learning more soon!
Some of our readers may be aware that the notebooks of renowned Scottish geologist Sir Charles Lyell, have recently been placed under an export ban by the UK government to prevent their sale to a foreign buyer. The University of Edinburgh is currently attempting to raise the funds to purchase them and keep them in this country:
You can read more about the campaign, and pledge to support it, here: