Collection Management Article for Society Newsletters

Geology365

By Pam Pollister, Philadelphia Mineralogical Society on behalf of the EFMLS

Author’s note: The following information is based off a presentation made by Ryan Klockner and reviewing the website. This is not a personal endorsement of the site but rather sharing information about an online resource that could be helpful to mineral collectors and societies. 

Have you heard about Geology365.com? It is a FREE resource for mineral collectors as well as for rock and mineral societies. Geology365 was the brainchild of Mark Klockner and his son, Ryan Klockner. As rockhounds, they knew the importance of documenting a collection and together created an outline for an online resource that all mineral collectors could use. In honor of his father who passed away in 2018, Ryan has fulfilled their vision by creating Geology365.com.

This article will focus on how you, a mineral collector, can use this free website. There are also many tools available in Geology365 to assist mineral societies in creating a website, managing membership and even field trips. Those features will be the topic of a future article..

Collection Management

Geology365 allows you to easily create and maintain an electronic catalog of your rocks and minerals. After all, it is important for you – and your family – to know what is in your collection. There are fields for everything you might want to track and if there are too many options, you can select which fields you’d like to use. For example, the online database has fields for you to enter location, date collected/obtained, estimated value and other relevant details about each piece. There is a limit of 365 specimens that may be included for free in your personal catalog. For $5/month you can add up to 1,460 specimens (there are additional options, as well, for larger collections). Each specimen has a public/private setting. If “private” is selected, only you can view the item on the website.

Do you already have an electronic list of your collection and want to move it to Geology365? If so, you are in luck as there is an import feature that allows you to upload a csv or Excel file.

From a financial and practical standpoint, having your collection cataloged is a pre-requisite for insuring your minerals. This tool may also serve as a resource for you and your family if/when the collection must be moved forward.

Labels

Once you have minerals in the collection management system, Geology365 has a template to design custom labels. Once set up and saved, the custom format can be used for all your mineral labels. Capabilities remain in place if you later want to change the design of your label. As your collection grows you can print labels for just your new specimens.

Geology365 can also incorporate QR codes (Quick Response code) on the labels. When the QR code is scanned your computer or smart phone will automatically open Geology365.com to that specimen’s page where you can read the available information. Having a QR code on a label is a great way to assure that the mineral’s provenance is not lost to future generations.

Conclusion

Geology365 was created by a father-son team who recognized the mineral collector’s need to catalog and label their collection. By sharing this website, Geology365 is a free and easy to use online resource that any mineral collector may use. Perhaps this is the year you will document and custom-label your collection. Let Geology365.com help you attain that goal.