A importância didática das geocoleções virtuais no ensino/divulgação da geologia: caso da coleção nacional de mineralogia do museu geológico

Museums are educational institutions possessing collections of high scientific, educational and patrimonial value. Despite the importance of the collections for teaching and/or dissemination of Earth Sciences, the lack of room space and permanent staff as well as budgetary constraints turn them sometimes inaccessible to the public. The portuguese Geological Museum possesses a mineralogy room with a permanent exhibition of specimens occurring in Portugal and abroad as well as specimens with crystallographic forms of great beauty. Nevertheless, the heap of minerals occurring in Portugal, built up from gifts and field collection of hundreds of samples, is mainly stored due to room limitations, to the specificity of the mineral collection and to museographic conceptualization. As this national geo-collection is a major teaching resource for teacher's primary and high school students as well as for general public, it is useful to give it an open access. Actually, this patrimony should be shown by digital means. This way of dissemination will allow that a geographically dispersed audience get access to some specimens not exhibited at the museum galleries and at the same time, more information on which specimen can be provided. Regarding this, giving rise to a virtual geo-collection, using the Geological Museum national mineralogy collection, to be released on an interactive platform, will allow access to a reliable and detail information on which specimen so as to be used for study and research purposes.