I've been collecting micros regularly since 1990.  Here is the wisdom of my
experience:

1)  What are your prefered types of localities for finding micro shells?

Answer:  I've acquired micros from all the locales mentioned by the other
respondants.  But, my preferred locality is gifts from friends' collections.
Cleaned, sorted, ID'd, bagged and the collecting environment is air
conditioned.

2) What is the strangest place you have found micros?

Answer: In my bed after those nights when I was too exhausted from
collecting and packaging to undress, shower or wash my hair.

3) What special tools do you use? (and, of course, how do you use them)?

Answer:  The nicest thing about miros is that for the everyday collector you
don't need anything any more special than when you're beach combing.  Grab a
fist full of grunge and put it in your pocket.  Shake anything you find
washed up on the beach over a pail or brush the gunk on it into the pail and
you'll end up with many surprises.  The only "special" tools you'll need are
patience, magnifying instruments, patience and patience to find and sort
them from the grunge (and heat for your sore back, asprin for your sore
joints, and a nice, cold anesthetizing drink to calm your frustration when
you try to ID the damn things).

4) Where can one find the most productive grunge; what kinds of situations
result in a good concentration of micro mollusks?

Answer:  I've never done "grunge" collecting (that's when you collect from
beach drift, which is sometimes found underwater in sandy or hard bottom
depressions since it hasn't made it to the beach yet).  I've always focused
upon live populations and habitat identification.  In my experience the
densest populations are most often found in friends' collection cabinets,
but if you insist on self-collection, then moderately dense areas of mixed
seagrasses are always very good, as is soft sand, and the spires of
Xenophora shells - which occasionally have the added benefit of coins,
diamond rings and pull tabs.

5) How do you store and display your shells?

Answer:  Well, I have the best storage technique of any I've seen or heard
of anywhere.  It's the cheapest, the easiest, fast, allows for easy storage
and reading of data with the specimens, allows handling without touching the
shell (including under the microscope), adds almost no bulk to storage
volume, allows large numbers of shells to be stored in a small space while
having them all readily visible by name for quick retrieval, can be quickly
unpackaged and repackaged, and will keep the data slip and shell dry after
the hurricane blows off my roof and the shell room gets soaked.  Patent is
pending.  But we can let other Conch-Lers judge whether I boast.  Many have
received shells from me in my packaging.  What do you think?  Is my
technique good enough to be exposed to the world as advertised?

Displaying an actual micro shell is rather difficult unless you are rather
wealthy since no more than 3-4 can be effective viewed under a microscope
(and to be truly "viewer friendly," it should be a light-augmented, stereo
microscope).  My last display of self-collected Florida Cerithiopsis
required 17 such setups.  So, since I have only one, I don't do displays.  I
tried it once with a display of one shell (Nassarius acutus - not too micro
a micro) and offered a free specimen to everyone who viewed.  Even with the
free shell, only about half the people were interested in bending over and
mooning those waiting behind (double meaning) and my microscope caught a
serious case of mascara eye.

Heard about the sheller who took a yardstick to bed at night?  Didn't want
to sleep too long and miss the shelling boat in the morning.

Marlo
Merritt Island