Renovation of Mammal Collections, Museum of Natural History,The University of Kansas

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The collection of mammals at the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History is the second largest at any U.S. university and the fourth largest in North America. The collection now consists of nearly 142,000 catalogued specimens and is world-wide in scope, with greatest strength in mammals of North and Central America. Use and safety of the collection are hampered by crowding and attendant problems of specimen organization, as well as lack of an up-to-date inventory of specimens. In addition, approximately 10% of the collection is stored in antiquated wooden cases that require frequent monitoring to insure that the specimens are protected from pests. This project will provide support to: 1) purchase additional cases to replaced the antiquated wooden cases and to alleviate overcrowding and damage from pests; 2) hire additional personnel to recurate the collection and accelerate the ongoing capture of specimen data onto computer files; and 3) purchase and install new equipment for specimen preparation. These enhancements will allow the mammal collection to begin to address the existing problems of space, organization and specimen safety.