Computerization of the Bird Collection for Bell Museum University of Minnesota

明尼苏达大学贝尔博物馆的鸟类研究和教学收藏总计超过40,000个标本，在国内和国际范围内都是一种科学资源。特别重要的是来自上中西部和美国西南部、墨西哥、菲律宾和两个极地地区的系列；这些收藏还包括大量的海鸟、杂交种、已知年龄的个体以及稀有和灭绝的物种，其中许多物种的历史信息可以追溯到上个世纪。贝尔博物馆的一个重要目标，现已接近完成，是通过安全措施和更换变质的标本盒来保护这些有价值的标本。该项目的主要目标是通过现代电脑化方法和设备使科学界更容易获得研究资料。在对北美50家博物馆进行全面调查后，贝尔博物馆将为其鸟类收藏开发一个计算机化计划，不仅基于最新的计算机硬件和软件技术，而且还基于这些机构的建议和经验。

The University of Minnesota Bell Museum's research and teaching collections of birds total over 40,000 specimens and represent a scientific resource that is both national and international in scope. Of particular importance are series from the Upper Midwest and Southwestern U.S., Mexico, Philippines, and both polar regions; the collection also contains significant series of seabirds, hybrids, known-age individuals, and rare and extinct species, many with historical information dating back into the past century. An important Bell Museum goal, now nearing completion, is the protection of these valuable specimens through security measures and the replacement of deteriorating specimen cases. The primary goal of this project is to make the research collection more readily available to the scientific community through modern computerization methods and equipment. Following a comprehensive survey of fifty North American museums, many already with computerized collections, the Bell Museum will develop a computerization program for its bird collection based not only on the most recent computer hardware and software technology, but also on the advice and experience of these many institutions.