Renovation of Vertebrate Fossil Collections of the University of Nebraska State Museum

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The vertebrate fossil collection of the University of Nebraska constitutes one of the most important records of vertebrate evolution, especially of Cenozoic mammals, in the Great Plains of North America. It is large (more than one million specimens), historically important (143 holotypes), and is heavily used by an active curatorial staff and numerous visiting scientists. Two serious problems, however, prevent the research potential of this unique resource from being fully realized. First, at least one-third of the collection is stored in insecure, unlit, unheated temporary shelters 40 miles from the Museum's research facility on the University campus. University officials, cognizant of the problem, have made space available in a more modern building on campus and have agreed to renovate 8500 sq. ft. of this facility for the reception of the endangered collection, much of which is unprepared, research-quality Neogene mammal material collected through federally-funded field programs in the 1930s. This project provides funds for transporting this material to the new facility and for its initial preparation and stabilization. The second need addressed by the project is for upgrading the active research collection already housed in an excellent modern facility on the University campus. Only about 1/3 of this collection is currently stored in functional metal cabinets; the remainder is arrayed, in various degrees of inaccessibility, in deteriorating wooden cabinets or stacked in cardboard boxes. This project provides funds to reorganize and markedly enhance the usefulness of this collection.