Support for Computerization and Curation of the Ornithology Collections

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The Ornithology Collections of the University of Michigan contains approximately 200,000 specimens (including skins, skeletons, fluids, eggs, nests, and frozen tissues), making it one of the ten largest such collections in the country. The collection's strengths are in the mid-west U.S., and recent research activities by the Museum's staff is adding to the fluid and frozen tissue holdings. The collection is used actively for research, environmental impact studies, and education. Curator Mary McKitrick proposes computerization of the handwritten accessions ledger, with subsequent addition of data and verification from the specimen labels. The proposed computerization effort will increase greatly the research impact of the collection. Data inquiries and loan requests will be managed in a fraction of the time now needed, and computerized queries will give researchers the first opportunity to study broader questions of diversity and geographic distribution.