Improvements in storage and systematizations of the Vertebrate Paleontology Collection, Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas

堪萨斯大学古生物博物馆的古脊椎动物收藏是北美同类中首屈一指的资源之一。它拥有超过10万份标本，是首批拥有计算机化收集数据库的博物馆之一。在过去的十年里，藏品的快速增长已经超过了博物馆工作人员收集和编目新脊椎动物化石的能力。收藏馆长汉斯-彼得·舒尔茨博士制定了一项管理计划，以处理积压的标本，并使这些有价值的标本可供研究人员使用。自然历史博物馆和植物标本馆系统的收藏构成了地球上生命进化的独特记录。系统学家、古生物学家、生物地理学家、生态学家和进化生物学家越来越依赖这些研究资源。它们的持续增长和适当的管理对广泛的研究工作至关重要。

The Vertebrate Paleontology Collection in the University of Kansas' Museum of Paleontology is one of the premier resources of its kind in North America. It comprises more than 100,000 specimens and was among the first to have a computerized collection database. The collection's rapid growth during the past decade has outpaced the Museum staff's ability to accession and catalog new fossil vertebrates. Dr. Hans-Peter Schultze, Curator of the collection, has devised a management plan to process this backlog and make these valuable specimens available to researchers. Systematic collections in natural history museums and herbaria constitute a unique record of the evolution of life on earth. Systematists, paleontologists, biogeographers, ecologists, and evolutionary biologists are becoming increasingly dependent on these research resources. Their continued growth and proper curation are essential for a wide range of research endeavors.