Support for Curatorial Upgrading of Mollusk Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆的软体动物收藏有400,000多件和1,100个类型，是美国西部最大的软体动物收藏。这些标本可能是世界上最好的东太平洋软体动物的代表。负责收藏的詹姆斯·麦克莱恩博士在过去十年里监督了收藏的大幅增长，他现在提议在未来两年内完成东太平洋腹足类的计算机化和管理。将完成约97,000件拍品的数据输入，一个重要的阿拉斯加标本私人收藏将被整合到收藏中。麦克莱恩博士的策展项目将对研究界产生重大影响。获取这一重要收藏品中标本的途径将大大改善，纳入阿拉斯加材料将提高收藏品对东太平洋的覆盖面。这类参考文献是进化论、生态学、生物地理学、全球变化和许多其他学科研究的重要资源。这些收藏品的持续增长和维护对未来几代生物研究至关重要。

The Mollusc Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History contains more than 400,000 lots and 1,100 types, and is the largest such collection in the western U. S. These specimens are probably the world's best representation of the molluscs of the eastern Pacific. Dr. James McLean, Curator in charge of the collection, has overseen its substantial growth during the past ten years, and he now proposes to complete computerization and curation of the Eastern Pacific gastropods in the next two years. Data entry will be completed for approximately 97,000 lots, and a significant private collection of Alaskan specimens will be integrated into the collection. Dr. McLean's curatorial project will have a significant impact on the research community. Access to specimens in this important collection will be improved substantially, and incorporating the Alaskan material will improve the collection's coverage of the Eastern Pacific. Reference collections such as this are critical resources for research in evolution, ecology, biogeography, global change, and many other disciplines. The continued growth and maintenance of these collections is essential for future generations of biological research.