Collections Improvement of Vertebrate Fossils at the Denver Museum of Natural History

脊椎动物化石（VF）的收集 丹佛自然历史博物馆（Denver Museum of Natural History，DMNH） 资源研究的历史生活在 西部内陆地区。 大约有 37，000个标本，包括52个 全模标本和一些科学上重要的 新生代和中生代的组合。 亮点 包括恐龙和哺乳动物骨骼化石， 原始的福尔松野牛和登特猛犸遗骸来自 北美洲的早期人类遗址，渐新世和 来自大平原的中新世采集物， 侏罗纪、古近纪和更新世的收藏品。 最 收藏品的收集是在1947年之前积累的，但外地 在过去三年中， 标本 1989年，地球科学系（DES）在 DMNH开始努力改善 收集并增加其可用于科学研究 research. 在过去三年中， 收藏品已被放置在新的钢柜，5000 新的标本已经被编目，大约 3,000个样本已经被输入到一个电脑化的 数据库 此外，DMNH还购买了新的 研究和收集管理设备， 增加了长期工作人员的人数 致力于古生物学从1988年的0.33 FTE到4.25 FTE FTE，建造了一个新的实验室， 将VF收藏的存储空间增加了一倍。 虽然最近的DMNH支持已经改善了 收藏品的条件相当， 大约四分之三的人仍然状况不佳。 大部分旧的收藏品都没有被 精心策划。 其中80%的人从未 被编目或库存，70%被安置在 在木制橱柜内过度拥挤的情况，或 不稳定的钢架子 几乎所有的老年人 集合仍然具有原始字段标签， 与之相关的各种笔记。 虽然 大部分的收藏已经准备好了，许多 标本破损，需要修复， 节约 这个DMNH项目将编目，计算和 恢复旧的集合，使它们更 可用于研究，并允许持续增长。 主要需求是节省空间的机柜， 压实机，计算机硬件，手动操作 叉车，和额外的人员，以策展和 在两年多的时间里， 整个脊椎动物化石收藏直到现代 标准

The collection of vertebrate fossils (VF) at the Denver Museum of Natural History (DMNH) is an important resource for research on the history of life in the Western Interior region. There are approximately 37,000 specimens in the collection, including 52 holotypes and a number of scientifically important assemblages from the Cenozoic and Mesozoic. Highlights include fossil dinosaur and mammal skeletons, the original Folsom Bison and Dent mammoth remains from early human sites in North America, Oligocene and Miocene collections from the Great Plains, and growing Jurassic, Paleogene, and Pleistocene collections. Most of the collection was amassed prior to 1947, but field work over the past three years has added about 5,500 specimens. In 1989, the Department of Earth Sciences (DES) at DMNH began efforts to improve the condition of the collection and increase its availability for scientific research. In the past three years, part of the collection has been placed in new steel cabinets, 5,000 new specimens have been cataloged, and approximately 3,000 specimens have been entered into a computerized data base. In addition, DMNH has purchased new research and collection management equipment and supplies, increased the number of permanent staff dedicated to paleontology from 0.33 FTE in 1988 to 4.25 FTE, constructed a new laboratory, and more than doubled the storage space for the VF collections. Although recent DMNH support has improved the condition of the collections considerably, approximately three-fourths remain in poor condition. The bulk of the older collections have not been properly curated. Approximately 80% of them have never been cataloged or inventoried and 70% are housed in overcrowded conditions within wooden cabinetry or unstable steel shelving. Almost all of the older collections still have original field labels and miscellaneous notes associated with them. Although most of the collection has been prepared, many specimens are broken and in need of repair and conservation. This DMNH project will catalog, computerize and restore the older collections to make them more available for research and allow for continued growth. Primary needs are for space efficient cabinets and compactors, computer hardware, an hand-operated forklift, and additional personnel to curate and computerize specimens over two years to bring the entire vertebrate fossil collection up to modern standards.