Completing the Curatorial Upgrading of a Major Echinoderm Collection, LACM

自1985年以来，洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆（LACM）的棘皮动物馆藏增加了1900%，从2000%增加到40000多件，主要是通过艾伦汉考克基金会收藏和其他“孤儿”材料的合并。LACM现在拥有美国西部最大、全国第三大的棘皮动物收藏；它的覆盖范围是世界性的，对东太平洋和加勒比地区的动物群有着无与伦比的代表性。一项即将完成的NSF拨款支持将这些藏品转移到博物馆提供的永久、环保的收藏空间，并对部分藏品进行策展升级。需要额外的努力来完成升级和重新组织集合。该项目将(1)购买和安装博物馆的陈列柜和架子，并将标本从不足的存储设备转移到新的单元，(2)完成并迫切需要将标本转移到令人满意的容器和防腐剂中。这些改进将确保这些藏品可用于科学研究。像LACM这样的馆藏不仅是进行初级研究的宝贵资源，也是其他各种活动的宝贵资源。以馆藏为基础的展览和教育活动保证了普通民众的科学素养。此外，这些藏品对于记录和评估发展项目的影响也很重要。//

Since 1985 the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM) echinoderm holdings increased 1900%, from 2000% to over 40000 lots, chiefly through the incorporation of the Allan Hancock Foundation Collection and other "orphaned" material. LACM now houses the largest echinoderm collection in the western United States and the third largest in the country; its coverage is cosmopolitan, with the unexcelled representation of the eastern Pacific and Caribbean faunas. A previous NSF grant, now nearing completion, supported the transfer of the collection to the permanent, environmentally controlled collection space furnished by the museum, and a curatorial upgrade, of part of the collection. Additional efforts are necessary to complete the upgrade and reorganize the collection. This project will (1) purchase and install museum cases and shelves, and move specimens from inadequate storage equipment to new units, and (2) complete and urgently needed transfer of specimens to satisfactory containers and preservatives. These improvements will ensure the collections availability for scientific research. %%% Collections such as those of the LACM are invaluable resources not only for the performance of primary research but also for other diverse activities. Exhibit and educational activities based upon the collections underwrite the scientific literacy of the general population. As well the collections are important to the documentation and assessment of the impacts of development projects.//