Improvement for the Ornithology Collections, University of Kansas Natural History Museum

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This project will support the rehousing of the entire dry bird specimen collection in the Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center, University of Kansas. The collection requires rehousing for two reasons:1. Collections crowding - Collections growth through systematic research has resulted in severe crowding of specimens in cases, with no new space available in the collections area. Moreover, physical constraints of the collections area makes it unsuitable for installation of mobile compactor units.2. Collections conservation- Almost all of the cases are more than 30 years old, and many have degraded to the point that they no longer provide adequate protection for specimen material against pest infestations and environmental fluctuations.The solution is to rehouse the collection in larger, taller, modern cases. This solution is far less costly than installation of mobile compactor units, and will provide more space and better protection.Approximately 20% more space would be available for specimen storage, enough to solve critical space problems and to provide about 5 years of normal collections expansion.The new cases, already designed and tested as prototypes, would provide state-of-the-art protection for this world-class ornithological collection.