New Insect Cabinetry for the Division of Entomology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center

在James S . Ashe博士的指导下，堪萨斯大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持堪萨斯大学改善昆虫研究收集的设施和储存环境。在该奖项的帮助下，堪萨斯大学自然历史博物馆和生物多样性研究中心的昆虫学部门将用现代的、节省空间的橱柜和新抽屉取代不合格的橱柜和抽屉。目前，超过一半的藏品被存放在上世纪40年代设计的老式绿色橱柜中，这些橱柜没有有效的密封措施来防止博物馆的害虫，而且很多都锈迹斑斑，而且它们不能有效地利用空间。此外，在这些老旧的橱柜中，大约20%的昆虫抽屉本身就很旧，设计很差，并且扭曲和破裂，因此它们不能很好地密封，使其中的标本容易受到害虫的侵扰和损坏。古昆虫学的收藏，也在不充分的住房。该司最近接受了唐纳德和玛吉·贝克的收藏，但缺乏足够的住房。在这个项目中，我们将用69个新橱柜替换不合格的绿色橱柜；2)将不合格的抽屉更换为新的、现代化的、有足够密封的抽屉；3)将4500件古昆虫标本重新安置到新馆；4)重新安置贝克的收藏品。完成后，所有固定的标本和昆虫学部的重要古昆虫学收藏品将被安置在优良的、节省空间的、便于研究的现代化昆虫柜里，这些昆虫柜配有完整的橡胶垫圈密封，可以防止害虫进入，并被安置在现代化的、密封良好的玻璃顶抽屉里。这个项目的重点是改善设施；结果将是一个大大改善的存储环境，这将使收藏达到一个现代的、统一的存储标准。在这个时候，重新安置这些世界级的藏品对于保持和提高它们的研究完整性，以及提供最先进的长期保存和保护害虫，灰尘，湿度和光线至关重要。重新安置还将为未来的收集增长节省大量空间。该项目的更广泛的意义和长远价值将体现在广泛改善、长期、稳定的研究和教育的可及性，包括世界各地的科学家、学生、公共政策制定者和感兴趣的公众，以及培养研究生和本科生在收集管理和收集使用方面的能力。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Kansas under the direction of Dr. James S Ashe for partial support of enhancing the facilities and storage environment of the research collection of insects at the University of Kansas. With the help of this award, the Division of Entomology of the KU Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center will replace substandard cabinetry and drawers with modern, space-efficient cabinets and new drawers. Currently more than half the collection is stored in older green cabinets, designed in the 1940's, that do not have effective seals for excluding museum pests, and many are extensively rusted, and they do not use space efficiently. Further, approximately 20% of the insect drawers in these older cabinets are themselves very old, of poor design, and warped and cracked so that they do not seal properly, making the specimens in them vulnerable to pest infestation and damage. The paleoentomology collection, is also in inadequate housing. The Division recently adopted the Donald and Madge Baker collection but it lacks adequate housing.During this project we will 1) replace substandard green cabinets with 69 new cabinets; 2) replace substandard drawers with new, modern drawers with adequate seals; 3) recurate the 4,500 specimen paleoentomology collection into new housing; and 4) re-house the Baker collection. Upon completion, all pinned specimens, and the important paleoentomology collection, in the collection of the Division of Entomology will be housed in excellent, space-efficient, research accessible, modern insect cabinets with full rubber-gasket seals that prevent entry of pests, and in modern appropriately sealed glass-topped drawers. This project is focused on enhancement of facilities; the results will be a much-improved storage environment that will bring the collection to a modern, uniform standard of storage. Re-housing these World-class collections at this time is critical to maintaining and enhancing their research integrity, and in providing state-of-the-art, long-term conservation and protection from pests, dust, humidity and light. The re-housing will also result in substantial space savings for future collection growth. The broader significance and long-term merits of this project will be realized in vastly-improved, long-term, stability and accessibility for research and education to the broadest possible user community including scientists throughout the world, students, public policy makers and the interested public, and in training of graduate and undergraduate students in aspects of collection management and collection usage.