CSBR: Natural History Collections: Equipment for The Field Museum's Fossil Mammal Collection Range for the Accommodation of Nonmammalian Synapsids and the Turnbull Collection

菲尔德自然历史博物馆的哺乳动物化石收藏是古生物、古生态和进化研究的宝贵资源。这一收藏的两个组成部分需要紧急关注。W·D·特恩布尔在他近70年的职业生涯中收集了数千个标本，从未被加入；其中许多标本可以在气候迅速变暖的背景下阐明现代哺乳动物群体的早期历史，但从未被拆开。非哺乳动物突触体的收集是由标志性的古生物学家建立的，并继续提供关于哺乳动物最早祖先的关键信息。然而，这些收藏品被储存在过于拥挤的设施中，没有预期的扩展空间。这些收藏品将被包装在档案存储材料中，并放置在新的橱柜和架子中，利用哺乳动物化石收藏空间的现有基础设施(由先前的拨款资助)。未编目的标本将被加入并编目。所有菲尔德博物馆化石脊椎动物的收藏数据将在网上提供。这些步骤将增加标本的实用性和研究界的可及性，同时保证它们为子孙后代长期保存。在授予期间，一名博士后研究员和两名本科生将接受藏品管理和管理方面的培训；第三名本科生将制作播客，描述这项工作及其原理。

The Field Museum of Natural History's fossil mammal collection is an invaluable resource for paleontological, paleoecological, and evolutionary research. Two components of this collection require urgent attention. Several thousand specimens collected by W. D. Turnbull during his nearly 70 year career have never been accessioned; many of the specimens, which can elucidate the early histories of modern mammal groups against the backdrop of a rapidly warming climate, have never been unpacked. The non-mammalian synapsid collection was built by iconic paleontologists and continues to provide key information about the earliest ancestors of mammals. Yet this collection is stored in overcrowded facilities with no room for anticipated expansion.Specimens from these collections will be packaged in archival storage materials and housed in new cabinets and shelving that take advantage of existing infrastructure in the fossil mammal collection space (funded by a previous grant). Uncataloged specimens will be accessioned and cataloged. Collections data for all Field Museum fossil vertebrates will be made available online. These steps will increase the utility and accessibility of the specimens to the research community, while guaranteeing their long-term preservation for future generations. A postdoctoral researcher and two undergraduates will be trained in collections management and curation during the grant; a third undergraduate will produce podcasts describing the work and its rationale.