Curation and digitization of newly acquired invertebrate collections at the of the Florida Museum of Natural History

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An award is made to the University of Florida to curate 33 collections of mollusks and other marine invertebrates totaling about 65,000 specimen lots (~400,000 specimens) of about 10,000 species. The bulk of this material consists of donated, private, quality shell collections; the remainder is collections of reef-associated invertebrates. Specimens will be made available to all interested at the Florida Museum of Natural History, and associated data (identifications, collection data, coordinates for Google Earth or other GIS systems) will be made broadly available via the Internet. The museum will also sponsor yearly workshops on mollusks and marine invertebrates, to engage and empower interested public, especially "shellers" and high school biology classes, in documenting and appreciating biodiversity. Collections represent the library of life on Earth, in a rapidly changing world. The targeted collections were assembled mostly through the second half of the 20th century, often from habitats and populations that no longer persist. They provide a rich record of land snails, marine mollusks and other invertebrates from American and tropical locations, documenting biodiversity and the changing land and seascape. Disseminating information through the Internet and workshops will enable important scientific research and engage the general public in better understanding and valuing the natural world.