Revitalization of the Utah Museum of Natural History Collection of Recent Mammals

犹他大学自然历史博物馆的哺乳动物藏品包括28000个标本，其中大部分代表了美国西部的动物群。在一段时间的研究活动非常少之后，负责藏品的馆长埃里克·里卡特博士制定了一项积极的研究计划，并对藏品进行了管理改进。已经编制了一份电脑目录，整修了实物设施，并将开始清点和重新整理藏书。对这些藏品的管理改进将对犹他州的动物学研究和教育产生重大影响。像这样的自然历史收藏是关于地球上生命的不可替代的数据库，它们为系统学、进化论、生态学和生物学其他方面的研究奠定了基础。这个集合提供了一个重要的脊椎动物动物群的极好的记录，以此来衡量未来的变化。未来几代的研究将依赖于它的持续呵护和成长。

The Mammal Collection of the University of Utah's Museum of Natural History comprises 28,000 specimens, most of which represent the fauna of the western U.S. After a period of very low research activity, Dr. Eric Rickart, Curator in charge of the collection, has instituted an aggressive program of research and curatorial improvement in the collection. A computer catalog has been prepared, physical facilities have been renovated, and an inventory and reorganization of the collection will be initiated. Curatorial improvements to this collection will have significant impact on zoological research and education in Utah. Natural history collections such as this are irreplaceable libraries of data concerning life on earth, and they form the foundation for research on systematics, evolution, ecology, and other facets of biology. This collection provides an excellent record of an important vertebrate fauna, against which future changes will be measured. Future generations of research will depend on its continued care and growth.