Support for Curatorial Upgrading of Mollusk Collection, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History

洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆的软体动物收藏有超过40万件和1100种，是美国西部最大的此类收藏。这些标本可能是世界上东太平洋软体动物的最佳代表。詹姆斯·麦克莱恩博士是该收藏的负责人，他在过去十年中见证了该收藏的大幅增长，他现在建议在未来两年内完成东太平洋腹足类动物的计算机化和管理。大约97000件物品的数据录入将完成，阿拉斯加标本的重要私人收藏将被整合到收集中。麦克莱恩博士的策展项目将对研究界产生重大影响。对这一重要馆藏标本的获取将大大改善，并纳入阿拉斯加的材料将改善该馆藏对东太平洋的覆盖范围。诸如此类的参考资料集是研究进化、生态学、生物地理学、全球变化和许多其他学科的重要资源。这些藏品的持续增长和维护对后代的生物学研究至关重要。

The Mollusc Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History contains more than 400,000 lots and 1,100 types, and is the largest such collection in the western U. S. These specimens are probably the world's best representation of the molluscs of the eastern Pacific. Dr. James McLean, Curator in charge of the collection, has overseen its substantial growth during the past ten years, and he now proposes to complete computerization and curation of the Eastern Pacific gastropods in the next two years. Data entry will be completed for approximately 97,000 lots, and a significant private collection of Alaskan specimens will be integrated into the collection. Dr. McLean's curatorial project will have a significant impact on the research community. Access to specimens in this important collection will be improved substantially, and incorporating the Alaskan material will improve the collection's coverage of the Eastern Pacific. Reference collections such as this are critical resources for research in evolution, ecology, biogeography, global change, and many other disciplines. The continued growth and maintenance of these collections is essential for future generations of biological research.