Support to Verify the Computer Database of the Herpetological Collections of The Field Museum

菲尔德博物馆的两栖类和爬行类部门收藏了超过265，000件标本，代表6，239个物种，是美国五大爬虫类收藏之一。 从各个方面来看，该系列都是世界级的，并且被大量使用。 随着该司庞大的在线爬虫学数据库的改进，预计使用量还会更大。 然而，在数据库内存在着一些长期存在的问题，现在必须解决这些问题，以便最大限度地提高数据库的准确性，使其对现有用户和预计将利用联机检索的广大用户都有用处。 不纠正这些问题将产生有害影响，因为数据库中的错误会不必要地在研究、专业和非专业出版物中传播。 自1993年以来，根据收到的索取资料或标本的要求，曾试图编辑数据库的某些部分。 然而，这种劳动密集型的过程与高水平的正常收集活动是不相容的，因为这些活动几乎占用了所有可用的工作人员时间。 这种零敲碎打的做法导致了对一些请求的响应出现了不可接受的延误，并且占用了其他基本收藏品管理任务的时间，从而造成了其他问题。 此外，这种方法不可能在向在线用户开放访问的情况下实施。只有采取综合办法解决馆藏和数据库中的现有问题，才能确保在线用户获得关于馆藏的完整、正确和最新的信息。 为了核实、编辑和清点收集的数据库，这个分两个阶段的项目将实施： 1)对数据库记录中的地点数据、原始收集者/捐赠者提供的记录和原始目录之间的一致性进行仔细、完整的核实，然后纠正任何差异。 2)全面的收藏库存，以确保容器内容物、其标签或库存清单与数据库中的信息相匹配;并且，确保数据库记录和样本所附数据标签中的信息一致。

With over 265,000 specimens representing 6,239 species, the collection of the Division of Amphibians and Reptiles at the Field Museum is one of the five largest herpetological collections in the United States. By every measure the collection is world class and heavily used. Even greater usage is expected as the Division's massive online herpetological database is improved. Within the database, however, are some long- standing problems which are now critical to resolve in order to maximize its accuracy and usefulness to both current users as well as the expanded community expected to utilize online access. Failure to correct these problems will have deleterious effects as the errors in the database are unnecessarily propagated in research, and in professional and lay publications. Since 1993 an attempt has been made to edit portions of the database in response to incoming requests for information or specimens. However this labor-intensive process is incompatible with the high levels of normal collection activities which occupy virtually all available staff time. This piecemeal approach has resulted in unacceptable delays in responding to some requests, and it has taken time from other essential collection curation tasks, thereby creating other problems. Furthermore, such an approach is impossible to implement with open access to online users. Only a comprehensive approach to resolving the current problems in the collections and the database can assure that online users will have complete,correct, current information about the collection. In order to verify, edit, and inventory the collection database this two-phase project will implement: 1) A careful, complete verification of the agreement between the locality data in the database records, the original collector/donor-supplied records, and the original catalogs, followed by the correction of any discrepancies. 2) A comprehensive collection inventory to assure the matching of the contents of containers, their labels or inventory lists, and the information in the database; and, to assure agreement information in the database records and on data tags attached to the specimens.