RCN: Building a National Community of Natural History Collections

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Michigan State University under the direction of Dr. Larry A. Prather to establish a Research Coordination network among the natural history collection in the U.S. Currently the community of natural history collections lacks a unified voice, and there is a need and a desire within the community to rectify the situation. This project will provide an effective venue to coalesce the efforts of natural history collections to find that voice and determine the goals for collections in the 21st century. The Principal Investigators are from a variety of institutions and have a broad background in terms of taxonomy and skills. Three broad-based biological organizations will work with the PIs: AIBS; the Natural Science Collections Alliance; and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. The PIs propose to overcome the fractured state of the collections community by establishing a Steering Committee that will grow in size and diversity of membership over the course of the RCN. Activities planned include a strong web presence, workshops and symposia, and student internships. These tools will enhance research and help natural history collection stewards and users to envision what natural history collections need to become in the next century. The Steering Committee will target participation by collections at minority-serving institutions, and a special Small Collections Workshop will reach out to the numerous smaller collections that can be included in plans to network and database collections. Additional workshops will make information about the collections better known to those outside the traditional collections community, including land managers and researchers in nontaxonomic disciplines. An Education and Outreach Workshop will target K-12 educators and others who can potentially utilize collections.