CSBR: Natural History: Essential storage upgrade for ornithological research collections at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

University Of Iowa, Iowa City IA

Investigators

Abstract

This project will upgrade infrastructure in the bird, egg, and nest research collections at the University of Iowa Museum of Natural History. Founded in 1858, UIMNH is the oldest US university museum west of the Mississippi River, and it remains the only museum of its kind in the state. Its holdings represent more than a century of biological collecting in Iowa, the Midwest, and around the world, and are of historical and ecological importance. The ornithology collection is among the largest and best-documented, with approximately 13,880 bird and 17,220 egg and nest specimens, many from the Midwest before large-scale agriculture and urbanization drastically changed the landscape. This collection is an important and irreplaceable resource for modern scientific studies, including research on the effects of land-use and climate change, introduced and invasive species, and modern agricultural practices. This upgrade will improve conditions, alleviate overcrowding, and generally secure and stabilize the collection, ensuring its continued availability while increasing access for scientists and students. The project will provide training and development opportunities for several undergraduate students. It will also include the development of public exhibit components on the use of museum collections in modern scientific research, to be displayed both at UIMNH and in the traveling UI Mobile Museum. The project's major activity will be the installation of a compactor storage system and new cabinets in one room of Macbride Hall, the 1907 building housing UIMNH. Consolidating and rehousing the ornithology collection in this single area will allow more efficient use of space and taxonomic reorganization, and will greatly improve access by staff and visitors. This upgrade will bring the entire ornithology collection into an environmentally controlled room for the first time in its history. As part of the upgrade and rehousing process, all specimens will be georeferenced. Scientifically and historically important specimens will be photographed, increasing the amount of digital data available for the collection. The bases of public exhibit cases that currently contain research specimens will be transformed into a combination of interactive exhibits for children and "visible storage," introducing museum visitors to the research collections and their role in modern science. In addition, a digital touchscreen module on collections-based research will be added to the UI Mobile Museum (http://discover.research.uiowa.edu/mobile-museum). All data resulting from this project will be shared with iDigBio (https://www.idigbio.org/), ensuring accessibility to researchers and educators. Additional information on the UIMNH collections can be found at http://www.uiowa.edu/mnh/researchcollections.html.