1. Building Natural History Collections for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond
- Author
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Lisa N. Barrow, Jessica A. Goodheart, Milton Tan, Joseph A. Cook, Stephanie M. Smith, Jessica E. Light, Sara E. Miller, Holly L. Lutz, Stephen E. Greiman, Tracy M. Misiewicz, Christopher J. Thawley, and Sean M. Ehlman
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,0303 health sciences ,2019-20 coronavirus outbreak ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,Acknowledgement ,Twenty-First Century ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Natural history ,03 medical and health sciences ,Resource (project management) ,Political science ,Engineering ethics ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,Digitization ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
Natural history collections (NHCs) are important resources for a diverse array of scientific fields. Recent digitization initiatives have broadened the user base of NHCs, and new technological innovations are using materials generated from collections to address novel scientific questions. Simultaneously, NHCs are increasingly imperiled by reductions in funding and resources. Ensuring that NHCs continue to serve as a valuable resource for future generations will require the scientific community to increase their contribution to and acknowledgement of collections. We provide recommendations and guidelines for scientists to support NHCs, focusing particularly on new users that may be unfamiliar with collections. We hope that this perspective will motivate debate on the future of NHCs and the role of the scientific community in maintaining and improving biological collections.
- Published
- 2020
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