Natural history collections have recently acquired an unprecedented place of importance in scientific research. Originally created in the context of systematics

Biological collections are a critical part of the nation's science and innovation infrastructure and a fundamental resource for understanding the natural world.

We hear routinely about dinosaurs unearthed in the Gobi Desert, about new marsupials found in the forests of Madagascar, about darling deep sea squid in the pol

The Spy Museum, the Vacuum Cleaner Museum, the National Mustard Museum—not to mention the Art Institute, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Getty Center: museu

The nineteenth century witnessed a dramatic shift in the display and dissemination of natural knowledge across Britain and America, from private collections of