Collection Computerization in the Division of Birds (Phase II)

The Field Museum of Natural History houses the third largest collection of scientific bird specimens (>380,000) in North America and the fourth largest such collection in the world. These specimens are used by researchers around the world in their basic research on the nature and origins of biotic diversity. Increasingly, conservation biologists are turning to collections such as this for the basic distributional and natural history information that is required if efforts to conserve biotic diversity are to be successful. In addition, Field Museum staff use the collections extensively when teaching undergraduates and graduates at Chicago area universities, and when constructing exhibits designed for the very young. However, the sheer magnitude of this collection has limited in some senses limited its usefulness. Obtaining some kinds of information can be a very time consuming process. The current project is intended to make these collections more accessible to Field Museum scientific staff as well as to the broader scientific and educational communities. The first phase of collection computerization (entry of specimen data into a relational database) has been completed. However, only those data present in the written catalog have been entered and these data have not yet been thoroughly proofed. In this project we will proof the recently constructed database to insure accuracy and will add additional information about each specimen. Until each record has been examined against the associated specimen, the utility of that database will be limited.