9421004 Fitzhugh The Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History (LACM) maintains one of the foremost polychaete annelid collections in the world. The collection is the largest of its kind the western United States and second largest in the country, with the most diverse representation of eastern Pacific polychaete taxa in the world, and is well known for its cosmopolitan coverage. Research based on the collection extends back to the last century and collection use has clearly continued to increase through time. Donated to the LACM in 1988 from the University of Southern California's (USC) Allan Hancock Foundation (AHF), the collection still resides in the AHF. Subsequent to this acquisition, however, the LACM hired a collection manager and curator specifically for this collection. Unfortunately, the collection has been subjected to extremely cramped conditions, severely limiting adequate curation. Two very significant events have occurred during the past two years in that the LACM completed construction of polycaeete research and collection facilities, and an NSF-funded compactor system has been installed in the latter area. The current proposal requests funds for two years to (1) employ a curatiorial assistant and temporary personnel to help move the collection from the AHF to the LACM, as well as participate in the desperately needed upgrading of the collection, (2) purchase such moving supplies as cardboard boxes, bubblewrap, and packing tape, (3) purchase jars and closures, shell vials, carboys, alcohol, label paper, and magnetic labels to effect collection upgrades directly related to specimen care, (4) complete this upgrade program with the purchase of several types of shelf padding to protect against specimen loss as a result of breakage of glass containers, and (5) purchase a microscope slide cabinet and two platform ladders of use in the collection room. The continued utilization and growth of this collection is completely dependent upon its timely transfer to the LACM and the immediate replacement and/or upgraded of curatorial supplies.
