The collection of invertebrate fossils in the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia includes 4,000 type specimens and one million specimens in 104,000 lots, half of which are currently cataloged. The collection is composed predominantly of Tertiary molluscs from eastern North America, and includes historically important collections. Prior NSF support has initiated the process of rearranging the collection from stratigraphic to systematic order, sequestration of types, and computerization of all lots. Dr. Gary Rosenberg, Curator of the collection, is now embarking on the first phase of a ten-year plan to computerize the type specimens as well as the systematic collections. Type specimens will be photographed and analyzed from a conservation perspective and remedial actions taken to halt deterioration. A type catalog will be published in the Academy's malacological journal Tyronia. The proposed curatorial improvements will benefit a wide audience of paleontologists, malacologists, ecologists, and biogeographers. The proposed improvements will reverse the effects of prior neglect, and will make this valuable research resource easily accessible to investigators. Systematic collections of fossils may prove to be the most valuable tool for gauging the rate of extinction and environmental change on Earth, and the proper care of these collections is critical to future generations of researchers.
