Since 1985 the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (LACM) echinoderm holdings increased 1900%, from 2000% to over 40000 lots, chiefly through the incorporation of the Allan Hancock Foundation Collection and other "orphaned" material. LACM now houses the largest echinoderm collection in the western United States and the third largest in the country; its coverage is cosmopolitan, with the unexcelled representation of the eastern Pacific and Caribbean faunas. A previous NSF grant, now nearing completion, supported the transfer of the collection to the permanent, environmentally controlled collection space furnished by the museum, and a curatorial upgrade, of part of the collection. Additional efforts are necessary to complete the upgrade and reorganize the collection. This project will (1) purchase and install museum cases and shelves, and move specimens from inadequate storage equipment to new units, and (2) complete and urgently needed transfer of specimens to satisfactory containers and preservatives. These improvements will ensure the collections availability for scientific research. %%% Collections such as those of the LACM are invaluable resources not only for the performance of primary research but also for other diverse activities. Exhibit and educational activities based upon the collections underwrite the scientific literacy of the general population. As well the collections are important to the documentation and assessment of the impacts of development projects.//
