Collections Management Objectives

The Department of Paleobiology Collections Management objectives are:

LEGAL AND ETHICAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Requiring all registration activities including acquisitions, loans, borrows, disposals, shipments, permits, and repository agreements to meet the highest ethical and legal standards for documentation

PHYSICAL CARE

• Ensuring the collections are physically preserved, housed, and arranged to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility

DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY

• Making the collections holdings and associated data digitally discoverable and accessible through Smithsonian data-management systems and global data-sharing utilities
• Establishing and implementing best-practice systems for managing research-quality specimen data and data-lifecycle management
• Implementing sustainable workflows for mass-digitization specimen databasing, 2D and 3D imaging, georeferencing, and transcription of relevant collections labels and analog records

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• Leveraging our professional expertise in collections management to train students and avocational collectors in the building and care of fossil collections
• To collaborate actively with paleontologists and other stakeholders to advance the discipline of paleobiology and collections-based research