Fort Hays State University (Sternberg Museum of Natural History)

Fort Hays State University's Sternberg Museum of Natural History will improve the management of its geology collection for the benefit of museum visitors, K-16 students, and the general public. The project will hire an undergraduate assistant to help with curation and rehousing, and will expand the geology collection storage. Project activities will include transcribing and organization of data for entry into the museum's collections management database; conducting a comprehensive inventory of the collection to cross-check data, identify uncurated specimens, and record the location of specimens; curating backlogged and newly donated geology specimens; and housing/rehousing rock and mineral specimens for long-term preservation in polyurethane-lined acid-free boxes stored in collection cabinets or on oversized shelving. The museum will publish the searchable catalog of the collection on its website, making it available to researchers and the public for the first time.