Mission and Purpose

Mission Statement

The Museum of Texas Tech University, as an education resource for a diverse audience, collects, researches, and disseminates information about the natural and cultural heritage of local and related regions.

A division of the Museum, the Natural Science Research Laboratory fulfills and furthers the mission of the Museum by collecting, documenting, preserving, archiving, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge about the fauna of the world, with emphasis on local and related regions. The NSRL's collections and research complement the Museum of Texas Tech University and the diverse interests of Texas Tech University and its role in public and professional education. Through classroom instruction, internships, practicums, and fieldwork, the NSRL, coupled with the Museum, provides both theoretical and practical education. It is dedicated to acting as a responsible component and partner to the Museum, Texas Tech University, and the community of museums.

Purpose of the NSRL

The purpose of the NSRL is to build and preserve a library of our planet's natural heritage for research, education, and outreach purposes. Such collections serve as the foundation for our understanding of biodiversity and our appreciation of life, in all its forms, on Earth. Natural history collections serve as a historical reference for documenting changes in our environment and the effects of those changes on wildlife and, ultimately, on humans. The causes and/or effects of animal-borne diseases, environmental pollutants, parasites, climate change, habitat loss, geographic isolation, and evolutionary processes and speciation are a few examples of the investigations that can be conducted utilizing specimens and tissues archived in a natural history collection.