Value of Collections

As educators and scientists, the curators and staff of the NSRL are committed to the goal of raising public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of natural history collections, scientific investigation, and discovery in the natural sciences.  Natural history collections that are housed in museums around the world, including the NSRL at the Museum of Texas Tech, have a tremendous value to science and, ultimately, to human society.  However, it is often difficult for people to understand why these collections are important and how natural history collections, and the research studies that depend upon these collections, affect their lives.  This understanding is necessary before people can truly appreciate their value and significance.

Collections of natural history materials, such as the mammal, bird, invertebrate, and genetic samples maintained by the NSRL, are vital to natural history research.  These archived specimens, tissue samples, and associated data (i.e., location and date of collection, and much more) serve as historical references for documenting the past.  Because each individual, location, and time of collection is unique, voucher specimens and their associated data are irreplaceable snapshots of the natural world at a unique place and time.  Thus, these collections can be used to reveal changes over the course of years, decades, or centuries.  But they also hold the key to unlocking discoveries in the future through investigation and research.  By utilizing these specimens and genetic samples, researchers can study the occurrence, causes, effects, and solutions for: animal-borne diseases and their transmission to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife; environmental pollutants; climate change; habitat loss and fragmentation; population decline and conservation priority; range expansions or contractions; invasive species; geographic isolation; natural evolutionary processes; and more.  These are just a few of the many issues that can be investigated and understood by utilizing specimens and tissues archived in natural history collections.  

The vital importance of natural history collections to biological research is the reason that the collections must be preserved at the highest level of care and must continue to grow; put simply, their future value to science, education, and society is incalculable and unknowable.  As technological advancements in research methodology allow us to learn even more from these collections, and as the landscapes, climate, and biodiversity of Earth continue to change from both natural and human-caused factors, biological research utilizing natural history collections will be the key to understanding these changes, making new discoveries, and finding new solutions.

Below are links to articles—many authored or coauthored by NSRL curators and staff—that describe the value and role of natural history collections in research, education, and scientific discovery.  Also, visit our Media page for links to television interviews, YouTube videos, and other media highlighting the NSRL, and read our NSRL newsletter for annual updates of NSRL-based research studies, grants, publications, student accomplishments, outreach activities, and more.

Baker, R. J., L. C. Bradley, H. J. Garner, and R. D. Bradley. 2014. "Door to drawer" costs of curation, installation, documentation, databasing, and long-term care of mammal voucher specimens in natural history collections. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 323:1-15. 

Bakker, F. T., et al. (20 addl. authors). 2020. The Global Museum: natural history collections and the future of evolutionary science and public education. PeerJ, DOI 10.7717/peerj.8225.

Bradley, R. D., L. C. Bradley, H J. Garner, and R J. Baker. 2012. Cost of collecting and preparing mammal voucher specimens for natural history collections. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 313:1-14. 

Bradley, R. D., L. C. Bradley, H. J. Garner, and R. J. Baker. 2014. Assessing the value of natural history collections and addressing issues regarding long-term growth and care. BioScience 64:1150-1158. 

Cook, J. A., et al. (16 addl. authors). 2014. Natural history collection as emerging resources for innovative education. BioScience 64(8):725-734. 

Cook J. A., et al. (13 addl. authors). 2020. Integrating biodiversity infrastructure into pathogen discovery and mitigation of emerging infectious diseases. Bioscience 70:531–534. 

Dunnum, J. L., R. Yanagihara, K. M. Johnson, B. Armien, N. Batsaikhan, L. Morgan, and J. A. Cook. 2017. Biospecimen repositories and integrated databases as critical infrastructure for pathogen discovery and pathobiology research. PLoS Neglected Tropical Dis eases 11:e0005133.

Galbreath, K. E., et al. (18 addl. authors). 2019. Building an integrated infrastructure for exploring biodiversity: field collections and archives of mammals and parasites. Journal of Mammalogy 100:382–393.

Hilton, E. J., G. J. Watkins-Colwell, and S. K. Huber. 2021. The expanding role of natural history collections. Icthyology and Herpetology 109:379-391. 

Hope, A. G., B. K. Sandercock, and J. L. Malaney. 2018. Collection of scientific specimens: benefits for biodiversity sciences and limited impats on communities of small mammals. BioScience 68:35-42.

Kemp, C. 2015. The endangered dead. Nature 518:292-294. 

Ladkin, N. E. Johnson, R. J. Baker, and S. Chatterjee. 2011. The use of collections in research and teaching at the Museum of Texas Tech University. University Museums and Collections Journal 3:127-135. 

Malaney, J. L., and J. A. Cook. 2018. A perfect storm for mammalogy: declining sample availability in a period of rapid environmental degradation. Journal of Mammalalogy 99:773–788.

Mares, M. A. 2009. Natural science collections: America's irreplaceable resource. BioScience 59:544-545.

McLean, B.S., et al (9 addl. authors). 2016. Natural history collections-based research: progress, promise, and best practices. Journal of Mammalogy 97:287-297.

Miller, S.E., et al (11 addl. authors). 2020. Building natural history collections for the twenty-first century and beyond. Bioscience 70:674-687.

Nachman, M. W., et al. 2023. Specimen collection is essential for modern science. PLoS Biology 21(11):e3002318.

National Science and Technology Council, Committee on Science, Interagency Working Group on Scientific Collections. 2009. Scientific collections: mission-critical infrastructure for federal science agencies. Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC. 

Patterson, B. D. 2002. On the continuing need for scientific collecting of mammals. Mastozoologia Neotropical 9:253-262.

Powers, K. E., L. A. Prather, J. A. Cook, J. Woolley, H. L. Bart, Jr., A. K. Monfils, and P. Sierwald. 2014. Revolutionizing the use of natural history collections in education. Science Education Review 13(2):24-33. 

Schindel, D. E., and J. A. Cook. 2018. The next generation of natural history collections. PLoS Biol 16:e2006125.

Schmitt, C. J., J. A. Cook, K. R. Zamudio, and S. V. Edwards. 2018. Museum specimens of terrestrial vertebrates are sensitive indicators of environmental change in the Anthropocene. Philosophical Transactions, Royal Society of London, B 374:20170387.

Suarez, A. V., and N. D. Tsutsui. 2004. The value of museum collections for research and society. BioScience 54:66-74.

Thompson, C. W., et al. (14 addl. authors). 2021. Preserve a voucher specimen! The critical need for integrating natural history collections in infectious disease studies. American Society for Microbiology 12(1):e02698-20.