Why Museums?
Because they serve as a major repository of data concerning agriculture, public health, ecology, biodiversity, biochemistry and genomics.
The primary purpose of the Arthropod Museum is to provide long-term safe storage facilities for arthropod specimens representing the American Southwest and northern Mexico, with a special emphasis on arthropods from the state of New Mexico. The collections provide researchers with study specimens representing local arthropod taxa, as well as providing researchers with a repository for voucher specimens representing taxa identified from scientific research projects. All New Mexico collections are currently in the process of accessioning all the specimens into a computer database, which provides information on taxonomic holdings, as well as other information associated with each specimen such as locality, collection date, host data, and other information.
The Arthropod Museum provides limited facilities and workspace for research systematists, taxonomists, ecologists, and educators to conduct research and education activities oriented towards Southwest arthropods. Voucher specimen and reference specimen research collections are primarily limited to Southwest region, but NMSU researchers may also maintain research collections for projects outside of the region. However, the Museum does not routinely accession specimen from outside of Southwest region. The collections also provide expert arthropod personnel for education and research contracts for the university community, and for outside public organization.
Accession and deaccession policies are developing under and are expected to mirror those of other regional university collections. The museum policy on collecting permits in place since 1993 is that all appropriate permits must be obtained for collection on federal, state or other lands requiring a permit.
Specimens may be loaned to qualified researchers for a period no longer than three years. To arrange for a loan of material contact Graeme Davis.