Commentary 122(3).indd

a Scientifi c Resource.—Bird collections were founded and built during the heyday of global exploration. The mission of these collections through most of their history has been to document avian diversity and its distribution and to serve as a resource for research and education. As bird collections became established and grew, ornithology itself became a scientifi c discipline and broadly expanded its purview. Today, there are more professional ornithologists than at any time in history, and collections-related research represents only a small portion of the discipline. This is healthy. Collections are but one means through which we study birds. But we cannot be lulled into a view that the day of the collection is past—a decided risk when fewer ornithologists have direct experience either with collections or with the multidimensional strengths that a collections-based approach brings to science. Too li le a ention has been paid to the role of bird collections in science. This role is changing. Because we understand avian diversity be er than that of most other classes of organisms, the central goal for establishing bird collections would seem to be largely accomplished. As anyone studying avian diversity knows, however, much remains to be done: systematics, pa erns and processes of diff erentiation, and geographic variation in birds remain vigorous areas of new learning. But while those of us close to collections remain connected to these important questions, to others what we do is increasingly arcane. A er all (tongue in cheek), isn’t there already a fi eld guide? To an undiscriminating public, much of this work would seem to be done once a fi eld guide appears. And, indeed, explorations at that level in most regions are largely complete. But in other respects the scientifi c strengths of collections-based research are blossoming—with no end in sight to the fruits that can be borne. Bird collections are probably the strongest and most dependable shared resource in ornithology. Biological collections in general represent the original “big science” expenditures in the life sciences, antedating by centuries large contemporary endeavors such as genome projects. Long-term investments in the development and maintenance of collections have produced a resource equivalent in many respects to the mega-science facilities found in other disciplines (e.g. large telescopes or supercolliders). A key diff erence is that this resource has a useful lifespan that greatly exceeds that of mechanical facilities. Bird collections need to be viewed as a highly versatile and indispensable resource integral to the continued successful (and economical) pursuit of a wide range of subjects. Importantly, these subjects are no longer restricted to ornithology. Unlike other, contemporary “big science” projects, biological collections establish an object legacy—continuing sources of data that are repeatedly tapped to provide answers to questions about birds and environmental conditions. Many of these questions were not even imagined by those who have built these collections. Indeed, as the ways in which museum specimens are used multiplies with conceptual, technological, and environmental changes, it is clear that we need to refocus on how best to continue developing this resource.