Collections & Archives
Our scientific collections date back to our founding in 1857.
Our scientific collections have been built since that time and have been used to help define human understanding of nature, ecology, and the diversity of life in the United States. The Academy’s collections include:
Accessing our Collections & Archives
You can explore some of our specimens and collections by checking out our Google Arts & Culture page or by searching Arctos. Or you can explore historic and staff publications.
Want to learn more? Check out our behind-the-scenes tour of the Collections facility below. Plus, use the navigation to jump to a specific section.
About the Collection
Specimens in a collection are like a physical snapshot in time, containing irreplaceable information. Often, the knowledge that can be obtained through careful study of these authentic artifacts was not anticipated when the specimen was collected.
For example, a peregrine falcon collected in 1873 contains DNA, even though this molecule was unknown by scientists when the bird was put in our collections. Similarly, the eggs of this specimen might be compared with those of a more recent one to discover and quantify the effect of bioaccumulated toxins like DDT. In fact, egg shells from the 1800’s are thicker and have a stronger calcium and phosphorus matrix than do those collected in the 1960’s. As a result, peregrines became extirpated (locally extinct) in the eastern ¾ of the United States. Though the species has largely recovered (thanks to careful regulations, captive breeding, and reintroductions) the genetics of the population have changed. All of this is known because of specimens that were collected and preserved before the crisis occurred.
Through such natural history specimens, we have a physical, empirical record of the past. We can use these specimens to interpret our present place in history which then allows us to anticipate future conditions. This power to hold the past, understand the context of the present, and predict the future makes natural history collections an important and unique human resource.
Scientists and historians frequently access the collections while working on research projects. Nature Museum members and other groups also may have opportunities to take a special tour at the Collections Facility.
The museum collections have never been more accessible, thanks to grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. As of August 2012, every specimen in our collections was inventoried and digitally catalogued. Searches that used to take months now take minutes.
The number of specimens in each collection varies. Here is a “by the numbers” snapshot that just scratches the surface of the collections.
13,900
birds
11,200
bird eggs & nests
5,200
mammals
23,200
amphibian & reptiles
71,100
insects & spiders
113,300
mollusks
15,600
plants
500
linear feet of manuscripts & other paper records
1,300
motion picture films
2,300
cultural artifacts
100,000
photographic images
23,200
fossils
11,100
geologic specimens
Use & Access
The scientific collections and archives are stored at our off-site collections facility in the Ravenswood neighborhood. For research inquiries, please contact the Collections Department via email at collectionsinfo@naturemuseum.org. Research visits to the collections facility are by appointment only. Information regarding use of and access to the collections may be found by clicking here. We also have a non-lending library at the collections facility available for use on-site. The library catalogue is available through LibraryThing.
Our Education Department offers various programs for schools and teachers, such as Nature on the Go, that integrate specimens from the collections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact the Collections Department at collectionsinfo@naturemuseum.org with additional questions or inquiries.