MCZ specimen cabinets

MCZ Collections Operations

Database & Digitization

The MCZ contains over 21-million specimens in ten research collections. Many of these collections have their specimen data captured and accessible for analyses, such as georeferencing. Data capture for the remaining collections within the MCZ is an ongoing museum-wide priority.

The museum has migrated its legacy specimen records from multiple independent sources to a single centralized database, MCZbase. This new database conforms to recognized standards for natural history collections including the ability to manage and track collection management duties, as well as make the MCZ's historically and scientifically significant holdings available to researchers and the public alike. In addition, specimen images, if available, are linked to the relevant data record and are readily accessible through the standard searching protocols.

MCZbase also meets standards for biodiversity databases and will facilitate numerous worldwide collaborations including, but not limited to, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).  This powerful and scalable tool runs on the Arctos platform, and the MCZ has actively joined in its further development with the University of Alaska Museum of the North and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California at Berkeley.