The use of collections in research and teaching at the Museum of Texas Tech University

Abstract

Texas Tech University, located in Lubbock, Texas, is a multi-disciplinary institution conducting research and offering degrees in a multitude of academic, technological, and vocational fields. The museum supports the research and teaching mission of the university by preserving in its collections unique items of artistic, scientific, historic, and technological importance and protecting them for current and future research purposes. Museum science and heritage management students translate collections management concepts learned in the classroom into collections management practices within the Quaternary collections. The genetic resources collection provides resource material for use in both traditional and emerging research methodologies. The vertebrate paleontology collections are used in research, teaching and exhibits to generate and disseminate information for both academic and public audiences. These examples clearly demonstrate the value of the museum’s collections in supporting the university’s mission across disciplines and into the future.