USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Mollusks, 1891-1892

Curator William Healey Dall (1845-1927) submitted this handwritten report to the Director of the United States National Museum describing the work of the Department of Mollusks from July, 1891 to June, 1892. The number of new accessions had increased just a little compared to the year before, but duplicate specimens - that was another matter. Museums and other scientific organizations had a practice of loaning study collections to each other. However, the Department of Mollusks' backlog in processing duplicates limited what it could safely lend out. Had curator Dall and his team made any headway on this score? Join other volunteers and learn more about how the department balanced normal operations and backlogs.