USNM Curators Annual Reports: Department of Insects, C. V. Riley's Report, 1883-1884

Keeping accurate records is essential in any undertaking, museum or otherwise. Determining what is important to document and what is less significant requires expertise, objectivity and often dialog. C. V. Riley, the inaugural curator of the United States National Museum's Department of Insects, had personally contributed a large amount of insects specimens to help establish a collection at the museum. In this curator's annual report, we get an inkling of what this dialog about significance looked like. Join us in transcribing this brief report from 1884 to learn more. For more information about the Archives' collection of the United States National Museum curators' annual reports, explore the finding aid on their website.