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collect at an accelerating pace in order to preserve the material record of rapidly changing cultures.  In science there is a spiraling and intensifying need to collect, study and describe flora, fauna, rocks, and minerals of the earth in order to add to our understanding of the interlocking dependencies for survival.  Collections are invaluable baseline records against which to measure and evaluate change.

The Smithsonian has had 130 years of concern for collections, their need, and their use.  It has consistently resisted the acquisition of collections it has considered unjustified or inappropriate.  At the same time, the Institution has accepted its responsibilities to develop and preserve for use collections required for research and for the scientific, cultural, and technological record.

[[underline]]Components of the Museum Support Center[[underline]]

Collections storage is the fundamental purpose of the support center and reflects a high priority need to reclaim Mall exhibits space, attics, hallways, basements, and work spaces now encumbered with poorly and hazardously housed and often inaccessible specimens and objects.  The proposed Museum Support Center building will provide a major amount of new storage space for the proper housing and care of collections.  Included will be 187,000 square feet for the National Museum of Natural History, 28,000 for the National Museum of History and Technology, and 24,000 for other museums and galleries for a