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extensive use of computers. Almost half of the Museum's inventory effort to date is directed to the archeology-ethnology collection. The completion date for this collection is fall 1981. Inventories on the carnivore and the large mammal collections are moving along rapidly, and work on the fossil fish collection and the Burgess shale collection is ahead of schedule. Progress has been recorded on the mollusk collection, and the initial inventory of the gem and mineral collection is complete and will be verified this year. Fourteen pilot projects designed to prepare other collections for inventorying in future years are underway, or are about to be initiated. These include the massive collections of plants, insects, marine and fresh water invertebrates. 

Funds will also be needed in future years for the maintenance and updating of the collections inventory at the Museum and at the Support Center. This will be a continuing activity and resources will be required to sustain these efforts.

Progress continues to be made in other program areas of the Museum. As part of the long-range exhibitions plan, a permanent exhibit on evolution opened in May 1979, and the Dinosaur Hall was closed in June 1979 to begin a major renovation of the fossil exhibit area. Research results continue to be published through the Institution's series publications, books, articles, and monographs. The popularity of the Handbook of North American Indians has exceeded expectations, and with the first two volumes on Indians of [[underlined]]California[[/underlined]] and the [[underlined]]Northeast[[/underlined]] selling out within a few months of their release dates. Both have had second printings, and these are also selling out. The first of two volumes on [[underlined]]Southwest[[/underlined]] Indians is scheduled to be available in December 1979. The [[underlined]]Subarctic[[/underlined]] volume and the volume on [[underlined]]Indians in Contemporary Society[[/underlined]] will be published in 1980. Some additional funds to cover increased production costs may be necessary later in the planning period before the entire seventeen volumes can be completed (estimates place this need at approximately $100,000), but further study is necessary before a request is made.

Increasing the amount of federal support available to individual scientists to achieve resource equality with other federal research organizations remains a high priority of the Museum. Added resources over the planning period will continue to be sought for this purpose.

Regarding planned building improvements and the correction of fire and safety hazards, work will begin in the fall of 1980 on the north and south entrances to provide ease of access and better safety conditions. Improvements for handicapped access will be made on the Constitution Avenue side and will bring the building into compliance with existing regulations. Over the planning period, strong efforts will be made to correct deficiencies in the sprinkler systems, alarms, and other equipment in this sixty-year-old building. While the Natural History Building contains the most serious problems, other buildings of the Institution have fire detection and prevention problems to be addressed over the next