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to predict with certainty the level of grant and contract support SAO is likely to receive. Increased federal appropriations of about $14,200,000 will be required to fund programs and to maintain the quality of the Smithsonian's science operations.

[[underlined]] Museum of Natural History/Museum of Man. [[/underlined]] The Museum of Natural History/Museum of Man is recognized as a major international center for collections-based research and exhibits. Over the last fifteen years the Museum's growth has not been evenly balanced among its major functions of research, collection management, and exhibits. In the last several years, significant strides have been made to restore vitality to the exhibits program. A comprehensive inventory program has been initiated, and some support has been received in selected research areas. Over the planning period, increased attention will be placed on bringing the collection management program into better balance with the Museum's other major functions. Following the move of selected collections to the Museum Support Center, greater attention and resources will need to be applied to the remedial needs of those collections remaining in the Museum.

In the research area, the primary focus will continue to remain on individual research projects, which is proper for a world center collection-based research organization. Greater attention also will be placed during this planning period on cluster-type research programs. These programs will be designed to encompass a number of scientific disciplines in an integrated approach to studies of the environment, productivity, and adaptation. While resources for these programs will generally be solicited from outside sources, some increases will be sought to augment selected new efforts. In addition, in FY 1984 and future years selected increases will be sought to support the publishing efforts of the permanent staff and to increase the existing base for equipment necessary for the conduct of laboratory and field research.

In the exhibits program a major milestone was reached with the opening of the Dinosaur Hall in December 1981. During the planning period, work will come to completion on two other paleontology halls. Work has already begun on a new complex of halls treating biological diversity, to be located in the current Whale Hall and adjacent halls. An active schedule of shows is planned for the Thomas M. Evans Special Exhibits Gallery (the Institution's temporary exhibit gallery located in the Museum), and work will be continued on maintenance and correction of deficiencies in the Museum's present halls and galleries.

The inventory of the Museum's holdings continues on schedule, with completion expected in FY 1983. When finished, the inventory file will contain over 2,500,000 records, many of them covering batches of specimens. The information will be of immediate practical importance to the Museum as the move of collections to the Museum Support Center gets under way in 1983. It is essential that the inventory files be maintained on a current basis both at the Museum and at the Museum Support Center, and this will require continuation of funding for inventory support.