Research institutions discarding collections?

[Chuck]

A claim was made on a different forum "we hear all the time about herbariums and insect collections being discarded from research institutions for political or ‘financial’ reasons."

Is there any substance to this? Is anyone aware of this occurring?

[wollastoni]

I have not in mind any example for "political" reasons.

For "financial" reasons, I am sure most minor museums with no more curator can't preserve well their collection and they have no other choice than discarding the collection, before or after a dermestidae invasion ...

[Jshuey]

It happens - but they do not get thrown away. They go to other institutions. I haven't heard of this from an entomological perspective, but herbaria in the Midwest have been consolidating. Indiana University took in most of the smaller university collections here. Missouri Botanical Gardens took in a bunch of orphans.

John