Natural history collections (NHCs) are important resources for a diverse array of scientific fields Recent digitization initiatives have broadened the user base of NHCs, and new technological innovations are using materials generated from collections to address novel scientific questions Simultaneously, NHCs are increasingly imperiled by reductions in funding and resources Ensuring that NHCs continue to serve as a valuable resource for future generations will require the scientific community to increase their contribution to and acknowledgement of collections We provide recommendations and guidelines for scientists to support NHCs, focusing particularly on new users that may be unfamiliar with collections We hope that this perspective will motivate debate on the future of NHCs and the role of the scientific community in maintaining and improving biological collections

中文翻译：

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为 21 世纪及以后建立自然历史收藏

自然历史馆藏 (NHC) 是各种科学领域的重要资源 最近的数字化举措扩大了 NHC 的用户群，新技术创新正在使用馆藏产生的材料来解决新的科学问题 同时，NHC 越来越受到减少的威胁在资金和资源方面确保 NHC 继续作为子孙后代的宝贵资源将需要科学界增加对馆藏的贡献和认可 我们为科学家提供支持 NHC 的建议和指南，特别关注可能不熟悉馆藏的新用户我们希望这一观点将激发关于 NHC 的未来以及科学界在维护和改进生物馆藏方面的作用的辩论