About

The What's in a Name? exhibit includes four interactive kiosks embedded into existing exhibits at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. The project is a partnership between Harvard Museums of Science and Culture (HMSC), the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL), and the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL), as represented by the Ernst Mayr Library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University. This project was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Project Partners

	The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 35,000 museums. Our mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Our grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive.
	The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) is a consortium of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences museums. HMSC comprises the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, the Harvard Semitic Museum, and the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments. HMSC’s mission is to foster curiosity and a spirit of discovery in visitors of all ages, enhancing public understanding of and appreciation for the natural world, science and human cultures.
	Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) is a free, online resource for species information.  The EOL Learning + Education Group, based at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, works with partner organizations to create or foster the development of educational tools and materials that encourage collaboration, participation, and in-depth exploration about biodiversity by learners worldwide.  For ideas about how to use EOL in education, visit education.eol.org.
	Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is an international consortium of the world’s leading natural history libraries that have collaborated to digitize the public domain literature documenting the world’s biological diversity, resulting in the single, largest, open-licensed source of biodiversity literature. In partnership with the Internet Archive and through local digitization efforts, the BHL has digitized millions of pages of taxonomic literature. The Ernst Mayr Library at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard is a founding member of the Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Image Credits
Periclimenes imperator by Doug Anderson, Flickr: EOL Group. CC BY-NC; Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) by Mdf, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA; Calopogon pallidus by Bob Peterson, Flickr: EOL Images. CC BY-SA Mycena viscidocruenta by Arthur Chapman, Flickr: EOL Images. CC BY-NC-SA; Springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis by James Anderson via Flickr: EOL Images. CC BY-NC-SA; Turquoise Shield Bug, Edessa rufomarginata by Bernard Dupont via Flickr: EOL Images. CC BY-SA; Cyclosalpa by Edith Widder, via EOL. CC BY-NC-SA