Introduction

This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.

Descriptive Entry

These records document the establishment and programs of the ASC. They include records and audiotapes of annual meetings and Board of Directors meetings, circa 1972-1987; outgoing correspondence of the ASC Secretary and Executive Director, 1972-1983, which contains extensive documentation on the founding of the organization; correspondence with member institutions; files concerning ASC committees and councils; records concerning an ASC-sponsored survey of systematics collections, circa 1976-1977; files regarding the ASC project "Development of a Center for Biosystematics Resources," which was supported by a contract with the United States Department of Energy, circa 1978-1981; records documenting ASC participation in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; records of ASC conferences and symposia; records of the ASC project Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States and the United States Territories, circa 1980; files regarding an ASC survey of endangered and protected species in the United States, circa 1978-1980; records documenting ASC projects under contracts with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, and other organizations; and copies of the ASC Newsletter.

Historical Note

The Association of Systematics Collections (ASC) is an international, non-profit organization of institutions that maintain biological collections. It was established on July 7, 1972 ... "To foster the care, management, preservation, and improvement of systematics collections and to facilitate their utilization in science and society." The ASC is responsible for coordinating development and implementation of plans to improve the condition and availability of biological collections. It fulfills its mission by providing representation for institutions housing systematics collections, encouraging interaction among those concerned with systematics collections and their use, and providing a forum for consideration of mutual problems. The ASC publishes a bimonthly ASC Newsletter and booklets on a variety of topical issues. It is governed by a Board of Directors and a permanent Secretariat.