Director's Message March 2000

This has already been a very busy year for the VMNH, and not even two months have gone by. On the administrative side of the Museum, we have received word that the IRS has approved our 501(c)(3) status as a tax-exempt, non-profit scientific and educational organization. This step is essential for our existence because we need to attract corporate philanthropy funding to meet our operating costs. Being tax-exempt qualifies us for a myriad of charitable funding, just as physical museums and cultural organizations. Much of our time has been focused on contacting funding agencies with the intent of securing the money we need to continue our operation.

January was also a busy month for our curatorial work. Four new papers have been submitted by staff for publication, and the material for the website has more than doubled in the past month, and we already have a major new upload in development. Frankly, we are astounded and delighted that we are getting so much done as a (so far) entirely voluntary group. 

There is new light at the end of the tunnel. We are glad to announce that the Virtual Museum of Natural History has recently acquired the services of Chaz and Jean Franklin, doing a job-share as our first Curators of Entomology. You can learn more about the Franklins in our Staff section, but let me say that we are delighted to welcome them to our staff, and we all are anxious to see their contributions to our organization.

So enjoy the new materials. Next month we hope to open our first gallery... stay tuned!

Please send e-mail to webmaster@curator.org with web site questions or comments.
Please send e-mail to director@curator.org with scientific questions or comments.
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Last modified: 10/10/04