[Taxacom] Budapest collections

[Scott Lyell Gardner]

This is important, regarding the National collections in Budapest.  Also 
Every museum in Hungary had its operating budget cut 50% this year.

-Scott


Begin forwarded message:

>  From: Merkl Otto<merkl at zoo.nhmus.hu>
>  Date: 7 June 2011 6:19:41 AM CDT
>  To: Brett Ratcliffe<bratcliffe1 at unl.edu>
>  Subject: Re: Budapest collections
>

>
>  Sorry for the long silence, but our situation is more than grim.
>
>  Many ten millions of forints were withdrawn from our museum, heating
>   and electricity are restricted; fortunately, this is summertime and
>   the days are sunny, but the winter months were quite harsh...
>  Purchase of insect pins, books and similar items are distant memory.
>   Reduction of wages and/or kicking out staff members are on the
>  horizon. Sending any parcel or letter is banned, or the receiver
>  should pay the mail cost. I take all opportunities to recruit
>  colleagues, relatives and friends of foreign coleopterists coming to
>   or leaving from Budapest to carry specimens (surprisingly, many
>  have  Hungarian connections), or amateur coleopterists are willing
>  to  carry specimens to be delivered in insect fairs and similar
>  events.
>
>  Moreover, the new government established a new university (for
>  soldiers and police or God knows for what) and they want to house it
>   in our  building where we wanted to move (for at least ten years).
>  At the moment we are ordered to remove everything within three years
>   (and some items this year) but they do not tell us where to go.
>  Everything means collections of mammals, birds, anthropology,
>  fossils, minerals, library, DNS lab and the whole permanent
>  exhibition which was renewed and opened last month! Even our
>  ministry cannot do anything against the highest decision makers
>  around the prime minister. The atmosphere in the museum is terrible.
>   Moreover, we cannot enter the museum before 8:00am and we have to
>  leave it in 16:30 pm, so my most effective two hours after 16:30 are
>   gone (the working hours are craziness when nothing sensible cannot
>  be done). Although the insect collections are in a separate building
>   (you know it), but the government wants to "reuse" this building too.
>
>  An article in the naturenews describes the situation quite
>  accurately; you can distribute it among your colleagues and friends:
>
>  http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110607/full/474139a.html
>
>  Best wishes: Otto
>
>
>  2011.03.14. 20:35 keltezéssel, Brett Ratcliffe írta:
>>
>>  Hello Otto:
>>
>>  There is some growing concern here about the future of the insect
>>  collections in Budapest given that the government would like to
>>  take over the facility.
>>  Do you have any more recent information? People here are wondering
>>  if there is anything they can do to help. Letter writing to
>>  officials? Emails? Could you let me know.
>>
>>  Brett


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
Brett C. Ratcliffe
Curator&  Professor
Systematics Research Collections
W436 Nebraska Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588-0514  U.S.A.

TEL: (402) 472-2614
FAX: (402) 472-8949
EMAIL: bratcliffe1 at unl.edu

Visit SCARAB CENTRAL and the Division of Entomology at
http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/index.htm

SCARAB WORKERS: World Directory
http://www-museum.unl.edu/research/entomology/workers/index2.htm

COLEOPTERISTS SOCIETY homepage
http://www.coleopsoc.org/





----- End forwarded message -----