About the Digital Collections Library

The University of Georgia Museum of Natural History (GMNH) was founded in 1801 by Josiah Meigs. In 1978, UGA defined all existing collections on campus as the Museum of Natural History, and in 1999 the Georgia General Assembly officially recognized this entity as the official State Museum of Natural History. The museum has over 7 million curated specimens across a diversity of disciplines from within the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences, including Archaeology, Entomology, Botany, Geology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Mammology, Mycology, Ornithology, and Zooarcheology.  The mission of the Museum, as defined by the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences, is to preserve cultural and natural heritage, to provide instruction and foster stewardship among the people of Georgia to encourage scholarship and service relating to the collections.