Today's world demands dynamic programming of interest and future value to society. Museums can no longer be mere bastions of truth-containing, awe-inspiring examples of cultural and natural treasures. The modern natural history museum is a centre of active research, education, entertainment, culture, and often environmental conservation. Traditional policies governing collection use can no longer serve the multi-dimensional demands of museum activities, and also ensure the preservation of collections for posterity. Museums must redefine what constitutes the collections, and must shift the tradational roles and responsibilities for collections care. This includes stratifying the value and presumed longevity of the vatious parts of the collections based on differing potential uses, from open displays and invasive research, to type materials.