The natural history museum of utah will improve the management and accessibility of fossil collections from the cleveland-lloyd dinosaur quarry, a world-famous site that preserves bones of the utah…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the University of Utah $1.165 million under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) on September 1, 2026, to improve management and accessibility of fossil collections from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry held by the Natural History Museum of Utah.

The University of Utah will prepare, conserve, curate, catalog, and digitize fossils and associated materials from the quarry, which preserves bones of Allosaurus fragilis and other animals. The project will result in complete cataloging of 3,000 previously un-curated specimens and development of an interactive quarry map integrating digital assets, enabling researchers, students, and the public to access individual specimens through imagery, 3D models, and associated collections data. A full-time project manager with paleontological preparation and curation experience will supervise a paid undergraduate digitization technician, two paid summer interns, and volunteer teams.

Performance occurs at the University of Utah's Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. The period of performance runs September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2029. The award is classified as a Project Grant, the standard assistance type under Museums for America for institution-led collections stewardship and public-facing initiatives.

The natural history museum of utah will improve the management and accessibility of fossil collections from the cleveland-lloyd dinosaur quarry, a world-famous site that preserves bones of the utah state fossil, the meat-eating dinosaur allosaurus fragilis, and other animals. The museum will recruit a full-time project manager with experience in paleontological preparation and curation techniques to supervise a paid undergraduate student digitization technician, teams of volunteers, and two paid summer interns to complete project activities. Primary activities will include the preparation, conservation, curation, cataloging, and digitization of the fossils and associated materials. The project will result in the complete cataloging of 3,000 previously UN-curated specimens and the development of an interactive quarry map that integrates digital assets, enabling researchers, students, and the public to access individual specimens, serving imagery, 3D models, and associated collections data.