The mission of the OSU Collection of Vertebrates (OSU COV) is to house collections as documentation of the vertebrate faunal history and biodiversity of Oklahoma, the United States, and those regions of the world where faculty and students of OSU conduct research and to maintain those collections in conditions that promote long-term conservation, education, and research. We will make those reference collections available for research or education to faculty, staff, and students of the Department of Zoology, the community of Oklahoma State University, authorized researchers from other institutions, and the public.

Natural history research collections serve as a foundation for research on the diversity, evolution, distribution, and conservation of wild species, and the composition, importance, and functioning of natural ecosystems. Just as libraries are archives of printed and recorded materials, natural history collections are archives for anthropological, botanical, geological, paleontological, and zoological objects and their associated data. The OSU COV, like most natural history collections, is made available to the scientific community either by personal visits, loans, or through electronic transfer of information. Although there are no public exhibits at the OSU COV, we provide outreach and educational opportunities to the community by giving tours to local groups and by providing specimens for educational programs.