Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko. National University of Lviv is one of the oldest university museums in Europe. It is based, as the Cabinet of Natural History in 1784. Status of the Zoological Museum became February 25, 1885 according to the order of the Rector.
The scientific collections of the museum include more than 180,000 exhibits of which about 10,000 form the exposition. The museum funds represent fauna of all continents and all water areas of the World. Today the museum has four rooms, corridor-gallery, repository and the working premises with total area of 469.4 m2.
Museum collections are of exceptional importance for science and practically not subject to playback in case of loss or damage. They are important sources of research problems changes of the environment, conservation and restoration of biodiversity as the functioning of the biosphere. It is practically the only form of property scientifically documented confirmation of species diversity and changes in habitats of animals that can be subjected to critical revision by modern taxonomy.
In 2003 Additional information about the Zoological Museum of was included in the 9th edition of the Catalogue Museums in the World (Leipzig, Germany) and since then, published annually in subsequent editions.
In the same year description Ornithological collections of the museum came to review of major European collections of birds (An inventory of major European bird collections, 2003). In addition, descriptions and pictures of B. Dybowski Kamchatka collections as well as information about the museum published the book Maria Dybovskaya "Kamczatka i jej ludy autochtoniczne: w fotografiach, tekstach i eksponatach Benedykta Dybowskiego" (Warszawa, 2003).
February 11, 2004 by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine № 73-R in the register of objects of national heritage was made "Scientific collections and exhibition of the Zoological Museum of Lviv University." The exposition of the Museum formed on a systematic basis and has a circular shape.
As the public, the museum registered in the Lviv Regional Management of culture and tourism of 7 September 2007.
In March 2012, a collection of insects and arachnids Museum registered in a special international based insects and spiders in the World (The Insect and Spider Collections of the World: Full Collections List, http://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/codens/codens-inst.html) with the acronym ZMD.
In the same 2012, the collection of the Museum included in the database Biodiversity Collections Index code 113692 (http://biocol.org/find-biorepositories?title=&field_institution_acronym_value=ZMD&combine=Lviv).
Due to the significant contributions to the development of Ukrainian museology, merit in forming and maintaining the Museum's Ukraine, the promotion of national cultural heritage, the order number 189 of December 27, 2012 Department of Culture of the Lviv Regional State Administration the Zoological Museum of Lviv University awarded the honorary title of "PUBLIC MUSEUM".
In March 2013 the Zoological Museum of Lviv University included in the Global Registry Biological Repositories, and now the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (http://grscicoll.org/institution/benedict-dybowski-zoological-museum).
The Zoological Museum operates on the internal order of the Lviv University. At the museum carried tours for students and university staff and visitors to the city and guests of our country. In recent years, museum staff, given tours, on average, for 7,000 people per year.
The exhibition and individual exhibits are used in conducting small workshops of zoology of invertebrates and vertebrates, a large workshop of zoology courses and special practice: ornithology, theriology, ethology, zoogeography, ecology (1-5 year). In addition, all museum exhibitions used for training and thematic tours pupils of secondary schools and other educational institutions from all over the state. The youngest visitors – children from kindergartens of the city. On the basis of museum collections pupils’ city and the region are preparing for Olympiads of biology and ecology at all levels, and in the halls of the Museum annually educational practice of I. Trush Lviv College of Decorative and Applied Arts.
Created, maintained and constantly updated web-page of the Museum (http://zoomus.lviv.ua/), created its Russian and English versions. For the convenience and preservation of the very old and rare collection of samples E.-F. Germar (1810-1845), the web-page of the museum placed their photos in the program ZOOMIFY (http://zoomus.lviv.ua/germar_collection/), that the allows you to examine objects at high magnifications.
Was created computer database collections of amphibians, mammals and typical examples of the Zoological Museum, filled – osteological, craniological and oological collections and collections echinoderms and reptiles. Available inventory books and are decorated - a Unified passport and Regulations of the Museum.
Museum staff have taken part in drawing up international annotated list of remains sea cow Hydrodamalis gigas (headed gathering by Dr. Stefano Mattioli of the University of Siena, Italy), disappeared mammalian species. In the world there are 27 complete skeletons of this animals and more than 550 bones, which are stored in 51 museums in 42 cities. Of these, skeleton and more than 100 bones in the Zoological Museum of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.