{"references": ["Barnosky A.D., Matzke N., Tomiya S., Wogan G.O.U., Swartz B., Quental T.B., Marshall C. McGuire J.L., Lindsey E.L, Maguire K.C., Mersey B., Ferrer E.A. 2011. Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived? Nature 471: 51\u201357. DOI:10.1038/nature09678", "Bok\u0142ak E., G\u0119bicki C., Szwedo J. 2003. Zbiory piewik\u00f3w (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha et Cicadomorpha) Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skiego w Bytomiu z dawnych i obecnych teren\u00f3w Polski. Acta entomologica silesiana 9\u201310: 5\u201321.", "Brundige E. 1991. The decline of the Library and Museum of Alexandria. http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/alex.htm.", "Ceballos G., Ehrlich P.R., Barnosky A.D., Garc\u00eda A., Pringle R.M., Palmer T.M. 2015. Accelerated modern human-induced species losses: Entering the sixth mass extinction. Science Advances 1(5), e1400253: 1\u20135. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400253", "Dobosz R. 2011. Geneza, rozw\u00f3j i znaczenie zbior\u00f3w przyrodniczych, pp. 243\u2013276, In: Dobkowski M., Drabina J. (Eds.), Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie w Bytomiu. 100 lat dziej\u00f3w. Bytom, Upper Silesian Museum. [in Polish]", "Drescher E. 1928. Das Gebiet Ellguth, Kreis Grottkau O/S. I Teil: Flora und Fauna des Wassers. Sondernabdruck der Wissenschaftlichen Sonderbeilage zum 39. Bericht den Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft \"Philomathie\" in Neisse, pp. viii + 120.", "Drohojowska J., Burckhardt D. 2014. The jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) of Turkey: A checklist and new records. Turkish Journal of Zoology 38: 559\u2013568. DOI: 10.3906/zoo-1307-15", "Dro\u0144 M. 2011. Muzeum \u015al\u0105skie i Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie w Bytomiu 1945-1991, pp. 45\u201366, In: Dobkowski M., Drabina J. (Eds.), Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie w Bytomiu: 100 lat dziej\u00f3w. Bytom, Upper Silesian Museum. [in Polish]", "Ebach M.C., Valdecasas A.G., Wheeler Q.D. 2011. Impediments to taxonomy and users of taxonomy: accessibility and impact evaluation. Cladistics 27: 550\u2013557. DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2011.00348.x", "Eldredge N. 2001. The sixth extinction. American Institute of Biological Sciences ActionBioscience.org. Article archived 8 December 2009, accessed at https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/extinction/pdfs/Eldridge-6th-extinction.pdf", "Emeljanov A.F. 2005. Novye rody i vidy sem. Achilidae (Homoptera) [New genera and species of the family Achilidae (Homoptera)]. Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie 84(1): 10\u201345. [in Russian].", "Enghoff H., Seberg O. 2006. A taxonomy of taxonomy and taxonomists. The Systematist 27: 13\u201315.", "Evenhuis N.L. 2007. Helping solve the \"other\" taxonomic impediment: completing the eight steps to total enlightenment and taxonomic nirvana. Zootaxa 1407: 3\u201312.", "Fleming D. 2015. The essence of the museum: mission, values, vision, pp. 3\u201325, In: McCarthy C. (Ed.), The international handbooks of museum studies. Vol. 2. Museum Practice. First Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. DOI: 10.1002/9781118829059.wbihms201", "Gierlasi\u0144ski G., Ch\u0142ond D., Taszakowski A., Lis B. 2019. Zajadkowate (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) Polski: przegl\u0105d systematyczny, rozmieszczenie, klucz do oznaczania. Heteroptera Poloniae \u2013 Acta Faunistica 13 (in press).", "Gierlasi\u0144ski G., Taszakowski A., Lis B. 2019. Stilt bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Berytidae) of Poland: check-list, distribution, bionomics. Fragmenta Faunistica 62(1): 1\u201325. DOI: 0.3161/00159301FF2019.62.1.001", "Godfray H.C.J. 2002a. Challenges for taxonomy. Nature 417: 17\u201319.", "Godfray H.C.J. 2002b. How might more systematics be funded. Antenna 26(1): 11\u201317.", "Gonz\u00e1lez J.M., Domaga\u0142a P., Larysz A. 2013. The giant butterfly-moths (Lepidoptera Castniidae) of the Upper Silesian Museum (Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie) in Bytom, Poland, with notes on the history of the Museum. Biodiversity Journal 4(1): 219\u2013228.", "Gorczyca J. 1998. A revision of Euchilofulvius (Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae). European Journal of Entomology 95: 93\u201398.", "Gorczyca J. 1999. On the Euchilofulvius\u2013complex (Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae). Genus 10: 1\u201312.", "Gorczyca J. 2006. The catalogue of the subfamily Cylapinae Kirkaldy, 1903 of the World (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Miridae). Monographs of the Upper Silesian Museum 5: 1\u2013100.", "Gorczyca J. 2015. Peritropis waclawi, a new species of Cylapinae from Namibia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae). Polish Journal of Entomology 84: 271\u2013274.", "Gorczyca J., Herczek A., Wolski A., Dobosz R. 2016. A new genus and species of Cylapinae from Namibia (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae). Entomologica Americana 122: 104\u2013109.", "Heiss E. 1999. A new genus of apterous Carventinae from Madagascar: Stysaptera gen. n. with description of two new species (Heteroptera: Aradidae). Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemicae 63: 85\u201392.", "IPBES [Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services] 2019. Nature's dangerous decline 'unprecedented'; species extinction rates 'accelerating'. https://www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment", "Iwan D. 2007. Rola muze\u00f3w przyrodniczych w badaniach bior\u00f3\u017cnorodno\u015bci. Wszech\u015bwiat 108: 117\u2013123.", "Johnson E.D. 1970. History of libraries in the western World. Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen: 521 pp.", "Lis B. 1996. Tingidae of Poland - a faunistic review (Hemiptera: Heteroptera). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 6\u20137: 263\u2013298.", "Lis J.A. 1989a. A review of the Polish Dipsocoromorpha (Heteroptera, Euheteroptera). Roczniki Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skiego w Bytomiu, Entomologia 12: 61\u201366.", "Lis J.A. 1989b. Shield-bugs of Poland (Heteroptera, Pentatomoidea) \u2013 a faunistic review. I. Plataspidae, Thyreocoridae, Scutelleridae and Acanthosomidae. Polskie Pismo Entomologiczne 59: 27\u201383.", "Lis J.A. 1989c. Pluskwiaki r\u00f3\u017cnoskrzyd\u0142e (Insecta: Heteroptera) Wy\u017cyny \u015al\u0105skiej. Roczniki Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skiego w Bytomiu, Przyroda 12: 5\u201360.", "Lis J.A. 1990a. Flat-bugs (Heteroptera, Aradidae) of Poland \u2013 a faunistic review. Polskie Pismo Entomologiczne 59: 511\u2013525.", "Lis J.A. 1990b. Shield-bugs of Poland (Heteroptera, Pentatomoidea) \u2013 a faunistic review. Pentatomidae. Roczniki Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skiego w Bytomiu, Entomologia 1: 5\u2013102.", "Lis J.A. 1990c. Studies on the Oriental Cydnidae (Heteroptera) II. Three new genera and species. Bonner Zoologische Beitr\u00e4ge 41: 223\u2013229.", "Lis J.A. 1991. Studies on the Oriental Cydnidae. V. Three new species of the genus Macroscytus Fieber (Heteroptera). Annals of the Upper Silesian Museum, Entomology 2: 209\u2013215", "Lis J.A. 1994. A revision of Oriental burrower bugs (Heteroptera: Cydnidae). Upper Silesian Museum, Bytom: 349 pp.", "Lis J.A. 1999. Revision of the genus Macroscytus (Heteroptera: Cydnidae) in Madagascar and adjacent islands, with description of four new species. European Journal of Entomology 96: 427\u2013437.", "Lis J.A. 2000. A revision of the burrower-bug genus Macroscytus Fieber, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae). Genus 11(3): 359\u2013509.", "Lis J.A., Ziaja D.J. 2014. New records of Namibian burrower bugs (Heteroptera: Pentatomoidea: Cydnidae). Heteroptera Poloniae\u2013Acta Faunistica 8: 5\u20138.", "Lis J.A., Lis B., Ziaja D.J., Dobosz R. 2014. Description and DNA barcoding of Ochetostethomorpha secunda, a new species of the South African endemic burrower bug genus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cydnidae) from Namibia. Zootaxa 3884 6): 561\u2013566. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3884.6.4", "Miller J.R. 2005. Biodiversity conservation and the extinction of experience. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 20: 430\u2013434.", "Nadolski P. 2011. G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie Muzeum Krajowe w Bytomiu 1932\u20131945, pp. 31\u201344, In: Dobkowski M., Drabina J. (Eds.), Muzeum G\u00f3rno\u015bl\u0105skie w Bytomiu: 100 lat dziej\u00f3w. Bytom, Upper Silesian Museum. [in Polish]", "Pereira H.M., Navarro L.M., Martins I.S. 2012. Global biodiversity change: the bad, the good, and the unknown. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 37: 25\u201350. DOI: 10.1146/annurev-environ-042911-093511", "Pimm S.L., Jenkins C.N., Abell R., Brooks T.M., Gittleman J.L., Joppappa L.N., Raven P.H., Roberts C.M., Sexton J.O. 2014. The biodiversity of species and their rates of extinction, distribution, and protection. Science 344(6187): 987. DOI: 10.1126/science.1246752", "Poikalainen V. 2001. Paleolithic art from the Danube to Lake Baikal. Folklore 18\u201319: 1\u201316.", "Samways M.J. 2007. Rescuing the extinction of experience. Biodiversity and Conservation 16: 1995\u20131997.", "Stokes D.L. 2006. Conservators of experience. BioScience 56: 6\u20137.", "Stroi\u0144ski A. 2010. Paici cassani gen. et sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) from New Caledonia. Annales Zoologici 60(4): 573\u2013582.", "Szwedo J. 2007. Taxonomy and EDIT \u2013 Toward of European Distributed Institute of Taxonomy. Genus, International Journal of Invertebrate Systematics, Supplement 14: 11\u201333.", "Szwedo J., Iwan D. 2008. To survive or to flourish? Status and role of natural history museums in the biodiversity research. Polish taxonomical monographs 15: 55\u201369.", "Tollefson J. 2019. Humans are driving one million species to extinction. Nature 569: 171. DOI:10.1038/d41586-019-01448-4", "Turvey S.T., Crees J.J. 2019. Extinction in the Anthropocene. Current Biology 29(19): R982\u2013R986. DOI:10.1016/j.cub.2019.07.040", "Vinarski M.V. 2019. The roots of the taxonomic impediment: Is the 'integrativeness' a remedy? Integrative Zoology: 1\u201325. DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12393.", "Wheeler Q.D. 2004. Taxonomic triage and the poverty of phylogeny. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, B, 359: 571\u2013583. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2003.1452", "Wilson E.O. 1992. The diversity of life. Belknap Press, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts: 424 pp.", "Woolley L. 1952. Ur of the Chaldees: a record of seven years of excavation. Penguin Books Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: 192 pp."]}

A short rationale and historical background of the Upper Silesian Museum and its Department of Natural History is presented. The authors also discuss the mission of the museum as exemplified by the Natural History Department of the Upper Silesian Museum in Bytom. The collections of material of the hemipteran insects – Heteroptera, Fulgoromorpha, Cicadomorpha, and Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea deposited in the collection of USMB is presented. The type specimens from USMB collection are listed and figured, these specimens cover representatives of the families Miridae, Cydnidae, Achilidae and Ricaniidae.