Comparative collections are key to facilitating anthropological, biogeographical, ecological, and ethnobiological interpretation of the dynamic natural and cultural history of human-animal interactions. The UVicZL, possibly the largest and most representative regional collection for species on the Northwest Coast (NWC), contains skeletal remains from over 2,500 animals compiled over 40 years. This research facility, used to identify zooarchaeological assemblages from sites across the NWC, allows researchers to reconstruct animal husbandry practices, biodiversity patterns, environmental conditions, and economic and trade systems. My research transforms the UVicZL collection into a discoverable, citable resource. Data repositories and aggregators, including Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), will give researchers access to digitized specimen attribute data annotated with linked open data including taxonomic, genomic, Indigenous nomenclature, skeletal element ontology, and geospatial data. An accessible annotated collection can stimulate research that spans disciplines, bridges cultural barriers, and stimulates research questions about species biodiversity, animal domestication and exploitation, landscape modification, and responses to climate change based on past environmental conditions, regional heritage, and biological information. Improving collection discovery and access stimulates interdisciplinary research and facilitates a deep-time perspective of human and animal ecological and cultural relationships to improve future environmental and resource management techniques.