The collections are constituted mainly of Paleozoic specimens from the United States with emphasis on the Carboniferous System. It also includes the largest collection of the Jurassic Solnhofen Limestone in the North America, a significant assemblage of invertebrates from the Bear Gulch Limestone (lagerstatten) of Montana, and an extensive collection of Devonian siliceous sponges of the Appalachian Basin.

Since the Section's inception its staff have been dedicated to the premise that the collections should be used in the same way as books in a library are. The utilization of the Section's collections in education, exhibitions, and research is a primary goal of the staff. Furthermore, Section personnel are dedicated to promoting educational programs on invertebrate paleontology and geology.

Currently the Section has prepared and is preparing a number of online educational tours on geology and paleontology, and has promoted these disciplines via membership in the friends group PAlS (patrons and lauradanae supporters). Section research deals with Late Paleozoic climatic changes and their biotic impact, paleobiology of late Paleozoic trilobites, Appalachian Cambrian trilobites, and late Paleozoic reef ecology and biodiversity.