Curatorial Requirements for Research Permits

PARK NAME is committed to providing scientific, technical, and administrative support in part of fulfilling the National Park Service (NPS) core mission to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the NPS for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. All scientific research in a national park requires a permit. To apply for a permit use the Research Permit and Reporting System (RPRS).

Curatorial responsibilities of the permit holder are outlined in the conditions section of the permit and on this page. A Curatorial Toolkit for Research Permits is also available to provide resources and guides for collected specimens and samples.

Before Arriving at the Park

After a permit has been approved in the NPS RPRS, the permit holder must contact the park curator to obtain basic identification information for the research project. It is important that this is done before arriving at the park, since curatorial staff may not be available onsite during research activities. The permit holder must provide the following to the park curator:

• Permit number.

• Sponsoring institution name, telephone number, mailing address, and email address.

• Permit holder name, telephone number, mailing address, and email address.

• Start and end dates of the permit.

• A description of the types of project documentation generated as part of the research.
• A description of the number and types of specimens and/or samples to be collected for retention.
• A description of the number and types of specimens and/or samples to be collected for consumption/destructive analysis.

• Planned start and end dates of collecting activities.

The park curator must provide the following to the permit holder:

• Accession number.

• Answers to any questions about NPS curatorial requirements.

During Collecting

The permit holder is responsible for gathering complete information required for cataloging any specimens or samples which are to be retained as part of the research project. It is highly recommended that the permit holder review NPS cataloging requirements before collecting to ensure required data is captured for each specimen or sample that is to be retained. Optional worksheets with NPS minimum data requirements for cataloging are available in the Curatorial Toolkit for Research Permits.

Director’s Order #77: Natural Resource Protection, Natural Resource Management Reference Manual #77 (2001) requires Universal Transverse Mercator Grid (UTM) coordinates [longitude/latitude] for all retained specimens and samples to integrate each into the Geographic Information System (GIS).

After Collecting

In accordance with Directors Order #24: NPS Museum Collections Management (2008), projects involving NPS resources must provide for all costs and labor required for the initial management of project-generated documentation and collections including cataloging, labeling, specimen/sample preparation, and housing and storage.

Update the Park Curator

After collecting, the permit holder must contact the park curator to attain basic information to account for the deliverables generated in part of the research project and provide the following:

• Accession number.

• Permit number.

• Start and end dates of the permit.

• Dates collecting began and ended.

• A description of the total of specimens/samples retained.
• A description of the total of specimens/samples consumed/destroyed during analysis.

The park curator must provide the following to the permit holder:

• Catalog number assigned to project documentation.

• Catalog number for each retained specimen and/or sample.

Project Documentation Preparation

The permit holder is responsible for all costs and labor associated with the preparation of project documentation generated as part of the permit. Physical project documentation must be printed on acid-free paper and electronic project documentation must be stored on either a CD or DVD. The accession number associated with the permit and the catalog number associated with the accretion of project documentation must be included on the cover of each component of the project documentation. Cite specimen or sample catalog numbers when referencing in project documentation.

Specimen and Sample Cataloging, Labeling, and Preparation

The permit holder is responsible for all costs and labor associated with cataloging, labeling, and preparation of all specimens and samples retained for the project. Do not catalog specimens or samples that are consumed or destroyed as part of the analysis of the research project. Guidance on cataloging, labeling, and preparing most types of specimens and samples and templates for cataloging are provided in the Curatorial Toolkit for Research Permits. If a specimen or sample preparation type is not included, contact the park curator for further guidance.

Submitting Curatorial Deliverables

When submitting curatorial deliverables, the permit holder must provide the following to the park curator:

• DI-105 Receipt of Property [available in the Curatorial Toolkit for Research Permits].
• Two copies of all project documentation generated in part of the research project including:

1. Data derived from all specimens and samples consumed or destroyed as part of the research project.
2. An electronic copy of catalog records for all retained specimens and samples inputted onto the discipline specific ICMS Data Import Template saved in MS Excel format on a CD or DVD.
3. Original project documentation must be included for NPS funded projects.

• All retained specimens and samples cataloged, labeled, and prepared to NPS standards.

The DI-105 Receipt of Property must identify:

• Accession number associated with the research project.
• An itemized inventory of the project documentation with its catalog number.
• An itemized inventory of each retained specimen and sample with catalog numbers.

If the permit holder fails to deliver these materials within 1 year of the issuance of an accession number being issued for the research project, future permit applications may be refused.

Access and Use of Specimens and Samples

Following the receipt of the research project’s curatorial deliverables, the park curator will finalize the accessioning and cataloging transactions as needed so that the materials can be made available as part of the park’s museum collection. For a repository approved in the permitting process, the park curator is responsible for coordinating an outgoing loan agreement. Once the terms and conditions of the outgoing loan agreement have been agreed and endorsed officially by the park superintendent and the repository’s signatory official, the park curator will coordinate the transport of the applicable specimen(s) or sample(s) to the repository.

Access and use requests for NPS museum collections stored at the Museum Resource Center in Landover, Maryland are managed by the national park of origin. Requests for access and use of NPS collections stored at an alternative repository should be directed to the repository. Per the terms of the outgoing loan agreement, the repository is responsible for collections management of those NPS museum collections under their stewardship for the duration of the loan. Each NPS unit reserves the right to request the return of loaned specimens or samples should the repository fail to meet the terms and conditions of the outgoing loan agreement.