Collections

Museum and Archival Research Services are located in the Red Barn at Bear Valley.

NPS Photo

The Point Reyes National Seashore Museum stewards collections of natural history specimens, archeology, historic objects, and archives. The collections are accessible to the public for research, exhibits, and educational use by appointment only. Learn how to access the collections.

 

 

Overview

• The museum's archives contain over 754,690 records, photographs, documents, maps, plans, drawings, and administrative documents.
• The museum's cultural and natural history collections currently consist of 22,610 artifacts, objects, and specimens. Records and documents associated with the museum's cultural and natural resources collections are in the park's archives.
• Non-federal museum and university collection repositories often house NPS collections resulting from approved and permitted research project collecting. Completed research permit project reports, and information on how to obtain a research permit are available at the Integrated Resource Management Applications (IRMA) portal website.
• In order to expand the research potential of the collections, the museum actively collects within our scope of collections.
• The Point Reyes National Seashore Museum provides online access to collections at NPS Museum Catalog. We currently have over 1,000 records with images online. Digitization of collections is an ongoing effort. Digitized collections available on the NPS Museum Catalog are always growing, so check back often.
• Non-federal repositories holding NPS collections often provide online database access to objects, specimens, associated records, articles, and reports that you won't find in the NPS Museum Catalog.

Cultural Collections

• Artifacts, archives, and art document prehistoric Coast Miwok material culture, 16th century explorers of the area, Mexican settlements, and the dairy ranching and coastal maritime history of West Marin.

Natural History Collections

• Natural History collections represent type specimens collected within the park boundary.
• Biology includes Botany (plants), Mammology (mammals), Ornithology (birds), Entomology (insects), and Icthyology (fish).
• Geology (rocks and minerals) and Paleontology (fossils).

Archives

• Manuscripts, photographs, maps, and oral histories from the Gold Rush era to present.
• Federal repository for Point Reyes National Seashore's permanent records (1962–present) documenting resource management and administration of the park.

Research Library

• Non-circulating books, audio visual media, and subject reference files of print materials.
  • These focus on the themes described above, particularly rare and unpublished materials.
• Papers, studies, theses, dissertations, and journal articles produced through contemporary scientific studies and research at the park on natural and cultural topics.