SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MUSEUM                         Printable version
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS ACCESS AND USE
POLICY AND PROCEDURES
11/23/2004

Policy
The purpose of a Collections Access and Use Policy for the San Bernardino County Museum (hereafter, SBCM or Museum) is to support the availability and dissemination of collections material and information consistent with the Museum's stewardship responsibilities.

As a San Bernardino County institution, the Museum holds its collections in public trust, available for access by qualified investigators. Use of Museum collections should be for legitimate research and educational purposes, which includes reasonable uses for artistic endeavors. The Anthropology collection may be accessed by representatives from Native American Tribes upon request, subject to the same procedures as research access. Investigators should recognize that the permanent collections are non-renewable, and that the County Museum has a fiduciary responsibility to maintain these collections. Therefore, access to the collections will be at the discretion of the Division Curators and uses of the collection that cannot be suitably justified will not be allowed.

A request for collection use is evaluated according to the stability and sensitivity of specimens and with consideration for the extent to which the request may damage or consume the specimens. The Division Curator evaluates all requests for collection access, records access, records searches, and/or loans. Activities associated with the collections require the Curator's approval. Investigators interested in requesting loans of materials from the collections should refer to the SBCM Loan Policy in addition to this Policy.

Pursuant to San Bernardino County Fee Ordinance, the Museum reserves the right to assess fees for access and use of the collections to cover staff time, use of materials or equipment, and certain conservation costs. Fees, as a rule, apply to all commercial uses.

Access is by appointment only, through the Division Curator, for a time during normal operating hours (8AM - 5 PM weekdays) and is subject to restrictions imposed by limitations of facilities and availability of staff. After hours access to the collections must be arranged with the Curator, who will be directly responsible for the security of all collections during the time of access. It is the responsibility of each Division to maintain a register to document collection use by visitors.

Persons using the collections are expected to adhere to procedures necessary to protect and conserve the materials in the collections. Access may be denied or withdrawn if the procedures are not followed. Access to a specific collection does not imply consent to access other SBCM collections. Permission to access Historic Branch Museums for other than routine visits must be approved in advance by the History Curator or the Director.

Library materials associated with each Division at SBCM are available within these guidelines. No library materials may be removed from the collections area or photocopied without specific permission of the Curator. Maps may be accessed with consent of the Curator, however, maps containing confidential Museum data are not available for general use.
Certain Museum documentation may be restricted to authorized agencies and designees, subject to the approval of the Curator in charge of that collection. Any data obtained from such documents must be treated as confidential by the user and must not be disseminated, except to designated agencies.

Photocopies, photographic print copies and custom photographic forms for personal and commercial use are available from the SBCM Archives collection pursuant to San Bernardino County Fee Ordinance. Reproductions of certain materials or specimens from the other collections may be made available for commercial use, at the discretion of the Division Curator and/or the Director, and pursuant to San Bernardino County Fee Ordinance.

Photographing, casting, or copying materials by any method is only permitted with the consent of the collection Curator. Such copies, or derivatives thereof, may not be transferred to another individual or institution, or reduplicated without permission of the collection Curator. Reproduction in no way transfers the Museum's copyrights or permissions to publish or display.

Publications or reports that include data derived from use of SBCM collections must explicitly acknowledge the San Bernardino County Museum and the cooperating Division. Investigators are obligated to submit one electronic copy and two paper copies of the resulting research to the appropriate SBCM Division upon publication.

Procedures for Collections Access and Use:
• Contact the SBCM Curator in charge of the collection of interest to request an appointment for access and use. Contact should be made well in advance of the visit. A letter on institutional letterhead requesting access, with a statement of purpose, a resume, and a list of objects to be examined, may be required. Students may need to provide the signature of a faculty advisor or professor.

    Anthropology - Adella Schroth - aschroth@sbcm.sbcounty.gov
    Biological Science - Gerald Braden - gbraden@sbcm.sbcounty.gov
    Geological Sciences - Kathleen Springer - kspringer@sbcm.sbcounty.gov
    Geology - J. Christopher Sagebiel - csagebiel@sbcm.sbcounty.gov
    History and Archives - Michele Nielsen - mnielsen@sbcm.sbcounty.gov
    Paleontology - Eric Scott - escott@sbcm.sbcounty.gov

• Individuals who have appointments for research access should first visit the Museum's reception desk to obtain a visitor nametag, which must be worn at all times while in collection areas. All researchers must register in the curatorial area as collection users.

• No food or drink, except water, is allowed in collection areas of the museum, and no water is allowed in the history collections area.

• A staff member designated by the Curator must monitor the researcher at all times while in the collection area. Researchers may only enter collection storage areas at the discretion of the Curator and must be accompanied by a staff member.

• Only staff members may retrieve or re-file collection objects. Objects retrieved from storage must remain in the collection area until returned to storage. Curators may limit the number of objects retrieved at any one time. All record searches are performed by collections staff.

• Researchers must use utmost care in handling objects, and adhere to any special handling procedures required by the curator of the collection or procedures necessary for the safety of the object. Access may be withdrawn if rules or instructions of the Curators are violated.

• Permission to reproduce collection material by casting, photographing, and copying, or other methods is subject to Museum policies, requires approval by the Curator, and is subject to the San Bernardino County Fee Ordinance.

• In addition to the Policy and Procedures stated herein, each Division Curator may require conditions and limitations appropriate for use of the particular collections material requested by the investigator.

Materials Sampling and Destructive Analysis Procedures:
Materials sampling or destructive analysis of any museum artifact, object or specimen requires a special circumstance. Requests for samples are evaluated in light of the fact that such uses inherently lead to reduced quality of the original specimen.

• Researchers must request permission for destructive analysis or sampling of materials or specimens by submitting a detailed written proposal to the appropriate Division Curator.

• Graduate students must include a companion letter from a faculty advisor with the proposal.

• The Curator will evaluate such proposals according to scientific value, the researcher's experience, the type of sample requested, and the type of specimen or artifact required.

• Accessioned type materials in any form are prohibited from destructive analysis or sampling.

• If materials sampling or destructive analysis is granted, the researcher must supply the museum with proof that necessary permits for possessing, transporting, and working with the particular materials have been obtained.

• As a general rule, destructive analysis will not be permitted if the artifact, object or specimen will lose its overall original integrity or intent.

• Materials loaned (granted) remain the property of SBCM and cannot be shared with or transferred to other individuals or institutions without written approval from the Division Curator. Unused samples must be returned to the Museum.

• Destructive use and sampling of objects in the collections will be fully documented by the SBCM curatorial staff.

• Materials loaned (granted) from the Museum for destructive analysis are subject to certain provisions in the SBCM Outgoing Loan Policy.

• One electronic copy and two paper copies of all publications resulting from materials sampling or destructive analysis research must be provided to the cooperating Museum Division. Publications must specifically cite the San Bernardino County Museum and the specific Division.

Genetic Resources Collection Procedures
The tissues and tissue extracts (material) of the Genetic Resources Collection are finite and consumable. Therefore the standards for justifying material loans are more restrictive and are as follows:

• Requests for tissue and/or tissue extracts must be accompanied by a study design and will be evaluated by the Curator of Biological Science.

• Requests must identify other sources for the material being requested and from which material has been secured.

• Requests must be accompanied by copies of all applicable permits.

• A project advisor or major professor, who will be responsible for all conditions of the loan, must make requests for student researchers.

• A sample of the tissue extracts must be deposited at SBCM. All unused tissue(s) or tissue extract(s) that were provided by SBCM must be returned to SBCM.

• Tissue and/or tissue extracts remain the property of SBCM and cannot be shared with other individuals or researchers without written approval from the Curator.

• One electronic copy and two paper copies of all publications resulting from the tissue or tissue extraction loan must be provided to the Biological Science Curator. All publications resulting from the use of tissue or extracts must specifically cite the San Bernardino County Museum and the Division of Biological Science.

• If DNA sequences are deposited in a genetic data bank, they must be accompanied by the tissue number and SBCM voucher specimen number associated with the sample.

• Failure to comply with the conditions of the loan will result in the revocation of all future request privileges.