The guidelines and policies listed below are intended to maintain the organizational integrity and security of the collection, and ensure that these materials are treated with respect. All researchers wishing to access these collections are expected to follow guidelines intended to maintain the organizational integrity, security and respect.

Research involving these collections is to be conducted at the FLMNH. Requests for loans or permission to conduct testing of any kind must be made in writing the appropriate curator. Such requests are reviewed individually and must be approved by the appropriate curator. Additional restrictions may apply to collections from the United States that are subject to NAGPRA guidelines.

FLMNH staff reserve the right to deny access to individuals or groups who do not have a legitimate reason to use these collections, and to those who do not follow established FLMNH collections guidelines. The FLMNH osteological collections are organized by geographic region and fall under the curatorship of the curator responsible for the region of origin.

FLMNH osteological specimens and associated records shall be accessible for legitimate research and study by qualified investigators during normal museum hours (M-F, 9 AM - 5 PM, excluding State and Federal Holidays).

1. All researchers with a need to access to the collections must first provide the Collection Manager with a written request for access and a brief synopsis of the proposed research. The collections are available by appointment only and with advanced notice.
2. Any requests for destructive analysis must include a detailed proposal and research design and be submitted in writing to the appropriate curator. No destructive analysis shall be performed without the written permission of the appropriate curator.
3. Graduate and qualified undergraduate students wishing to conduct formal analyses using the collections and records must have their faculty advisor provide the FLMNH Collection Manager with a written request for access to the collection. The student shall provide a brief summary of proposed research and supply a copy of any finished results or manuscripts pertaining to the study.
4. Archival, accession, and catalog information from the files of the FLMNH osteological collections shall be treated with care. Every effort to maintain provenience information and preserve documentation will be made by those using these collections.
5. All photography of the FLMNH collections must be pre-approved. No specimens, casts, or images of the FLMNH osteological specimens shall be used for public display.
6. Loan requests will be submitted in writing the Collection Manager and are subject to approval by the appropriate curator. The museum Registrar will process all loan paperwork. No loan requests that involve the public display of human remains will be approved.
7. Petitions for special access, requests for de-accession, transfer, or long-term loans shall directed to the Collections Manager who shall forward the request to the appropriate curator and the museum Registrar.

Procedures for Use of the FLMNH Osteological Collections

The following procedures for use of the FLMNH osteological collections are intended to preserve these delicate and culturally sensitive collections. Use of these collections is to be conducted in a professional and respectful manner. This is of the utmost importance and the FLMNH staff reserves the right to deny access to individuals or groups who do not have a legitimate reason to use the collections, and to those who do not follow established FLMNH collections guidelines.

1. Organizational integrity must be maintained. Researchers shall pull single trays at a time to work on and all material from separate catalogs (proveniences) will be kept separate. Items removed from trays will be stored in a clearly marked tray or bag with the catalog number for each item(s). Pull slips will be placed in the parent tray noting what has been removed when specimens are to be temporarily removed. All pulled specimens are to be stored out of view in a rolling tray cart or be covered with muslin cloth while on table tops during lapses in research activities (i.e. remains are to be covered while in open view and not actively being worked with).
2. While the majority of the elements and fragments in the FLMNH collections are labeled with a catalog number, care will be taken to note unlabeled specimens. Unlabeled specimens will either be labeled, or stored in bag or tray with the catalog number recorded on it.
3. When working with skeletal material please ask the Collections Manager for help upon encountering any of the following situations:
   • difficulty in removing any elements from the tray or box in which it is stored
   • loose bone fragments or teeth not in bags or boxes
   • if something breaks while you are studying it
   • a bone is misplaced, mislabeled, or unlabelled bones are found
   • a bone which you expected to be present is missing
   • When the research is finished, return the specimens to the tray just as they were found.
4. No repairs or modifications will be made on FLMNH specimens without the permission of the Collections Manager or appropriate curator.
5. Making molds or casts of FLMNH specimens is not permitted without written permission of the appropriate FLMNH curator. Any such process must not harm the original specimen. FLMNH will retain all molds. Casts are to only be used of research purposes. Researchers wishing to cast objects will be responsible for materials and associated costs.
6. Any photography of human skeletal material in the FLMNH collections must be approved by either the Collection Manager or the appropriate curator. Image permission forms must be completed prior to any use of FLMNH images. Images of human skeletal material shall be for research purposes only and such images are not considered appropriate for public exhibition.