To ensure the long-term preservation, study, and interpretation of state collections. The Office of the State Archaeologist has assembled the following documentation and outside resources to aid repositories, permittees, and researchers in caring for the State Collection.

Archival Resource Suppliers

The below list is a selection of companies based in the USA that provide archival quality products. Please note that not all products sold by these retailers are archival and care should be taken when selecting materials to ensure they are archival.

Conservation Resources International

www.conservationresources.com/ 

(800) 634-6932

(703) 321-7730

Gaylord Archival

www.gaylord.com/ 

(800) 448-6160

Hollinger Metal Edge, Inc.

www.hollingermetaledge.com/ 

(800) 634-0491

Light Impressions

www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/ 

(888) 222-2054

Museum Services Corporation

https://museumservicescorporation.com/

(651) 450-8954

Print File, Inc.

https://www.printfile.com/

(888) 362-6417

Talas

https://www.talasonline.com/

(212) 219-0770

University Products

https://www.universityproducts.com/

1-800-628-1912

Archaeological Collections

Guidelines for Preparing Legacy Archaeological Collections for Curation

• Prepared by Michelle Knoll and Brucy Huckell for the Society for American Archaeology's Committee on Museums, Collections, and Curation.

Housing Archaeology Collections

• DMNS Department of Anthropology Archaeology Re-Housing Workflow

• DMNS Department of Anthropology Regular Box Re-Housing Instructions

• DMNS Department of Anthropology Mount-Making Curring Tool

Paleontological Collections

Association of Materials & Methods in Paleontology (AMMP)

With a mission focused on advancing paleontological research. AMMP and its members have put out a variety of resources on caring for fossil collections. Links to a selection of their publicly available resources focused on housing specimens following preparation and analysis can be found here.

• Cavity Mounts: basics

• Cavity Mounts: Variations

• Archival Jackets

• Advanced Storage Jackets

Adhesives for Preparation, Conservation, and Repair

• An Introduction to Solution and Reaction Adhesives for Fossil Preparation

• Adhesives for Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History: An Illustrated Wall Chart

• Paraloid B-72: Practical Tips for the Vertebrate Fossil Preparator

Housing Specimens

• Cavity Mounts for Safe Storage & Handling by Amy Davidson

Preparation of Fossil Specimens

Fossil preparation of held-in-trust collections, or any part thereof, is to be conducted by qualified professionals. Given the lack of a field-wide standard, the Office of the State Archaeologist defers to the standard published by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology until such standards are developed. 

• Defining the Professional Vertebrate Fossil Preparator: Essential Competencies

Policy Document Examples

The following documents are meant to serve as examples to consider when drafting your own policies and plans.

Collections Management Policies

• Museum of the City of New York, 2020

• Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, 2018

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Natural History Museum of LA County, 2010

• Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, 1996

• National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian, 2017

Emergency Management Plan

• Fort Missoula Museum, 2017

Policy Templates, Guidelines, and Requirements

To ensure the success of our repositories, the Office of the State Archaeologist has developed templates and other guidance documents to help repositories draft and update required documents.

• Collection Policy Template
• Curation Agreement Template Requirements
• Outgoing Loan Agreement Guidelines
• Pocket Emergency Response Plan
  • Developed by the Council for State Archivists and adapted by WESTPAS (Western States and Territories Preservation Assistance Service) this pocket template has been modified for Colorado State-approved repositories to accompany their mandatory emergency plan.

The Curation Alliance Forums:

State-Approved Museums and Curatorial Repositories have held in-person and virtual Forums to inform held-in-trust partners and those interested in the program about collections management best practices and to gather to share resources and socially network since the year 2016. These Forums have consisted of 1/2 day of presentations and 1/2 day of a behind the scenes collections tours. Due to the COVID pandemic the 2020 Forum was suspended and the 2021 Forum was held virtually. Please see our program YouTube channel for a few recorded presentations from 2021.

State-Approved Museums/Repositories Network Newsletter:

To subscribe to the Curation Notes e-newsletter for Colorado State-Approved Museums and Curatorial Repositories please sign up using this form: HERE