In order to ensure the long-term preservation, study, and interpretation of state collections, State-Approved Repositories are expected to manage held-in-trust collections according to the standards stipulated in the Rules and Procedures of Section 9 of 8 CCR 1504-7.

Guidelines for Repositories

The office of the State Archaeologist has developed the following guidelines to ensure the standards of Section 9 of 8 CCR 1504-7 are met. Browse the categories below to better understand how to manage state collections.

Intake of Collections

Permittee collections via a curation agreement

Materials collected under a state permit must be submitted to a repository according to the submission guidelines below within 6 months of submission of the final report for the permit under which they were collected. State-approved repositories may implement more stringent requirements in curation agreements that supersede those outlined in the state-issued submission guidelines and are encouraged to do so.

• Archaeological Submission Guidelines
• Paleontological Submission Guidelines

Permittees must complete the following forms when submitting materials to a repository. The completed forms must accompany the submitted materials and copies of each should be emailed to the State Curation Coordinator by the permittee.

• Official Receipt for Deposit Form to be completed by both the permittee and the repository official at the time of submission.

• Collection Inventory Template Example (Excel)

Transfers

In the event that the repository is accepting a transfer, please complete and submit a Transfer Receipt Form.

Approved Uses of State Collections

The following is a brief list of the Approved Uses of State Collections intended for quick reference by repository staff. For full details of the regulations that govern the curation of state collections please refer to Section 9 of 8 CCR 1504-7.

Exhibit

Develop interpretive displays for permanent, temporary, or traveling exhibitions and charge reasonable nondiscriminatory admission fees. All exhibits will credit the state archaeologist of Colorado as follows: "Courtesy of History Colorado, Office of the State Archaeologist".

Photography

Approved repositories may photograph the state collection or any part thereof on their premises, subject to the repository's own collections management policies and in accordance with the regulations put forth in 8 CCR 1504-7.

Digital Reproductions

Repository officials may digitally reproduce fossil specimens in their collections using nondestructive methods in-house. All reproductions must credit the state archaeologist of Colorado as follows: "Courtesy of History Colorado, Office of the State Archaeologist".

Commercial use of digital reproductions, and physical reproductions created from digital capture methods, must be solely for the benefit of the state collection and requires the written consent of History Colorado.

Research

The non-destructive study and analysis of the held-in-trust state collection on the repository's premises are encouraged. All published studies will credit the state archaeologist of Colorado as follows: "Courtesy of History Colorado, Office of the State Archaeologist".

Two copies of published studies must be provided to the Office of the State Archaeologist.

Fossil Preparation

State paleontological resources curated at an approved repository may be cleaned, treated, stabilized, and prepared for research, exhibition, or loan transportation purposes under standard professional best practices for natural history collections.

Loans

All loan agreements must meet the Held-in-Trust Outgoing Loan Agreement Guidelines, please find a summary of its requirements below.

• Notice of loan agreement must be sent to hc_statecuration@state.co.us and must include:

1. Description of the material being loaned

2. Catalog number(s) of the material loaned.

3. Colorado Smithsonian site number(s) from which the material(s) were collected.

4. The full borrowing institution's contact information.

5. The purpose of the loan (e.g. exhibit, conservation, fossil prep, nondestructive analysis, etc.).

6. Duration of the loan.

• Commercial use of loaned collections is prohibited without written consent from the society.

• With rare exceptions, loans must be between the approved repository and other institutions or organizations, not individuals.

• Loans are not to exceed 3 years.

• Relocation inventories must be conducted and included as part of the written loan agreement.

• The loan and transportation of the state collection must be insured for liability purposes.

• The state-approved repository director is responsible for ensuring that appropriate and timely administration of the loans is conducted.

• Other loan conditions must be addressed in the collections management policy of the repository that is loaning the material.

In-State Loans

State-approved Repositories may initiate in-state loans for the purpose of exhibition, conservation, study, nondestructive analysis, or fossil preparation without seeking approval from the State Archaeologist. 

Practices that Require State Approval

Please be aware of the following requirements regarding the below activities involving state collections, as per 8 CCR 1504-7. Written consent from History Colorado is necessary for these activities from the time of field collection.

Starting from October 14, 2024, a new online form has been introduced to expedite the request process. Researchers, permittees, and designated repository officials can now use this single form to request the necessary approvals instead of going through multiple individual request processes. You can access the new request form here: Curation Request Form. Upon submission, a notice of approval or denial will be provided to both the permittee/researcher and the Designated Repository Official within 30 days.

For additional details on required documentation, rules, requirements, and exemptions not covered in the online form, please refer to the dropdown menus below.

Please remember that any commercial use of state collections is prohibited without written consent. Further information can be found in the Commercial Use section on this page.

Out-of-State Transport and Loans

The transport of material out of the state of Colorado following collection for nondestructive analysis, study, or routine fossil preparation is subject to the securing of a loan agreement between an out-of-state facility and the approved state repository either currently housing or intended to house the material and written approval from History Colorado through the submission of the Curation Request Form.

Loan Agreement Requirements:

• Relocation inventories must be conducted and included as part of the written loan agreement.
• The loan and transportation of the collection must be insured for liability purposes.
• Loans may not exceed 3 years, and all material must be returned to the repository within 3 years.
• Collections and their associated sites must be fully recorded and cataloged in the state system.
• With rare exceptions, loans must be between the approved repository and other institutions or organizations, not individuals.
• The State-Approved Repository director is responsible for ensuring that appropriate and timely administration of the loans is conducted.
• Other loan conditions must be addressed in the collections management policy of the repository that is loaning the material
• The Curation Request Form and attachments may be submitted by either the Designated Repository Official or Researcher/Permittee.
• Whenever possible, repository staff should not take on multiple roles in these requests or provide self-approval.

*Exceptions will be made at smaller institutions where limited staffing prevents this.

Required Attachments

• CV (s) of the researcher(s)
• A draft copy of the loan agreement
• Proof of insurance

Destructive Analysis

Any proposed analysis or use of collections materials that would cause their destruction, or damage, such as trace element analysis, gold coating, and histology requires the written consent of History Colorado.*

Permittees and qualified researchers proposing to perform destructive analysis are required to secure approval from the Designated Repository Official and written approval from History Colorado through the submission of the Curation Request Form.

• Requests are granted with consideration as to whether such artifacts/specimens are unique or duplicated in other state-owned collections.
• Collections and their associated sites must be fully recorded and cataloged in the state system.
• If any part of the material will remain after the proposed analysis is completed, it is to be returned to the repository for continued curation, and a loan agreement, subject to the rules and guidelines outlined in the Loans section of this webpage, must be issued for the material. If the material is being transported out-of-state, please refer to the Out-Of-State Transport section above.

*Please note, that a second Curation Request Form is not required.

Required Attachments

• CV (s) of the researcher(s) requesting and/or conducting analyses.
• Research Design. Please clearly outline the intended methods, sampling strategies, etc.
• A draft copy of the loan agreement if any portion of the material is expected to survive analysis and be returned to the state-approved repository.

Physical Reproductions

The creation of physical reproductions through physical means (ex. molding, casting, latex peels), requires the written consent of History Colorado through the submission of the Curation Request Form.

• Justification of the use of physical methods over digital is to be provided in the Curation Request Form.
• Collections and their associated sites must be fully recorded and cataloged in the state system.
• Approval for commercial use is not covered here, and approval through this process does not constitute written consent for the commercial use of the created materials.
• Created molds, casts, peels, and any other reproductions are considered part of the state collection and the property of the State of Colorado unless agreed otherwise and are subject to the same requirements as the rest of the state collection.

Required Attachments

• CV(s) of the researcher (s) requesting and/or conducting physical reproduction.

Disposition of State Collections

The disposition of portions of a museum collection or field collections deemed non-curatable is a routine process. To ensure compliance with state laws and regulations the Office of the State Archaeologist has put together official Guidelines for the Disposition of Non-Curated State Collections from a Research Lab or a Museum/Repository.

To minimize over-collecting and avoid disposition of non-curatable items the permittee and repository should agree to a collection strategy before any testing or field collections are conducted.  This contract or written agreement should be attached to the curation agreement entered into by both parties. All parties must make sure the repository can accommodate the anticipated needs. Some institutions may not have the ability to curate certain types of material so make sure this is understood and negotiated first. Other options may need to be explored. Strategies will be guided by the project’s research design, the scope of the project, and the scale of the resource.

If non-curatable collections have been generated by a permittee with which you have a curation agreement or identified within your facility, please refer to the Guidelines for the Disposition of Non-Curated State Collections From a Research Lab or a Museum/Repository.

Qualified individuals wishing to dispose of portions of the state collection may do so through the following process:

1. Review the guidelines on our website to ensure that the proposed collections qualify for disposition.
2. Download a fillable copy of the Disposal of Non-Curated State Collections Form.
3. Submit the completed form and any supporting documentation to hc_statecuration@state.co.us.
4. Please allow 30 days for review.

Commercial Use

8 CCR 1504-7 allows for the charging of "reasonable nondiscriminatory admission fees" to view exhibited items.  Any other commercial use of the state collection or any portion thereof requires written consent from the society.  Such requests are handled on a case-by-case basis.  The most common example is the sale of fossil replicas in gift shops.

To request written consent for the commercial use of the state collection please submit a request letter to hc_statecuration@state.co.us that contains the following:

• Catalog number(s) of the material and description
• Description of any methods that will be used
• Description of the intended use, its benefits, and risks
• Intended use of funds (this must support the ongoing care of the state collection)

Becoming a State-Approved Repository

In order to ensure the long-term preservation and interpretation of all historical, prehistorical, and archaeological materials collected from areas owned by the state or any of its political subdivisions the society wished to advance a collaborative partnership with county and local museums or curatorial repositories. These state-approved repositories help to preserve, interpret, and promote the natural and cultural inheritance of humanity in Colorado and work in close collaboration with the communities from which their collections originate as well as those they serve.

Institutions wishing to join the State of Colorado in its mission to preserve and interpret the state collection may apply to be a State-Approved Repository.  A full list of requirements, approval criteria, and allowed practices is outlined in Section 9 of 8CCR 1504-7. Please find a brief summary of these requirements below. 

Required Documents

Proof of Reputable Status

One of the following is required as proof of reputable status:

• Silver or gold certificates acquired through participation in the Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations in the stewardship of collection section within the last five years.

• Participation in the Museum Assessment Program in the area of collections stewardship within the last five years.

• Core Documents Verification from the American Alliance of Museums issued within the last five years.

• Formal accreditation status from the American Alliance of Museums.

• Designated a current Federal Repository curating federally owned and administered archaeological or paleontological collections.

• Other equivalent accreditation or successor programs such as the Collections Assessment Program or Colorado Wyoming Association of Museums Peer Assessment Program.

Proof of Insurance

One of the following is required as proof of insurance:

• Copy of a certificate of insurance or other documentation covering the care of the state collection from any damage or loss incident. This must show both History Colorado and the repository as co-beneficiaries.

• Acknowledgment that your collections are self-insured if you are considered a "public entity" as defined in CRS 24-10-101, et seq.

• Acknowledgment that your collections are federally self-insured and will cover the state collection in the same manner as any federal collections.

Template Curation Agreement

Working with the State Attorney General's Office, these curation agreement standards were developed for repositories seeking newly State-Approved status or when revising previously approved curation agreements or "intent-to curate" agreements with permittees

• Standard Requirement for Curation Agreement Templates

Collections Managment Policy

A standard document for museums seeking accreditaion, given that not all repositories are museums, the Office of the State Archaeologist has developed a Collection Policy Template.

Examples of Collections Management Policies may be found in the Curation Library

Emergency Management Plan

A standard document for museums seeking accreditation. The Office of the State Archaeologist does not currently provide guidance on writing an Emergency Managment Plan. Each plan is unique to its institution and a specific template would not be suitable for the multitude of facilities and locations in the repository network.

A Pocket Response Plan^TM(PReP^TM) template may be downloaded from the Council of State Archivists Website to act as a supplemental document to an Emergency Management Plan. Please note that a PReP^TM  does not serve as a substitute for a full Emergency Management Plan.

Additional Qualifications

Institutions wishing to serve as a State Approved Repository must also meet or exceed the following criteria as outlined in 8CCR 1504-7 Sec. 9 at the time of application. These criteria include:

1. Being open to the public.
2. Being a permanent, nonprofit educational or research-oriented agency or institution.
3. Must have professionally trained on-site staff.
4. Must make collections available free of charge for study by qualified students and researchers.

Apply to be a State Approved Repository

The official form/application and agreement to request or renew State-Approved status. (Please note on-site held-in trust agreements are developed separately)

Formerly Approved Repositories

In the event of a lapse, termination, intent to cease intake of new collections, or other change resulting in a repository no longer retaining its approved status. A Curation Survey and Plan should be completed and submitted to the Office of the State Archaeologist. This document provides necessary details on how the repository will continue to ensure that collections already under their care will be taken care of in perpetuity.

Please note that a lapse or termination of approved status only affects a repositories ability to intake new collections. The agreement to care for collections that a repository intakes and to abide by the guidelines, regulations, and laws governing state-held-in-trust collections is perpetual.