To coordinate, encourage, and preserve the full understanding of Colorado's archaeological and paleontological resources, the State encourages the study of those collections made under the authority of a state permit. Researchers and students may find useful forms, documentation, and guidance for studying state collections here.

Finding a Collection to Research

The State of Colorado depends upon a network of State-Approved Repositories to ensure that the state collection is cared for in perpetuity and at locations as close to the communities from which materials were originally collected as possible. In order to assist researchers and the public in finding collections of interest, the following documents have been assembled and are periodically updated.

Please note that these lists are not comprehensive and will be updated by OAHP periodically. Please let us know of errors and omissions with State collections. The best source of information on repository collections is the designated repository official.

Research Requests

Researchers and students should contact the repository directly to make inquiries regarding the study of held-in-trust state collections.  The state trusts its repositories to handle research and loan requests as they see fit and according to our guidelines and only becomes directly involved when required.

State collections must be made available free of charge for study by qualified students and researchers.

In the event that you are unable to determine which repository contains material that would be useful for your research, please feel free to contact the State Curation Coordinator at hc_statecuration@state.co.us with your inquiry.

Please be aware that History Colorado requires all exhibits, reproductions, and studies to credit the State Archaeologist as follows: "Courtesy of History Colorado, Office of the State Archaeologist." Additionally, two copies of any publications, reports, or other documents prepared by those studying or exhibiting any part of the state collection must be provided to History Colorado.

Research 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. In addition to repository approval, written consent from History Colorado is necessary for these activities from the time of field collection onward.

• Out-of-State Transportation and Loans
• Destructive Analysis
• Physical Reproductions

Requesting State Approval via the Curation Request Form

As of 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. Please reach out to hc_statecuration@state.co.us with any questions prior to submitting your request.

The form currently covers Out-of-State Transportation and Loans, Destructive Analysis, and Physical Reproductions only. Additional details on required documentation, rules, requirements, and exemptions not covered in the online form are provided here for your convenience.

The Curation Request Form and attachments may be submitted by either the Designated Repository Official or the qualified Researcher/Permittee.

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 listed on the applicable permit, and written approval from History Colorado. All loan agreements are subject to the rules and guidelines detailed in the Loans section of this webpage.

Additional Loan Agreement Requirements:

• Collections and their associated sites must be fully recorded and cataloged in the state system.
• Ancillary samples as specified in 8 CCR 1504-7, Sec. 9(C) 2) are not subject to this requirement.**

Required Attachments:

• CV (s) of the researcher(s) dated within the last five years
• A draft copy of the loan agreement
• Proof of insurance

Destructive Analysis

Requirements:

• 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.

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.

**Ancillary samples are exempted from these requirements per 8 CCR 1504-7and are defined as organic or inorganic specimens, other than human remains or artifacts, gathered by scientists for the purpose of analysis to provide information on past environments, diets, chronology, or material source areas. Ancillary samples may include but are not limited to, charcoal, wood, soil, coprolites, and floral or faunal specimens. Approval is still required from the State-Approved repository.