Collection Management Policy

This policy governs the management of the research collections in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University. It was originally prepared in 1996 by the Curatorial Associates and reviewed and approved by the Director in conjunction with the Faculty-Curators. The policy was most recently updated in 2026. Forthwith, it will be reviewed every five years and updated as needed.

It outlines the operations of collections within the museum, including acquisitions, collections management, and loans, but does not address policies for museum functions other than collections.

This policy directs operations of the collections, outlines levels of responsibility, sets standards concerning collections, and serves as a guide for collections-related ethics. This document is integral to the management of the collections and is often mandated by funding agencies (Malaro, 1985). This policy complies with University-wide policies and does not otherwise address policies set at the University level. The individual departments will use this document as a guide when developing additional departmental policies.

Scope

The MCZ was founded in 1859, and its collections are world-wide in scope and span the entire history of animal life. The holdings include large numbers of type specimens and voucher specimens plus many historically important collections. In addition to biological material, the collections include records relating to the specimens (photographs, field notes, etc.), collection-related correspondence, and archival records pertaining to both the history of the departments and the science undertaken within them.

The MCZ has 10 departments with Natural History collections (Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Paleontology, Invertebrate Zoology, Malacology, Mammalogy, Ornithology, Vertebrate Paleontology, and Special Collections), with an estimated total of 21,000,000 specimens. The bulk of the collections are stored in the MCZ building and Northwest Labs, but several departments have major parts of their collection at the Concord Field Station in Bedford, Massachusetts. An additional department, Collections Operations, was created in 2005 to handle museum-wide functions including database management, digitization initiatives, metadata standards, and registration. The Cryogenic Collection, a centralized repository for genetic resources for the seven extant collections (i.e., Entomology, Herpetology, Ichthyology, Invertebrate Zoology, Malacology, Mammalogy, Ornithology), is located in the MCZ Laboratories Building and operated by Collections Operations staff.

The Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology (OEB) within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) holds close ties to the MCZ. A subset of OEB professors hold joint appointments as MCZ curators. In addition, as an allied institution, OEB provides administrative support functions (e.g., human resources, finance) to the MCZ that are overseen by the Executive Director of OEB and other administrative managers.

The Erst Mayr Library (EML) of the Museum of Comparative Zoology was established in 1861, two years after the MCZ was founded. In addition to storing volumes of monographs and journals, the EML stores the MCZ Archives related to the history of the MCZ and the departmental collections, papers from early Harvard directors, and departmental records, including curatorial correspondence, field notes, journals, photographs, glass slides, drawings and illustration proofs, scrapbooks, memorabilia, and ephemera. Departmental transaction records, including accession and loan documentation, are generally held by the relevant collection. In 2019, the EML and Botany Libraries of the Harvard University Herbaria (HUH) were integrated into the Harvard Library system.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH) was established in 1998 as the public face of three research museums, including the MCZ, HUH, and Mineralogical and Geological Museum. Later, in 2012, the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture (HMSC) was established, acting as an umbrella organization for all of Harvard’s (non-art) museums that provide public exhibitions and educational outreach. MCZ specimens on display at the HMNH are on loan to the HMSC. The HMSC is financially supported by its member institutions, including the MCZ, and is administered by its Faculty Executive Board, which includes the MCZ Director.

Purpose

The collections at the MCZ are a repository for comparative material of critical importance and serve as the basis for original scientific research by scientists around the world. They are educational tools and are often used for exhibits. They provide documentation for use by conservation agencies, and their collecting data and other ancillary materials document the human endeavor of modern zoology beginning in its earliest stages.

In the broadest sense, these collections serve as an archive that documents past and present-day diversity of life, and which may be used to measure biotic change. Preservation of type material is a prerequisite to the stability of zoological nomenclature. It is of critical importance that these representative samples of the natural world be conserved, maintained, and held in trust in perpetuity for research, education, and exhibition.

Goals

The primary goal of the MCZ collections is to maintain, conserve, and make the collections accessible for the global community, and specifically those conducting research. The collections will continuously be improved and upgraded by maintaining present holdings, selectively adding new material of scientific value to strengthen the collections, employing new research techniques to better preserve and conserve specimens, encouraging the use of outside consultants towards the upgrading and revising of nomenclature in the collection, and utilizing digitization as a tool to distribute data and digital surrogates of MCZ specimens around the world. To fully support these goals, the MCZ strives to provide the highest quality service to the scientific and educational communities, and endeavors to increase awareness of the irreplaceable nature of its collections as a historical baseline for all aspects of zoology and related sciences.

The Museum adheres to established collection management standards that require professional, ethical, and legal conduct of all staff (American Association of Museums, 2000; Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists, 2021; International Council of Museums, 2004). This is particularly true in areas where conflicts of interest may arise as discussed below. In all collection-related activities, the staff must act in accordance with the most stringent ethical principles and keep the highest standards of objectivity, avoiding conflicts of interest or the appearance thereof. The MCZ advocates prudent and ecologically responsible collecting procedures and standards.

Public Trust

As a museum, the MCZ’s collections are held in trust for benefit of the public, through exhibition, education, and scientific study. As such, the Museum has an ethical obligation to preserve, maintain, and make accessible its collections, including protecting them from the agents of deterioration as defined by the Canadian Conservation Institute (2025): physical forces, thieves and vandals, fire, water, pests, pollutants, light, incorrect temperature, incorrect relative humidity, and dissociation from associated data. In addition, the MCZ recognizes the harm done through incorrect cultural care and welcomes guidance from communities of origin regarding appropriate handling, storage, and use of items in the Museum’s care.

Accuracy and Harmful Language

The MCZ is obliged to present its collections and their data in a way that is truthful, accurate, and as complete as possible, reflecting the most up-to-date understanding of Museum collections while maintaining historical records that reflect prior knowledge and beliefs. The MCZ acknowledges the existence of harmful content within the collection data available on MCZbase and is committed to addressing this problem, including the presentation of racial and other derogatory language. Harmful content has been redacted when the change does not violate curatorial best practices. In some cases, the data must be preserved in their original form to retain authenticity and facilitate research. For example, collection records and their associated media may contain language that reflect historical place names or taxonomic identifications that are no longer acceptable or appropriate in an inclusive environment. This harmful content goes against the MCZ’s values but is provided as part of the historical record.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility

As an institution dedicated to the study of the world’s biodiversity, the MCZ recognizes the diversity of humanity and human experience and strives to welcome and support all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, economic background, or other factors. The MCZ stands with all people and organizations working to end racism and social injustice. The MCZ acknowledges the role of the Museum, and especially its founder, Louis Agassiz, in fostering ideas of racial disparity and inequality that underlie historical attitudes towards African Americans and other people of color—ideas that the Museum soundly rejects. The MCZ is committed to developing programs that will earnestly evaluate these attitudes and promote contemporary solutions, and to offering new opportunities for people who until now may have felt unwelcome or excluded. One example is funding visits to the MCZ for people from countries where our specimens originated. The MCZ is committed to adhering to the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring that all users, including those with disabilities, can navigate and benefit from our resources. Keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and alt text for images have been integrated into the online database application, MCZbase. Through these efforts, the MCZ strives to create an inclusive digital environment that engages diverse audiences.

Acquisitions, Accessions, and Deaccessions

The intrinsic value and replacement costs of natural history specimens require that staff carefully follow the procedures outlined herein to avoid errors of judgment, oversight, or inadvertent misapplication of policies. Specimens must be collected legally and in an environmentally responsible manner, and their provenance clearly documented. Specimens from the collections are not to be sold or given to individuals or organizations, except under department policy guidelines or, under special circumstances, as approved by the Director.

Personal Collections

Staff, as well as students, are discouraged from establishing or further expanding personal collections of the types of specimens housed in the department in which they work. Staff are prohibited from collecting for personal gain. In questionable cases, the Director should be consulted.

Appraisals

To avoid conflict of interest or the appearance thereof, responsibility for monetary appraisals of donated collections or materials is to be delegated to outside appraisers.

Private Consulting

Curatorial staff may engage in paid consulting activities during non-working hours provided it is made clear that the staff member is neither acting as a representative of Harvard University nor using Harvard University facilities or property. In questionable cases, the Director shall be consulted.

The MCZ is led by a Director, and the Museum’s activities are overseen by the MCZ Faculty Board, as mandated by the MCZ's charter, which was signed in 1859. The Faculty Board of the MCZ generally includes four members and the Harvard University President. Faculty-curators and emeriti provide additional vision and leadership to the museum's collections. The MCZ Faculty Board also reviews and approves MCZ Associates, who are affiliated researchers hosted by individual departments.

Broad areas of authority based on a general biological scheme define the collection departments, and these departments are staffed at various levels. Each departmental Curator/Acting Curator is accountable for all activities within the unit and reports to the Director concerning collection activities. In the absence of a Curator or Acting Curator, an appointed Curatorial Associate will assume these duties and report to the Director of Collections Operations. Most of the day-to-day collection care and maintenance is delegated to the Curatorial Associate, who supervises support staff, student workers, and interns. The Curatorial Associate answers directly to the Curator and to the Director of Collections Operations for all collection activities. Much initiative is allowed at all levels of supervision when addressing collection issues, provided University, Museum, and departmental guidelines are followed.

Staff Authority and Responsibilities

The Director of the MCZ is responsible for: 

• Planning and establishing Museum goals and priorities;
• Approving Museum and departmental policies and procedures, and any exceptions thereto;
• Generating an Annual Report;
• Approving use of funds beyond annual operating budgets, including acquisitions that require additional expenditures, in collaboration with the Director of Collections Operations;
• Approving stewardship arrangements and voluntary repatriations.

The Curators report to the Director and oversee departmental collection activities, including:

• Establishing additional departmental policies and procedures that do not conflict with museum-wide policies and procedures;
• Collaborating with Curatorial Associates on both long-term and annual goals;
• Consulting with Curatorial Associates on accessions and loans;
• Approving transactions (e.g., large acquisitions) that require significant resources (e.g., funding beyond normal operating expenses, additional space, additional staff or staff time) with approval for use of funds beyond annual operating budgets being made by the Director and Director of Collections Operations.
• Working with the Director of Collections Operations to hire and co-manage the Curatorial Associate of their department.

The Director of Collections Operations reports to the Director and is responsible for:

• Drafting and implementing Museum policies and procedures;
• Overseeing museum-wide initiatives such as digitization, registration, and integrated pest management;
• Managing shared use facilities;
• Ensuring compliance with national and international laws and obligations (e.g., the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya Protocol) in collaboration with the Assistant Registrar;
• Applying for, maintaining, and reporting on museum-wide permits (e.g., CITES, ESA);
• Liaising with Harvard Risk Management & Audit Services regarding insurance;
• Approving annual operating budgets for each department;
• Approving use of funds beyond annual operating budgets, including acquisitions that require additional expenditures, in collaboration with the Director;
• Working with the Curators to hire and co-manage the Curatorial Associate of their department;
• Hiring and managing Collections Operations staff reporting to the position.

The Curatorial Associates, reporting to both the relevant Curator and the Director of Collections Operations, are responsible for day-to-day management of the department, including:

• Collaborating with Curators on both long-term and annual goals;
• Caring for physical collections, including organizing, specimen preparation, condition reporting, curation, and conservation;
• Caring for digital collections, including specimen cataloging, location tracking, digitization, and organization and preservation of specimen-related digital data;
• Applying for, maintaining, and reporting on discipline-specific permits for departmental use;
• Approving accessions that do not require significant resources (e.g., funding beyond normal operating expenses, additional space, additional staff or staff time);
• Approving and processing research loans, research borrows, media requests, and data requests;
• Deciding whether to deaccession material due to condition or other reasons;
• Implementing the integrated pest management procedures for their department;
• Tracking use of the collection and supervising internal and external researchers;
• Hiring and managing Curatorial Assistants in their department;
• Overseeing departmental annual budgets.

Curatorial Assistants, reporting to the relevant Curatorial Associate, are responsible for:

• Assisting with physical curation of the collections, including specimen preparation and conservation;
• Digitizing specimens, including data entry and imaging;
• Scanning associated physical media (e.g., field notes, ledgers);
• Supporting visitors and researchers;
• Assisting with research loans, research borrows, media requests, and data requests;
• Performing data cleanup projects in the Museum's online collections management platform, MCZbase;
• Completing routine monitoring of pest management traps.

Paleontology Technicians and Preparators, reporting to the relevant Curatorial Associate, are responsible for:

• Operating and managing fossil preparation laboratories;
• Caring for fossil material in the paleontology collections;
• Organizing the logistics of field expeditions, including permits and mapping of fossil material collected.

The Digitization Manager, reporting to the Director of Collections Operations, is responsible for:

• Setting museum-wide goals for digitization and digital data management, in coordination with the Director of Collections Operations;
• Staying up to date with digitization best practices and conducting staff trainings;
• Supervising Collections Operations staff who assist the various departments in their digitization efforts;
• Overseeing the Museum’s environmental monitoring program;
• Hiring and managing Curatorial Assistants within the Collections Operations Digitization group.

The Assistant Registrar, reporting to the Director of Collections Operations, is responsible for:

• Maintaining, digitizing, and ensuring that accession documentation is complete;
• Coordinating exhibition loans;
• Ensuring compliance with national and international laws and obligations (e.g., NAGPRA, the Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya Protocol) in collaboration with the Director of Collections Operations;
• Overseeing the Museum’s integrated pest management program;
• Drafting policy as it relates to these subjects.

The Senior Database Manager, reporting to the Director of Collections Operations, is responsible for:

• Managing all aspects of database maintenance, including updating the user interface and implementing new database functionality;
• Coordinating with Harvard University Information Technology and/or Research Computing to maintain physical hardware that the database runs on;
• Establishing museum-wide policy relating to all aspects of data entry, standards, and integrity.

The Biodiversity Informatics Manager, reporting to the Director of Collections Operations, is responsible for:

• Maintaining and developing mission critical information systems that support the daily work of the MCZ collections staff, researchers using data from MCZ collections, and faculty and other educators using data in teaching;
• Supporting the development of international biodiversity information standards;
• Delivering MCZ data to national and international communities, supporting global biodiversity research;
• Hiring and managing the Collections Information and Database Specialist.

The Collections Information and Database Specialist, reporting to the Biodiversity Informatics Manager, is responsible for:

• Independently performing comprehensive applications/web development for projects of medium to large size and complexity;
• Writing basic code of moderate complexity and maintaining related documentation;
• Overseeing digital accessibility and usability for MCZ platforms.

The Manager of Genetic Resources, reporting to the Director of Collections Operations, is responsible for day-to-day management of the Cryogenic Collection, including:

• Collaborating with Curatorial Associates and Curators on acquisitions, borrows, and loan requests of departmental material stored in the Cryogenic Collection;
• Caring for genetic resources stored in the Cryogenic Collection and associated equipment, including maintenance, organization, condition reporting, and curation;
• Cataloging and location tracking of genetic resources;
• Complying with University-wide safety standards and annual renewal of permits for the MCZ’s Biosafety Level 2 laboratory spaces;
• Overseeing departmental annual budget
• Hiring and managing Curatorial Assistants working in the Cryogenic Collection.

The collections are managed according to guidelines that are appropriate to individual departmental collections. These guidelines are specific to individual departments and in agreement with this Museum-wide Collection Management Policy. All policies and procedures will be reviewed every five years.

The curatorial staff is responsible for proper storage, documentation, and conservation of the collections according to best practices determined by the natural history community and communicated through organizations such as the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections and discipline-specific professional associations. Collections, as considered herein, may include specimens and their associated digital data, literature, archival materials such as papers, manuscripts, photographs and slides, any other type of physical or digital media, tissue samples, and molecular material. 

Collection Care

Departmental policies will include standards for specimen care, including access to the collections and collection security, appropriate environmental conditions, physical maintenance of specimens and conservation, collection organization, specific loan policies, and record-keeping. 

Standard care of collections includes: 

• Physical curation of specimens and objects.
• Cataloging and digitization of specimens, including new acquisitions and historical collections.
• Regular inventories of specimens, consisting of routine spot-checks of physical specimens and associated data in MCZbase, to ensure that specimens are safely housed and that records are accurate and complete. This can include identifying specimens that are missing from the collection, or which are in poor condition and require conservation.   
• Complete records of specimen location and movement, whether they are on loan, on exhibit, or are being used by in-house staff or students.
• Records of provenience and provenance.
• A means of physically identifying specimens (e.g., labeling, photography, data records). Markers (e.g., catalog numbers, tags, or labels) that cross-reference permanent records will be placed on or with specimens and noted in database records. Specimens of high value may require additional security markings or supporting photographs.
• Identifying and, within reason, implementing conservation efforts for specimens in need.

Collection Records

Specimen records and their associated data (e.g., collectors, localities, related media such as photographs and ledger pages) are maintained digitally and made available through the MCZ’s online collections management platform, MCZbase. MCZbase is a highly normalized, relational database system powered by the Arctos application platform and modeled after the Berkeley and Association of Systematics Collections models for natural science collections databases. Analog records (e.g., ledger books, print photographs, labels) are to be retained as long as they remain pertinent to the collection. All documents related to the receipt of specimens, proof of gift, collecting permits, purchase receipts, and any information dealing with legal provenance will be held indefinitely. The records will conform to accession procedures in the departmental policies and are maintained by the individual departments. 

Digitization (of specimens and analog data associated with them) is key to facilitating research and global access to the collections housed in the MCZ. Data for a given specimen should be as complete as possible and should be stored in accordance with standards used within each discipline. Specimen data should also conform to broader best practices for collections information management and support mapping onto data exchange standards such as Darwin Core, enabling data to be shared with the global community (e.g., through aggregators such as GBIF and iDigBio).

The MCZ does not publish certain data in cases where they might be harmful, such as collecting sites for threatened or endangered species; locality data for certain fossil specimens; culturally sensitive collections; information that is restricted through agreements with third parties; or information that could compromise the security of the collections.

Storage and use of data in MCZbase and any other digital platform must conform to University data security policy. The MCZ has a separate Data Recovery and Disaster Plan that outlines procedures required for the recovery of data stored in museum databases.

Environmental Conditions

Various natural history materials require specific types of environmental conditions (i.e., temperature, relative humidity, air quality, lighting) both inside the storage containers and in the ambient room environment. These conditions are monitored by Collections Operations, and the data are made available to the departments. Departments are responsible for coordinating with Buildings Operations and other appropriate University personnel to maintain the necessary conditions within the limitations of the buildings housing the collections. Proper environmental conditions must also be maintained to ensure safety standards for personnel and visitors.

Pest Control

Natural history materials may be affected in many ways by pests; therefore, a strong monitoring program is needed to control pests. All departments endeavor to identify specific pests that may be a threat to their respective collections to implement preventative measures, in accordance with the Integrated Pest Management Policy. Except for fluid-preserved specimens, all incoming material is treated for pests before being integrated into the collection.

Storage Consideration

Storage space will be critically evaluated before new acquisitions are made. The Curator, in consultation with the Director, is responsible for making decisions involving major acquisitions or significant changes in space utilization within their areas. General guidelines concerning space matters are included in Departmental Collection Management policies.

Management of Equipment

Capital equipment is any asset (e.g., scientific equipment, computers, software, furniture) with a total acquisition cost of $10,000 or greater and a useful life of at least one year. (Note: The threshold for equipment purchased or fabricated using funds from sponsored awards with start dates prior to July 1, 2025, remains at $5,000.) To safeguard these assets and comply with local and federal policies, the FAS Capital Equipment Program tags, tracks, and reports upon these assets. A member of the equipment team will reach out to facilitate tagging purchases of stand-alone capital equipment for inclusion in Harvard’s asset inventory after purchase. If capital assets are fabricated or multiple pieces of equipment are purchased and combined to operate as a single system with a total value of $10,000 or greater, an asset tag must be requested from the OEB Manager of Financial Operations in advance of making any related purchases. Costs paid to a non-Harvard entity/individual to design and/or build equipment should be included in the total value calculation. 

The FAS Capital Equipment Program must also be updated on any changes to the status of a capital asset.  FAS Capital Equipment Program should be contacted if any of the following conditions/circumstances apply:

• A capital asset is being relocated, either from one space to another on campus, or to an off-campus location.
• A capital asset is ready to be disposed of.
• There is a significant change to a capital asset (e.g., a fabrication or multi-component system is taken apart, and the components no longer function as a single system/instrument).
• A planned fabrication has been completed, and the asset is ready to be placed in service.

Registration encompasses all of the record-keeping activities associated with a collection: acquisitions, accessions, loans and exchanges, catalogs, and any other records necessary for tracking the location or disposition of specimens. Records may reside within the individual departments or, in the case of historical material such as correspondence, in the various Harvard archives, including the Ernst Mayr Library of the MCZ. Specimen cataloging, location tracking, and research loans are handled by the individual departments. The Assistant Registrar is responsible for reviewing all accession-related documentation and for handling exhibition loans.

Acquisitions

Specimens may be acquired through field collection, purchase, gift, bequest, exchange, or other appropriate means. Specimen acquisitions are made at the discretion of the Curatorial Associate in consultation with the Curator and Director of Collections Operations. In cases requiring significant resources (e.g., funding beyond normal operating expenses, additional space, additional staff or staff time), the department will consult with the Director and/or Director of Collections Operations. Departments must track the location of newly acquired material prior to formal accession. 

Several criteria may serve as guidelines for acquisition: A) that the material be legally collected, exported and/or imported, and that documentation to that effect be provided prior to acquisition, B) that material be acquired free and clear of any legal limitations or, if any exist, that these be made clear before acceptance and documented in the signed Deed of Transfer (e.g., mandates about deposition of type specimens in the country of origin, limitations regarding the use of genetic materials, restrictions on the use of resources by third parties), and C) that the department is capable of providing proper storage, curation, and conservation.

Accessions

Not all material acquired by the MCZ is formally accessioned into the collection. Criteria for accessioning material into the collections are: A) the material is cited in the scientific literature and/or documents current research, B) the material represents a significant contribution to the breadth of a collection or strengthens it in other ways consistent with departmental guidelines for growth, or C) the material is of historical significance. If these criteria are not met, the Curatorial Associate in consultation with the Curator may decide not to accession the acquisition, accession part of the acquisition, or discard part of the material prior to accessioning.

In rare circumstances, specimens may be given accession and/or catalog numbers prior to being physically transferred to the MCZ upon approval by the Director or Director of Collections Operations.

Any associated permits should be digitized and added to the transaction record in MCZbase. All accessions are reviewed by the Assistant Registrar to ensure they are sufficiently documented and that any required benefits and/or restrictions on use are recorded appropriately in MCZbase.

Accession Types

1. MCZ COLLECTING TRIP. The museum may acquire specimens through direct collecting by MCZ personnel (e.g., faculty-curators, staff, research scientists, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, associates). All collecting must be done in accordance with the laws of the collecting location. All collections must be legally exported from the country of origin and legally imported into the United States. Any relevant permissions and rights documents should be provided to the Assistant Registrar as early as possible, preferably before departure.
2. GIFT. All gifts must be accompanied by a Deed of Transfer signed by both the donor and a representative of the MCZ. Ownership must be transferred free and clear, or if there are restrictions on use, they must be specified on the Deed of Transfer. Gifts should be accompanied by any relevant permissions and rights documentation relating to their collection, or for historical items (e.g., family heirlooms), a detailed history of the object and its provenance.
3. PURCHASE. Specimens purchased for the collection must be accompanied by a purchase order or receipt.
4. EXCHANGE. The Museum may acquire material through exchange with other non-profit organizations, which must be accompanied by a Deed of Transfer.
5. SALVAGE. The Museum may accession specimens salvaged in accordance with local regulations. Salvage is typically conducted by MCZ staff in their capacity as a museum representative and need only be accompanied by the relevant salvage permit. Should the museum receive salvaged specimens from an external collector, a Deed of Transfer is also required.
6. FOUND IN MUSEUM. The MCZ will make every reasonable effort to locate or acquire provenance evidence and/or permissions and rights documentation for undocumented material, and to return unclaimed loans. In the event that such documentation cannot be acquired, the museum may retain or dispose of unclaimed property in accordance with Massachusetts law (Massachusetts Chapter 200B Disposition of Museum Property).
7. STEWARDSHIP. Stewardship arrangements, wherein the MCZ accessions and cares for material owned by another entity (such as a foreign country or the US government), must be approved by the Director. The terms of such arrangements, including any restrictions on use, benefits owed to the owning entity, and conditions under which the material is to be repatriated, must be specified before accessioning. Stewardship agreements are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and can only be accepted if they do not place an undue burden on the museum or severe restrictions on the use of the material.

Deaccessions

All specimens, once accessioned or cataloged, should be retained as long as they continue to be relevant to the long-term goals of the collections. Deaccessioning may be warranted for a number of reasons, including if the specimen(s) have lost their physical integrity and/or have been disassociated from necessary data. Additionally, specimens or specimen parts may be deaccessioned if they are gifted, included as part of an exchange with another institution, used up (e.g., consumable material like genetic samples), or repatriated. Type specimens are to be retained regardless of their condition, unless it is required that they be repatriated under a law or legal agreement (e.g., NAGPRA).

Repatriations and Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Under certain circumstances, specimens may be repatriated to their community and/or country of origin. This may be done through a legal framework (e.g., NAGPRA), or voluntarily with the approval of the Director. In either instance, repatriations will be conducted through consultation with the relevant community/communities and documented with MCZ deaccession paperwork or publication in the Federal Register.

The MCZ recognizes the sovereignty of global Indigenous communities over the genetic resources of their lands and waters and welcomes consultation with relevant groups with regards to duty of care; Traditional Knowledge; appropriate storage, handling, and labeling; and research usage which benefits the community from which they originate. The MCZ has a separate Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy, as well as a Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns Policy.

High-level Agreements and Access and Benefit Sharing

Although the United States is not a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity or Nagoya Protocol, the MCZ is committed to the principles outlined therein and aims to comply with them when possible. This includes acquiring Prior Informed Consent (PIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), and Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) when appropriate and respecting the terms they outline regarding specimen ownership, use, and transfer to third parties. Material Transfer Agreements must be reviewed and signed by the Harvard Office of Technology Development. All agreements (e.g., Memoranda of Understanding) must be approved in writing by the Director, since they are committing the MCZ to future obligations.

Loans

Loans facilitate the study and exhibition of specimens by the scientific community and are considered an integral part of collection use. A loan is the temporary transfer of specimens from one institution to another for non-commercial use (e.g., scientific research, education, exhibition); no transfer of ownership is involved. Loans are made to an institution on behalf of a permanent staff member at an institutional address; loans cannot be made to individuals or sent to home addresses. Borrowing institutions must demonstrate the ability to properly unpack, care for, use, and return the specimens according to best practices of collection curation. Requests from students and postdoctoral fellows must be countersigned by the corresponding major professor or postdoctoral advisor, who assumes legal responsibility for the specimens. 

Requests for loans must be made using the MCZ loan request form; a formal letter on institutional letterhead may be accepted in lieu of the form at the discretion of the individual department. Restrictions on use outlined in the original collecting permits or transfer of ownership paperwork are considered part of the loan approval process. Specimens are for sole use of the recipient for the specific purposes outlined in the loan request, and prior written permission must be obtained before a loaned specimen can be used for purposes not specified in the loan request. Loans may not be transferred to other institutions without express written permission. Loans may be recalled at any time at the discretion of the MCZ.

Research loans are authorized by the Curatorial Associate and/or Curator of the relevant department. Loan requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Loans are granted for a period of up to one year and may be renewed in one-year increments up to four times. After five years, the loan must be returned to the MCZ. A new loan request may then be submitted if the borrower requires more time. No more than one-half of the total specimens of a given species held will be loaned at one time. The remainder may be requested after return of the first loan.

The MCZ generally prohibits or strictly limits loans of type specimens, preferring that researchers examine these specimens on site. Loans of type specimens are approved only under exceptional circumstances and require authorization by the departmental curator. When approved, such loans may require specific methods of transportation (e.g., hand-carry), include reduced loan durations (typically three to six months), and comprise a limited number of specimens.

The MCZ Destructive Sampling Policy outlines the approval of research (including loans) involving procedures that result in the permanent removal of material from an MCZ specimen. The MCZ requires that no interventive work, such as preparation, molding, casting, or destructive sampling, be performed without advanced written permission. Individual departments may have more stringent guidelines pertaining to destructive and invasive sampling. Destructive sampling requires prior written approval of the Curator(s) and/or Curatorial Associate of the corresponding MCZ department. All destructive sampling requests must be submitted in writing and should include a complete list of MCZ specimens.

The recipient will return any unused material or derivatives (e.g., tissue, DNA/RNA extract) to the MCZ. The recipient will provide the MCZ with reprints of any resulting publications and accession numbers for genetic data in public repositories, as well ascopies of any digital media files and their associated metadata obtained from MCZ specimens. All resulting media is copyright President and Fellows of Harvard College, regardless of who generates the media. Each department may also have additional loan instructions that address specimen safety and storage, tracking methodology, and record-keeping procedures for receipt and return.

Exhibition loans are coordinated by the Assistant Registrar and approved by the Director of Collections Operations in accordance with the Exhibition Loan Procedure. Exhibition loan requests require a written proposal for the exhibit, a facility report that includes environmental and security data, and coverage of the item(s) under the borrower’s wall-to-wall fine arts insurance (documented with a Certificate of Insurance). The MCZ does not charge fees for exhibition loans; however, the borrower is expected to cover any associated costs (e.g., transportation, mount fabrication, courier expenses if required). Exhibition loans are granted for a period of one year, renewable up to four times in one-year increments. Longer-term exhibition loans may be permitted (with annual review) at the discretion of the department, provided the borrower routinely submits photographic evidence of the condition of the specimen(s).

Borrows (Incoming Loans)

All incoming loans (also referred to as “borrows”) are considered the responsibility of the MCZ and are cared for in the same manner as MCZ collections. Borrows should be documented in MCZbase and any signed loan agreements attached to the MCZbase record.

To fulfill its goals, the MCZ is committed to providing researchers and students access to the collections. At the same time, the MCZ has the responsibility of enforcing high security standards to safeguard the collections. Access to each collection is at the discretion of the relevant Curator and/or Curatorial Associate. Curatorial Associates are responsible for managing keys and keycard access, and for retrieving keys and removing keycard access when an individual’s association with the MCZ ends. Permissions to access specimens and/or access digital data are provided by the Curatorial Associate and implemented by the Senior Database Manager or Collections Information Database Specialist.

Visitors are tracked and supervised by the Curatorial Associate; long-term visitors must be approved by OEB. Visitors must follow all security procedures set in place by the MCZ and/or OEB. All researchers are expected to understand and follow standard museum procedures regarding the proper handling and use of specimens, as well as provide all information obtained related to the studied specimens (e.g., updated identifications, sex, measurements). The integrity of the specimens and their associated data are to be maintained by all who use the collection. Any alteration that would affect specimen integrity, such as DNA sampling, SEM preparation, skeletonization, dissection, etc., may not be performed without the permission of the Curatorial Associate in consultation with the Curator. Permission will be based on criteria such as uniqueness of the specimen, degree of alteration or destruction, and significance of research, as established by each department.

The highest standards of security are accorded to type specimens and other material of high value.

Work products of MCZ staff are works for hire and are copyright President and Fellows of Harvard College, in accordance with the University Statement of Policy in Regard to Intellectual Property. For MCZ specimen media that are not created by University staff, the MCZ requires the transfer of copyright from its creator to the University. It is MCZ policy to make University-owned media available for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license. These media may be provided directly by the department or downloaded from MCZbase or aggregators such as GBIF. Permissions for reproduction of MCZ materials under more relaxed licensing terms, including for commercial purposes, must be obtained in advance and are for one-time use only. Fees for commercial use are determined solely by the MCZ.

The Museum has a separate Emergency Management Plan, consistent with the University Emergency Management Plan, that outlines the Museum’s risk management and preparedness efforts, emergency contact information, and incident response procedures. The Emergency Management Plan is updated regularly to ensure completeness and accuracy. Staff are assigned required safety trainings, to be completed in the Harvard Training Portal, and they may need to complete in-person training, depending on location and type of work. 

References

1. American Association of Museums. 2000. Code of ethics for museums. American Association of Museums. Washington, D.C.
2. Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists. 2021. Code of Ethics. Association of Registrars and Collections Specialists. Chicago, IL.
3. Canadian Conservation Institute. 2025. Agents of Deterioration. Canadian Conservation Institute. Ottawa, Ontario.
4. International Council of Museums. Code of Ethics. 2004.
5. Malaro, M.C 1985. A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

Collection Management Policies Reviewed in Preparing this Document

1. Smithsonian Institution Collections Management Policy. 2017.
2. The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History Collection Management Policies and Procedures. 1991.
3. The University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Collection Management Policy. 1991.
4. The University of Nebraska State Museum Collection Management Policy. 1987.
5. The Field Museum of Natural History Collection Management Policy. 2019. 

Links

1. Arctos Collaborative Collection Management Solution
2. Convention on Biological Diversity
3. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license
4. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
5. Harvard University Statement of Policy in Regard to Intellectual Property
6. Harvard University Information Security Policy
7. Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio)
8. Museum of Comparative Zoology Database of the Zoological Collections (MCZbase)
9. Museum of Comparative Zoology Destructive Sampling Policy
10. Museum of Comparative Zoology Exhibition Loan Procedure
11. Museum of Comparative Zoology Loan Request Forms
12. Museum of Comparative Zoology Policies and Procedures
13. National Data Stewardship Alliance
14. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
15. Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
16. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Additional Resources

1. Association of Systematic Collections. 1994. Guidelines for Institutional Policies and Planning in Natural History collections. Assoc. Systematic Collections., KS. Ca. 120 pp.
2. Duckworth, W.D., H.H. Genoways, and C.L. Rose. 1993. Preserving Natural Science Collections: Chronicle of Our Environmental Heritage. National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property, Washington, D.C., 140pp.
3. International Union of Biological Sciences. 1999. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. Fourth Edition.
4. Lee, W.L., B.M. Bell, and J.F. Sutton (eds.). 1982. Guidelines for acquisition and management of biological specimens. Assoc. Systematic Collections, KS.42pp.
5. Simmons, J.E. 2017. Things Great and Small: Collections Management Policies, second edition. Rowman & Littlefield/American Alliance of Museums, 258pp.

accession: an object acquired by a museum as part of its permanent collection; the act of recording and processing an addition to the permanent collection.

archival records: records deemed to be of continuing value.

biodiversity (or biological diversity): terms used to describe the sum of the variety of life on Earth; diversity of ecosystems of species, and genes.

catalog number: unique, department-specific number assigned to a specimen or lots of specimens.

collections management: policies and procedures involved in the development, processing, documentation, organization, maintenance and use of collections.

conservation: the application of science to the evaluation and treatment of museum objects/specimens and to the study of the environments in which they are stored.

Curator: individual responsible for all activities within each collection.

curatorial staff: as used here, this term applies to staff directly involved with curating a collection (e.g., Curatorial Associate, Curatorial Assistants) 

Curatorial Assistant: curatorial staff member within a departmental collection or Collections Operations

Curatorial Associate: managers of departmental collections

department: as used in this policy, the word is synonymous with a specific collection (e.g., Entomology, Mammalogy)

field notes: documentation made concerning specimens, their habitat or environment, and field conditions at the time the specimens were originally collected.

sampling: the act or process of selecting and removing some part of an object or specimen for testing, analysis, or other use.

type(s): the specimen(s) upon which a taxon description is based, designated at the time of description, or subsequently, as needed, under the international code of nomenclature.

voucher specimen: any specimen identified by a recognized authority for the purpose of physically and permanently documenting data from a report, thus verifying the identity of the organism(s) used and ensuring that a study can be accurately reviewed or reassessed.