The Museum welcomes study of its collections by the U of A community, scholars from external academic institutions, and the general public.
- Fill out a Research Request form with sufficient advanced notice before any research is scheduled or conducted.
- Staff will determine whether access to the collections will be granted.
- Review “Policies & Tips for Best Visit Experience” before visit.
- The researcher is requested to give the Museum copies of papers or publications which result from the study of the collection.
- Reach out early if you have a deadline.
- In the Research Request form, be as specific as possible. Share research goals, methods, type of publication, time frame, questions, concerns. If you don’t have much yet, that’s okay but the more information we have, the better staff can help you!
- After your request has been sent, we will spend time further developing your research goals and a plan of action.
- Ask or investigate visiting policies ahead.
- Bring something to take notes – pencil/paper or laptop. A camera without flash is fine. Some even find it helpful to draw the object themselves. Make it clear photos taken are for private research or ask about policies for publishing.
- Write out a list of questions and main objectives you have ahead of your visit/s.
- Make note of identifying elements of the object you’re studying – object/catalogue/accession numbers, visual description, donors.
- Food, drinks, bags, and coats are not permitted in collections. There will be a designated place to put these items.
- Bring a light sweater or jacket.
- Discuss and approve equipment ahead of time.
- Be aware some collection materials have access and usage restrictions that will require permission and/or prevent you from utilizing the object.
- Share your findings with us! Research done with the Museum’s collections continually adds new perspectives and knowledge. We want to keep track of new layers and knowledge and spread the word about your exciting work!
Providing researchers access to the collections has long been an important responsibility for Museum staff. For transparency of collection usage and to give back knowledge accumulated over years, especially in relation to indigenous cultural materials, we have compiled a list of publications produced as a result of research conducted at the Museum. View it here. For organization purposes, the list is divided between two tabs located at the bottom – Cultural and Natural.
While we strive to collect publications from all researchers who have utilized the collections, this list is not complete and will continue to grow over time. If you know of additional publications that should be added or have questions about the list, please contact us.
U of A Museum Collections Database. In effort to make the Museum’s collections more accessible, a dedicated public database was established in 2022. The resource is a work in progress. New entries and images are published on a weekly basis with the long-term goal to make the entire collection searchable. Whether you are browsing for the sake of curiosity or narrowing down artifacts for a research project, this resource will make the collections more accessible than ever before.
Portions of the Museum’s collections can also be found on the following collaborative sites:
ScholarWorks@UARK. ScholarWorks is the open access Institutional Repository for the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville.
Arkansas Archeological Survey’s Virtual Museum. Created and maintained by the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST). Featuring 3D models and summary information from collections of the Arkansas Archeological Survey (ARAS) and the University of Arkansas Museum.
Morphosource. MorphoSource is a publicly accessible 3D data repository where subject experts, educators, and the general public can find, view, interact with, and download 3D and 2D media representing physical objects important to the world’s natural history, cultural heritage, and scientific collections.
VertNet. VertNet is a NSF-funded collaborative project that makes biodiversity data free and available on the web. VertNet is a tool designed to help people discover, capture, and publish biodiversity data. It is also the core of a collaboration between hundreds of biocollections that contribute biodiversity data and work together to improve it.
iDigBio. Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio) is the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) funded by the National Science Foundation. Through ADBC, data and images for millions of biological specimens are being made available in electronic format for the research community, government agencies, students, educators, and the general public.
