More information about materials collections

Depositing material with BGS corporate collections

Projects archiving material with BGS Corporate Collections in accordance with the standard accessions policy, are responsible for labelling specimens with official'Collectors numbers' and supplying a properly completed collectors form(digital or hard copy) - complete with identifications, analyses etc. as appropriate. Corporate Collections are then responsible for registering,databasing, curating and conserving the material.

Small donations that fit within the accessions policy are usually archived free of charge. Larger donations will usually require a payment to cover curating costs. The Chief Curator can provide advice on likely charges.

Using core store staff to assist in project work

Core store staff are frequently able to assist projects, even though the work will not immediately result in additions to BGS Corporate Collections. Recent examples of this have included:

  • Hiring a van and collecting borehole material.
  • Slicing borehole material.
  • Laying out non-archived borehole material for inspection.
  • Assisting in sampling non-archived borehole material.
  • Managing and storing project sample collections.

The cost of all this work must be covered by the commissioning project, normally by TARing staff time and any charges against the project. The Core Store Manager can advise on the likely costs of any such work.

Temporary storage of borehole material

Limited quantities of material may be temporarily stored free of charge for Science Budget projects provided that the material complies with the Corporate Registration system and completed collectors sheets have been lodged with Corporate Collections. A Drillcore Receipt form is required for borehole material. Arrangements should be made with the Core Store manager.

CR Projects will be charged for the temporary storage of samples according to the following scale of charges. SB projects that do not comply with the current Corporate Registration system will also be liable.

  • For the first month per pallet (max. weight 1,000 kg per pallet) £35.00.
  • For each subsequent month per pallet £22.50.
  • Retrieval from storage, per pallet £8.50.