Guide to Planning for and Managing Scientific Working Collections in the U.S. Geological Survey

Guide Updates

Purpose of the Guide

The Policy

USGS Working Scientific Collections Lifecycle Model

Planning Stage

Acquisition Stage

Use Stage

Evaluation Stage

1. Determining  Ownership
2. Determining Whether to Keep a Collection at USGS
3. Determining Whether and Where to Transfer a Collection
4. Considering Accession as USGS Museum Property
5. Considering Disposal/Destruction

Disposition and Additional Documentation

Registry of Scientific Collections (ReSciColl)

When to Catalog a Collection

Determining What Constitutes a Collection for ReSciColl

ReSciColl Metadata and Persistent Identifiers

Appendix 1. Additional Evaluation Considerations

Glossary

Guide Updates

This guidance is periodically updated with existing and developing strategies to address and implement policy IM CSS 2019-01.  Major updates are as follows:

6/10/2019—Web page created.

7/22/2019—Update includes changes from the USGS Collections Steering Committee that incorporate feedback from USGS Science Centers and collections managers.

9/23/2019—FAQs were removed from this page and added to the page Frequently Asked Questions.

10/2/2019—Edits were made to correct grammar and improve clarity.

11/18/2022—Revisions were made to improve clarity and enhance guidance.

2/11/2025—Content was clarified and detailed guidance added on documenting collections in ReSciColl. FAQ page was edited and references to FAQ page were removed.

Purpose of the Guide

This guide provides the actionable framework to implement policy IM CSS 2019-01 USGS Scientific Working Collections Management Policy. It is divided into sections that follow each step of the Working Scientific Collections Lifecycle Model and provides the tasks and documentation that are necessary at each step of the model. Please note that there is a glossary at the bottom of this page. Glossary terms are typed in boldface at their first mention in the text.

The Policy

The U.S. Geological Survey has been collecting specimens for research since its inception in 1879. However, it wasn’t until 2005 with the creation of the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) that standardized guidance started dictating how collections and their specimens are managed at USGS (fig. 1). In 2019, the USGS Policy on Scientific Working Collections (The Policy) was published as an Instructional Memorandum (IM CSS 2019-01) to establish the policies governing the documentation and management of USGS collections. 

The Policy establishes roles and responsibilities for the entities involved in managing USGS scientific working collections, including for Associate, Regional, and Science Center Directors; the Core Science Systems Mission Area; the USGS National Museum Curator; the USGS Collections Steering Committee; and USGS scientists. In summary, The Policy states that:

• All new working collections need a Collection Plan (submitted with the Project Work Plan).
• Existing collections (including inherited collections) without a collection plan must be evaluated by the responsible parties.
• Working collections, including their loans and subsampling, are managed at the Science Center or Cost Center levels.
• When a collection no longer meets the USGS mission, it may be transferred to another institution or destroyed based on its condition, value, and usage. 
• Disposition activities require formal documentation and must be completed according to this guide.

Previously, collections management was left to individual scientists or projects and had no standardization or centralized catalog. Now, The Policy, the Registry of Scientific Collections (ReSciColl), this guide, and the staff of the Geological Materials Repository Working Collections Group work in tandem with researchers and Science Centers to standardize USGS collections management and make collections aligned with the FAIR principles (https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles/).

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Figure 1. Generalized timeline of collections management activities at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Scientists have been collecting samples since the creation of USGS in 1879, but centralized resources and policies governing USGS collections management began with the creation of the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) in 2005. Additional abbreviations are as follows: GMR, Geological Materials Repository; ~, approximately.

USGS Working Scientific Collections Lifecycle Model

The USGS Working Scientific Collections Lifecycle Model (WSCLM; fig. 2) provides a structure in which the required tasks associated with proper collections management can be organized and executed. It was modeled after the USGS Science Data Lifecycle Model but pertains to physical collections instead of the data. In this section, each step of the WSCLM is explained along with the tasks necessary at each step to responsibly care for a collection, and for collections acquired after 2019, comply with The Policy. For scientific collections that are planned as part of a new project, it is expected that the WSCLM begins at the initial planning stage and follows through each step of the WSCLM relatively sequentially (from planning to acquisition, use, evaluation, and disposition). However, much research at USGS is conducted on existing collections that were acquired for other projects, so management of these collections may not follow the WSCLM sequentially. By implementing the WSCLM early, researchers can plan for and allocate the resources necessary to properly maintain a collection throughout its lifecycle, which commonly extends past the initial project for which the collection was obtained.

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Figure 2. The Working Scientific Collections Lifecycle Model, which involves planning for the management of the collection, acquiring it, using it for research, evaluating it throughout its lifecycle, and determining its final disposition. Quality should be tracked, managed, and documented throughout a collection’s lifecycle.

Planning Stage

The planning stage of the lifecycle model is the step in which the collection manager first considers all the logistics of managing a scientific collection throughout its lifecycle, which commonly extends past the initial project for which it was collected. The purpose of a Collection Plan is three-fold: 1) it ensures that researchers consider the crucial questions relating to collections management during the planning and budgeting stage of a research project; 2) it provides a centralized document where researchers can record all decisions made relating to a scientific collection, including evaluations (refer to “Evaluating Stage” section); and 3) in the years and decades after projects are complete, Collection Plans serve as a reference for questions that arise, including ownership, original agreements, purpose, permits, and anything else that was documented in the plan. 

For collections acquired by USGS after 2019, The Policy requires that a written Collection Plan be submitted to the Science Center as part of the Project Work Plan, which is required through the USGS Survey Manual (502.2 and 502.6 Fundamental Science Practices). Although The Policy requires that an initial plan be documented, Collection Plans are meant to be living documents that are updated throughout the lifecycle of a collection.

The USGS Collection Plan Template was created to facilitate the creation of a Collection Plan. This template can be submitted along with the Project Work Plan, or it can be used as a guide to inform a customized plan. 

When planning for new scientific collections, the Collection Plan should include:

• The type of materials to be collected.
• The quantity and volume of materials to be collected. 
• The location where the materials will be collected. 
• A description of any permits required to access field locations, collect samples, and complete the research. When permits are obtained, a copy of them should be kept with the Collection Plan.
• The methods that will be used to collect the materials. Ensure that methods follow community standards and best practices any deviation from standards are explained in detail. 
• Any agreements with landowners or land managers regarding how the material will be handled during and after its acquisition. 
• Any agreements between collaborators or funding entities.
• A mitigation plan for hazards and risks posed by the nature of the materials being collected or the environment in which the material will be collected. 
• The metadata required to adequately describe and track the materials, which includes a plan to obtain persistent identifiers for samples.
• Who will be responsible for the sample metadata and how it will be stored.
• How materials will be maintained during the project and the cost associated with maintaining it.
• Whether the materials will be consumed during research
• For material not consumed, what is the plan for the materials after the project is complete. Moreover, will they be kept, transferred, or destroyed (refer to “Evaluation Stage” section)?
• If applicable, where the material will be stored after project completion and the cost associated with storage. 
• Whether the materials can be used for future research and by whom.
• Who the successor of the materials is if the primary steward leaves the project/Bureau.

When planning for existing collections that will be reused in a new project, the following are some things to consider:

• Whether there are other collaborators or governing agencies that should be made aware of the change in stewardship.
• Where the material will be stored and what the cost is associated with storing it.
• Whether the Science Center has the resources required to adequately manage the collection.
• How the reused material will be tracked.
• The outcome of the material after the project is complete.
• Who the successor of the materials is if the primary steward leaves the project.

Collection stewards may find that their Project Work Plans already include much of the collection plan information. Although redundancy is unnecessary, the information associated with collections management should be clearly outlined in its own section titled “Collection Plan.” 

Acquisition Stage

The second step in the WSCLM is the acquisition of the materials. For an existing collection, the acquisition step is commonly as simple as obtaining the materials from a collaborator or colleague with a written agreement. Whenever collections are transferred or loaned from one researcher to another, it is highly recommended that an agreement be written, signed, and stored at the Science Center. 

For new collections, the materials should be collected following the methods outlined in the Collection Plan, which should follow community-based standards and best practices. The Collection Plan can and should be updated when deviations from the original plan or community standards are necessary. 

The following are some of the tasks to complete when acquiring a collection:

1. Obtain appropriate permits and other permissions and keep copies at the Science Center. For example,
   • County, State, Federal, and Tribal lands may require permissions and permits to collect materials on their lands and may retain ownership rights; discuss with the landowner or manager prior to collecting. Follow Survey Manual Chapter 500.11 and associated guidance when obtaining permission to access private lands.
   • Determine if there is legislation that governs the materials or specimens you plan to collect and ensure the project is compliant (for example, the Paleontological Resources Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act).
2. Avoid or mitigate and document potential hazards that collected materials or their environment may pose to humans, other organisms, or other working collections. Examples include biosecurity (e.g. pathogens and invasive species), biological infestations, radioactive materials, and toxic chemicals.
3. Thoroughly document acquisition steps and update Collection Plan with any deviations to the original plan.
4. Follow recommended practices for appropriate collecting, transporting, storage, labeling, and management activities that are required during and soon after the acquisition of new collections and samples.
5. Report collecting activities if required by funding or permitting agencies.
6. Assign persistent identifiers to the collection (Digital Object Identifier [DOI]) and its samples (International Generic Sample Number [IGSNs]) and document the collection in the Registry of Scientific Collections (refer to the “Registry of Scientific Collections [ReSciColl]” section for detailed information).

Other materials such as field notes, maps, images and collecting permits generated during the acquisition of materials should be maintained at the Science Center for at least the duration of the working collection lifecycle. Maintaining this documentation helps ensure that information about the acquisition process and the acquired material can later be associated with the working collection to facilitate its future use by project researchers and others.

Use Stage

The “Use” stage of the WSCLM refers to conducting research. For newly acquired materials, the “Use” stage follows the “Acquisition” stage. However, for existing collections being reused for research, the “Use” stage occurs after an initial evaluation is complete (refer to “Evaluation Stage” section).

How research is conducted on materials varies greatly between Mission Areas, Centers, and projects, and thus is beyond the scope of this Guide. However, there are things to consider that relate to collections management during the “Use” stage of the lifecycle. For example,

• Who can access the collection and conduct research. 
• How the materials in the collection should be handled. 
• What kinds of research uses and analytical methods are allowed. 
• Whether subsampling is permitted and if so, what amount is allowed; and any other considerations to maintain collection integrity for the duration of the project and potentially thereafter (should the collection be envisioned as a long-term resource?). 
• How the labels and IDs of the materials in the collection are tracked and new ones generated as subsamples are produced.  This documentation must be legible and machine-readable (for example, using IGSNs [preferred], other databases, and spreadsheets). 
• Associated documentation like field notes, photographs, and maps should also be tracked and linked to collection materials.

Additional processing (for example, cutting, crushing, separating, and sorting) of materials may produce subsamples such as thin sections, powders, and separates that require additional documentation. Subsamples should be tracked like their parent samples and should be assigned “child” IGSN numbers that link them to the parent IGSN if the subsample isn’t destroyed/consumed.

It is common for the entire collection or parts of a collection to be consumed during analysis. If the original intended purpose of the collection was to be consumed (for example, water samples), then this step marks the end of the WSCLM, and the consumed materials need only be documented in the Collection Plan. However, if the original intended purpose of the collections was not to be consumed (for example, rock cores), or if the collection has been previously cataloged (for example, collections reused for research), then the consumed material should be documented in the collection entry in ReSciColl (refer to “Registry of Scientific Collections [ReSciColl]” section).

Evaluation Stage

The “Evaluation” stage of the WSCLM refers to the stage in which a collection steward considers whether all contents of a working collection remain useful for current or future USGS research and determines their disposition. The Policy states that all collections must be evaluated by their responsible parties to determine their potential for disposal, transfer, or retention as ongoing working collections, or accession as USGS museum property based on evaluation criteria and documentation requirements set forth in this guide. 

Evaluations can and should be completed multiple times during a collection’s lifecycle, including 1) when a new steward inherits a collection, 2) when an orphaned collection is discovered, 3) after field work produces new samples, 4) after analyses are complete, 5) when a project is complete, and 6) at least every 5 years. 

Collection evaluations and all disposition decisions should be documented in the Collection Plan. This section and the Collection Plan template guide collection stewards through evaluations. Figure 3 organizes the questions collection stewards should ask themselves when evaluating a collection to determine its disposition.

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Figure 3. Flow chart that guides collection stewards through the main questions to ask themselves when evaluating a collection and leads to the different disposition outcomes.

1. Determining Ownership

At the start of an evaluation, the collection steward must verify that all collection materials are Federal property and that the USGS has full and legal authority to determine their disposition. Some questions to consider when determining whether USGS has legal authority over the collection include:

• Were the materials collected with USGS funds?
• Were the samples legally obtained? Moreover, were the proper collecting permits and permissions (if applicable) in place at the time material was collected?
• Are there agreements between landowning or governing entities in association with the disposition of the collection?
• Is the material part of a loan agreement with another agency or institution, and can the USGS retain possession of the material after the project is complete?

For material collected on Federal (e.g., National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service) or Tribal lands, the agency or Tribe may retain ownership rights and authority over the collected materials. Thus, the USGS may not have authority to dispose of these materials, and any disposition activities must be done in accordance with the governing authority. If it is determined that the USGS has joint governing authority over the material, evaluations must be done in collaboration with the government authority. However, if USGS does not have governing authority, then the materials must be transferred to the agency that does.

If a collection has a detailed Collection Plan, any agreements should be documented in the plan, and a copy of the agreement kept at the Science Center. For collections acquired after the publication of The Policy (2019), all agreements, permissions, and collaborations must be explicitly documented in the Collection Plan. 

2. Determining Whether to Keep a Collection at USGS

After the USGS is confirmed to be the governing authority over the collection, the next step is to determine whether a collection should be retained as a scientific working collection. There are many questions to consider at this stage, but the following are critical and may be make or break whether a collection is retained (for more examples, refer to “Appendix 1. Additional Evaluation Considerations”): 

• Is the scientific integrity of the collection intact? 
• Can the specimens support research that aligns with the current USGS mission?
• Does the responsible center have the resources to maintain the collection?
• Do we have the sample metadata required to reuse the collection, or can the metadata be feasibly recovered? The minimum metadata that are typically needed for a collection to be useful in research are represented by the 4-point standard, which was first published in USGS Circular 1410 and considers the following:
  • What: Do the specimens have identification numbers or can they be assigned?
  • Where: Do the samples have locality information or can that information be recovered without undue burden?
  • Who: Is it known who collected the samples?
  • When: Is it known when the samples were collected?

If the answer to all critical questions above is yes, then the best disposition is likely to catalog the collection in ReSciColl and retain it as a scientific working collection. The custody or ownership of a collection may be given from one entity within USGS to another, and the disposition would still be considered retention as a USGS working scientific collection. It would be ideal to write an agreement of the custody change that is stored at each Center. Refer to the “Documenting Collections and their Dispositions” for information on cataloging and documenting a collection to be retained.

If the answer to one or more of the critical questions is no, then the collection steward should begin to consider transferring it outside of the USGS or destroying it based on its condition. 

3. Determining Whether and Where to Transfer a Collection

A transfer may be best when 1) another agency or group outside of the USGS is deemed the governing authority over a collection (refer to “Determine Ownership” section), and the collection is being returned to the governing agency. Ideally, an agreement should be reached that maintains the scientific integrity of the collection and provides ongoing access to the collection by the research community. More commonly, transfers are used when 2) the USGS no longer has a use for a collection and seeks to give it to another entity that does have a use for it.

All collections that USGS has complete authority over, have no other binding agreements, and are subject to transferal must be offered to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (SNMNH) before they are offered to any other entity. The Sundry Civil Act of March 3, 1879 (20 USC § 59) (The Act) mandates the USGS to, “deposit collections no longer needed for investigations in progress at the Smithsonian National Museum.” Moreover, the Smithsonian has the right of first refusal for any scientific collection that is no longer needed for USGS research (Smithsonian Directive [SD] 600 Section I.B.). This policy does not apply to collections or subsamples that are owned by or remain under the ultimate authority of another entity.  

To comply with The Act, the collection managers should write an offer letter that describes the materials, including their quantity and volume, original research purpose, current state, and reason for release from USGS custody. In the letter, the steward may include that another repository other than the SNMNH has been identified as a willing recipient and that other viable options exist if that is the case. The letter must be signed by the steward and the Center Director and be kept at the Center as a record along with the response from SNMNH and any associated correspondence. The SNMNH Offer Letter Template is fillable and can be used to write the offer, obtain appropriate signatures, and document the response to the offer. Regardless of the format of the offer, all correspondence regarding to the offer and the SNMNH’s response must be documented and kept at the Center.

If the SNMNH declines the offer of an entire collection or a portion of it, then the remaining materials may be offered to other suitable agencies, repositories, or institutions.  By transferring the collection to another repository, the USGS transfers ownership and custody of the collection and waives its rights according to the transfer agreement, relinquishing further involvement and obligations with transferred collection materials. These terms must be kept as official correspondence in the form of a transfer agreement, and the agreement must be stored at the Center for future reference.

4. Considering Accession as USGS Museum Property

The mission of the USGS is to conduct research, so most scientific collections are working collections that very rarely have the iconic historic or scientific significance deserving of consideration for accession as USGS Museum Property. When a working collection becomes USGS Museum Property, it must be housed, managed, staffed, reported, and funded in perpetuity as is described in the policies of the Department of the Interior (DM411). This disposition has additional requirements, including requiring approval from a panel of subject matter experts and the USGS National Museum Curator.

5. Considering Disposal/Destruction

Ultimately, a collection steward may decide that the best disposition for an entire collection or its subsamples is disposal or destruction. A collection may be transferred to another entity in lieu of destruction, which would be documented like a disposal or destruction. Like all other dispositions, disposal or destruction or transfer in lieu of destruction must be documented in the Collection Plan. This disposition may be the best option when:

• The collections are no longer needed for USGS investigations or can no longer be maintained by USGS, and it has been declined from the SNMNH and no other interested agency, repository, institution, or group has been identified as a transfer recipient.
• The collection is the subject of irreversible deterioration, infestation, or damage.
• The collection is a safety hazard and may adversely affect facilities, employees, or the condition of other materials in collections.
• The scientific integrity of the collection has been irreversibly compromised.

A collection may also be disposed of or destroyed when it was never intended to be maintained for the long term as described in the Collection Plan. For example, water samples are typically intended to be consumed during analysis and any remaining material destroyed upon project completion. 

To initiate destruction of USGS collection material(s):

• Obtain permission from the Center Director or their appointee to dispose of or destroy materials.
• Ensure that all associated information, including sample IDs, metadata and collection descriptions are complete when necessary.
• Consult with researchers who have used the collection to ensure all available information has been documented.
• Adhere to personal and environmental safety and compliance when collection material contains contaminants and/or hazardous preservative materials.
• Consult USGS Safety Officers for appropriate destruction methods as needed before disposing of materials.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records of the destruction procedures and document the procedure in the Collection Plan.
• To comply with USGS Property management, complete form DI-103A V.2 to track the destruction or disposal.

Disposition and Additional Documentation

Following through with the disposition of materials requires adhering to the documentation policies in The Policy and USGS Property Management requirements. Table 1 summarizes the most common disposition scenarios and the associated documentation requirements and recommendations. If you are working through a different scenario and/or need more guidance, please reach out to one of the contacts listed at the top of this page. 

All evaluations and disposition outcomes must be documented in the Collection Plan. Property form DI-104, “Transfer of Property” is required when transferring a collection to a public entity, and form DI-103 A V.2, “Certificate of Unserviceable Property” is required when destroying a collection or transferring it in lieu of destroying it. When transferring a collection to a non-public entity, please contact USGS Property Management for specific guidance. Property forms are not necessary when a collection will remain at USGS. 

Transfer agreements establish the ownership, roles, and responsibilities (or lack thereof) of the parties involved in the agreement. When a collection is transferred outside of the USGS, the transfer agreement should stipulate that USGS transfers ownership and custody of the collection and waives its rights according to the agreement, relinquishing further involvement and obligations with transferred collection materials. Transfer agreements should be signed by the collection manager, the Center Director, and the entity that is receiving the materials. Refer to the Custody Transfer Example that exemplifies a transfer agreement between USGS and SNMNH.

Updated Collection Plans, submitted property forms, and signed transfer agreements are the minimum required documents that serve as future references, protect the USGS and its employees, and allow for continuation of operations. However, as stewards of publicly funded scientific assets and research, we have an additional responsibility to manage the quality and protect the integrity of USGS scientific collections and their metadata (USGS SM 502.5) and to make collection metadata findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR). Cataloging scientific collections in the USGS Registry of Scientific Collections achieves this goal. 

Table 1. Common disposition scenarios and the documentation that is required or recommended to comply with the USGS Policy on Scientific Working Collections and USGS Property Management. 

[Forms as follows: DI-104, Transfer of Property; DI-103A V.2, Certificate of Unserviceable Property V.2 (Revised Oct 2016). Abbreviations as follows: DI, Department of the Interior; N/A, not applicable; ReSciColl, Registry of Scientific Collections; USGS, U.S. Geological Survey]

¹ “Public entity” refers to a publicly funded agency, organization, or institution (for example, the Smithsonian National Museum, Federal agencies, State organizations, and public institutions). 

 

Registry of Scientific Collections (ReSciColl)

The Registry of Scientific Collections (ReSciColl; formerly the National Digital Catalog) in an open-source online catalog that contains collection and sample-level metadata of USGS and state geological survey working collections. It was created by the National Geological and Geophysical Preservation Program (NGGDPP) as a response to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which mandated that the Nation’s geoscience collections be preserved and exposed to promote their discovery and use for research and resource development. Cataloging collection metadata in ReSciColl ensures that quality is managed, the provenance of a collection is tracked and accessible, collections can be used for future research, and collections are aligned with the FAIR principles.

ReSciColl satisfies the mandate of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and promotes FAIR collections by:

• Providing open and free access to collection and sample metadata in a user-friendly search and map interface.
• Assigning a digital object identifier (DOI) to working collections that can be searched, cited, and tracked.
• Requiring rich metadata to describe the collection.
• Connecting researchers, organizations, collections, samples, and related publications through their persistent identifiers.
• Requiring controlled vocabularies and keywords for searchability.

The process of uploading collections and their samples to ReSciColl is described and annotated in resources linked on NGGDPP “Data Submission” web page and in ReSciColl, and thus is beyond the scope of this guide. Prospective ReSciColl users are encouraged to browse the NGGDPP resources and contact the Geological Materials Repository to get started. 

 

When to Catalog a Collection

It is important to check on any data sharing agreements or any access or use constraints (for example, sensitive or proprietary data) before making collection metadata public in ReSciColl. Care should be taken to follow permit conditions and requirements from governing authorities that restrict release of sensitive information, such as locality for rare, threatened, or endangered species.

Most USGS collections predate The Policy (2019), so most collections currently stored by USGS have not been catalogued in ReSciColl. These collections should be catalogued as soon as it is feasible. Table 1 explains common scenarios in which cataloging a collection is recommended and when it may not be necessary. As a rule of thumb, if a collection has been used for research, may be useful to future research, or if someone in the future may want to know where a collection is or what happened to it, then it should be catalogued in ReSciColl. All working collections being stored by USGS should be cataloged. Collections can be catalogued as soon as they are collected but may be cataloged at the completion of a project at the latest. Any uncatalogued collections that are being loaned or transferred to another entity must be cataloged and their provenance tracked.

However, there are circumstances in which cataloging a collection may not be necessary. For example, if the original intention of the collection was to be consumed during research (for example, water samples), then it is not necessary to catalog the collection and its disposition in ReSciColl. However, if a collection is consumed during research that was used for research previously or has been previously catalogued, then its metadata and disposition should be documented in ReSciColl. 

Another common circumstance in which cataloguing may not be necessary is in the case of destroying an orphaned collection. Orphaned collections have little research value because they lack metadata. If metadata cannot be feasibly discovered and thus the collection disposition is to destroy it or donate it in lieu of destroying it, then its lack of known metadata warrants it impossible to catalog. 

 

Determining What Constitutes a Collection for ReSciColl

In ReSciColl, a collection is a set of scientific assets that are related to each other. The nature of the relationship is up to researchers to determine and is dependent on the available resources and management needs. 

The following are some examples of common sample relationships with some of their advantages and disadvantages.

1. The samples were collected for the same project (for example, Project Gnome Halite Core Collection, New Mexico, 1961). 
2. The samples were collected in the same field area (for example, Braitschite Samples from the Cane Creek Potash Mine, Southeast Utah, 1966). 
3. The samples support a specific publication. 

Options 1–3 are useful when the specific projects and related publications are known and the project researcher (or someone else related to the project) will be the point of contact and collection steward. For example, a researcher who just wrapped up a project would find it useful to bin all samples and subsamples of the project into a collection and catalog it as such in ReSciColl. They would be the point of contact and manage the collection. The advantage of this type of collection is that the collection metadata can be specific to the project and may prove more informative about the samples within it to someone looking to reuse the samples for research.

4. The samples comprise a legacy collection. (for example, the USGS Russell C. Evarts Collection of Geological Samples and Materials)

Legacy collections can almost always be split up into more specific collections. However, the collection stewards cataloging them are usually not the scientist who collected them, so resources are especially limited. Cataloging them as a legacy collection is a good start, and they can always be divided into more specific collections in the future. 

5. The samples are of the same type. (for example, collection of thin sections, collection of archive samples, and collection of geochemistry powders; refer to Iowa and Minnesota geological survey collections) 

Option 5 can be useful when inventorying a large quantity of materials that have been part of different projects but will be managed by a single person. 

 

ReSciColl Metadata and Persistent Identifiers

The metadata fields in ReSciColl were designed to describe collections from all USGS disciplines. Both collection-level and sample-level metadata are supported (figs. 4 and 5), but only collection-level metadata are required in the catalog. The minimum required collection metadata ensures that USGS collections can be findable by other interested researchers and reused for future research. However, many more metadata fields than what are required are available; and the more information that is catalogued, the more useful the record and the collection becomes for future research. 

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Figure 4. Pyramid showing the collection-level metadata categories in ReSciColl. The fields in white text that are outlined in red are required, but there are more metadata fields available under the other metadata categories. The more metadata are submitted, the better the collection aligns with the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principles.

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Figure 5. Sample-level metadata options in ReSciColl. Only the fields outlined in red are required when submitting metadata, but all listed fields are available for use. 

In summary, the required collection-level metadata is as follows:

• Descriptive title.
• Status (Is the collection at USGS or has it been transferred, consumed, or destroyed?).
• What types of materials are in the collection?
• Who is the point of contact for the collection? Do they have an identifier? For example, an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID).
• Collection citation: ReSciColl generates a DOI. 
• What are the relevant dates associated with the collection?
• Summary of the collection and its original purpose.
• Who compiled the collection metadata, when was it published, and have there been updates?
• What is the geographic span of the collection? (supports XY coordinates and bounding boxes)
• What is the lineage of the collection? Who collected it, where has it been stored, and where is it now?
• Is the collection available to be used by others? For example, other USGS researchers. Who should be contacted if someone is interested in researching with it?
• Are there related resources or publications associated with the collection? If so, what are their DOIs or URLs?
• What are some keywords that describe the collection? These keywords are selected from loaded controlled vocabularies (for example, the USGS thesaurus), which ensures consistency in descriptions and promotes findability. 

For more information on managing USGS collections or cataloging them in ReSciColl, please reach out to the contacts listed at the top of this page. 

 

Appendix 1. Additional Evaluation Considerations

The following questions can guide the evaluation process for determining a collection's disposition. If the answer is ‘no’ to most of the questions below, consider transferring. If the answer is ‘yes’, consider retaining the collection.

• Does the collection support ongoing USGS research? 
• Does the collection meet the 4-Point Standard?
• Does the collection represent a unique reference resource for ongoing and future USGS work that cannot be found elsewhere?
• Is the collection irreplaceable or one-of-a-kind?
• Did collection materials originate from agency managed lands, and has the land-owning agency been involved in determining a sample disposition plan? Land management agencies must be consulted during the evaluation. Governing authorities for samples collected from Federal, State, or Tribal lands (e.g., laws, treaties, permits, memoranda of understanding, etc.) must be complied with in determining ownership and disposition of materials.
• Are the research objectives long-term or meant to be comparative across broad time scales? 
• Is the condition and scientific integrity of the collection superb?
• If the collection can still be used, would it directly address the mission of the USGS or needs of stakeholders?
• Can the collection be adequately managed as a working collection with existing and future USGS resources?
• Have research objectives expanded or changed or has technology advanced and new work on the collection is anticipated?
• Has the collection gained significant value due to an event or circumstance that makes the collection irreplaceable?
• Is there clear interest in the curation and management of the collection by USGS but not by other repositories?
• Does the collection contain the only representations of a certain material (i.e., no duplicates exist elsewhere)?

 

Glossary

[Glossary terms are in bold at their first occurrence in the text]

Accession– The formal process by which collections are permanently in the custody of a USGS repository.

Acquire/Acquisition– the terms “acquire” and “acquisition” are used throughout this document to mean “obtain” or “collect.” They do not refer to formally acquiring title to or ownership of materials.

Catalog (verb)– The act of classifying objects into categories and documenting them with descriptive detail and identifying or descriptive unique numbers. 

Catalog (noun)– A file or database comprised of systematically arranged records. A catalog of working collections is the primary tool for organizing and sharing information about collections, accessible through a digital environment at a USGS office or Science Center.

Collect (verb)– Refer to “acquire/acquisition”

Collection (noun)– Refer to “working collection”

Collection Manager– Refers to the individual who is tasked with managing the collection (for example, documenting it and managing its access and use constraints). This role is typically held initially by the principal investigator of an active project. However, when principal investigators leave the bureau, the role of collection manager is commonly delegated to another individual.

Collection Plan– A document established during the Project Work Plan process and approved by Science Center Directors that documents at a high level the details of the working collection and plans for its management. Full implementation of the collection plan ensures adherence to this policy.

Disposition– The outcome of the collection evaluation process that determines if a collection, or portion thereof, is to be transferred, or disposed of in accordance with applicable Bureau requirements.

Legacy collections– Existing collections from past research that may or may not have complete descriptions of their content, provenance, and management. These collections have not yet undergone the Collections Evaluation process.

Orphan collection– A collection that, for a variety of reasons, is poorly documented and may have little research value unless metadata can be discovered.

Project Work Plan– A document that describes an approved study detailing the timeline for the research, the discrete tasks that need to be completed to accomplish the study objectives and the relationship of these tasks to one another as well as the methods to be used. A project work plan also includes details on the budget and staffing for the study, anticipated or planned information products, and the process for managing and archiving scientific records. (see SM 502.2)

ReSciColl– The Registry of Scientific Collections (previously the National Digital Catalog) includes metadata records describing geological and geophysical samples and data managed by state geological agencies and federal organizations. ReSciColl is currently being revised to allow entry of metadata records from all types of samples from new and existing USGS working collections and discoverable in a new map interface, ReSciColl Map.

Scientific collection– “Sets of physical specimens, living or inanimate, created for the purpose of supporting science and serving as a long-term research asset, rather than for their market value as collectibles or their historical, artistic, or cultural significance, and, as appropriate and feasible, the associated specimen data and materials” (42 USC § 6624(e)). Specimens in a federal research laboratory or on federal property are not necessarily, or automatically, part of a scientific collection.  This term comes from the U.S. Code and is generally applicable within the federal government, but this document primarily uses the definitions outlined in the IM CSS 2019-01 USGS Scientific Working Collections Management Policy. The definition is included here for consistency with other federal documents.

Voucher specimen– A specimen that physically and permanently documents data in published literature by verifying the identity of the material used in the study and by doing so ensures that a study which otherwise could not be repeated can be accurately reviewed or reassessed. For example, rock and mineral specimens may serve as vouchers to document the geology of an area.

Working collection– “Organic or inorganic specimens and items maintained by bureau/office programs that are not intended for long-term preservation and care as museum property due to their expendable nature.  Working collections are intended for use during education or ongoing research and may be consumed or discarded during the analysis process according to bureau policy. Some specimens and items may subsequently be designated museum property. Working collections will be discarded when it is determined there is no longer a need for the collection for future research or education or upon completion of the ongoing research according to standards set in bureau/office policy (411 DM, Ch. 1).”