United States Polar Rock Repository
Policy for Sample Donation, Distribution and
Publication
Contents
1) Introduction
2) Sample Donation Guidelines
3) Sample Distribution Policy Guidelines
a) Sample Request Procedures
4) Investigator Responsibilities
5) Publication Policy
6) Sample Requests for Educational Use and Public
Display
7) USPRR Responsibilities
a) Curator
b) Sample Allocation Committee
c) Curatorial Advisory Board
8) Appendix A:
Contact Information: Steering Committee, Curator
1)
Introduction
a) The United
States Polar Rock Repository is a national facility designed for the permanent
curatorial preservation of rock samples from Polar Regions. It is supported by the National Science
Foundation’s Office of Polar Programs. The repository is located adjacent to
Scott Hall, home of the Byrd
Polar Research Center at The Ohio State University in Columbus,
Ohio. The repository houses rock collections of U.S. scientists from Antarctica
and the Arctic, along with associated materials such as field notes,
annotated air photos and maps, raw analytic data, paleomagnetic cores, ground
rock and mineral residues, thin sections, and microfossil mounts, microslides
and residues.
b)The USPRR is a 4200 sq/ft building containing 12’ high
storage shelving racks that can be converted into movable shelving when the
first storage units are full. Approximately 70,000 samples can be stored with
the current shelving. Samples may be
examined in a layout area equipped with tables, weighing scales, ethernet connections, etc. A work area/conference room,
equipped with a microscope and attached digital camera, light table, PC
computer, printer, scanner, polar books and maps may also be used by visitors.
Other laboratory facilities, if needed, are available in Scott Hall, as well as
in the Department of Geological Sciences. A rock preparation room is also on
site to cut specimens. During sample examination, a curatorial staff member
will be responsible for retrieving and re-shelving requested samples. There is no charge for on-site examination of
samples and/or accompanying data i.e. petrographic thin sections, photograph
and map collections etc. The policies
described here for use of samples have been established by the United States
Polar Rock Repository Steering Committee.
2)
Sample Donation Guidelines
a) The USPRR welcomes donations of scientifically
valuable polar rock collections and any supporting material. Someone interested in donating samples to the
repository should first contact the Curator about the appropriateness of their
collection for this facility. Donors are
responsible for entering their sample data into a pre-designed Excel
spreadsheet (obtained from the USPRR curator) or by providing field notebooks
or locality index cards to the curator, before shipping their rock collections
to the repository. Funds are available to cover shipping costs of the specimens
to the repository. Rock samples will not be accepted by the USPRR until
they have been entered into an Excel file or until the donor has provided the
field notebooks (copies), or locality index cards, with the sample information
to the repository. Although not required, additional data, such as chemical
analyses, thin sections, structural data, maps, photos, etc., adding scientific
value to the donated materials, are requested by the USPRR. The donor, upon receipt of the rocks by the
USPRR, relinquishes all exclusive claims to use and control of the donated
materials.
3)
Sample Distribution Policy Guidelines
a) Use of a portion of rock sample for analysis will be
granted only by submitting a sample request form to the Sample Allocation
Committee for approval. This committee will decide if the request is
reasonable and determine the amount of sample to be provided in order to achieve the
desired goals of the requester without compromising loss of too much material
for future use. Scientists from other countries who are not
directly collaborating with a US investigator must also submit a Sample Request form
but will be assessed a fee to cover administrative costs, shipping and
handling. The fee will be based on the
number, weight and volume of samples to be shipped. Final costs will be emailed
to the requester for approval prior to sample shipment from the USPRR. Researchers are encouraged to visit the Polar
Rock Repository to examine samples and associated materials.
b) Donor thin section collections, ground rock and
mineral residues, microfossil mounts, microslides and
residues will be available for study only at the repository unless there are
duplicates or large quantities.
4)
Sample Request Procedures
a) The Sample
Request form is located on the USPRR web
site. Users can search for samples based
on rock name, location, collector, and lithology. The request form should be sent to the
Curator who will forward it to the Sample Allocation Committee. Requests for
samples from type localities, logistically remote outcrops or sites of special
scientific interest (wherein new rock sample collection is restricted) will
receive additional assessment by the SAC. Typically, no more than approximately
75% percent of the available sample will be released to any investigator.
b)Requests for samples should clearly describe the
proposed scientific investigation and demonstrate a valid need for the samples.
All requests must include the following information:
i)
Name, title, and
affiliation of the investigator
ii) Names and addresses of collaborators involved with the
requested samples
iii) Funding agency for the proposed
research, if applicable.
iv) Summary of proposed research including analytical
methods to be used and objectives
v) The request should include detailed information about
the ability of the borrower to perform the analyses proposed. This should
include information about laboratory facilities and funding to cover the
analytical costs.
vi) Sample ID number of requested specimen
vii) Mass or volume of sample (s) needed
viii) Identifying special handling or storage needs
ix) In the event that subsequent material is needed,
follow-up requests should outline the progress of the study and verify the need
for additional material.
c) NSF
investigators must contact the Curator prior to submission of proposals if
samples from the USPRR are being requested as part of a proposed project. The Curator and Sample Allocation Committee
(SAC) will assess the availability of the requested samples prior to proposal
submission. The Curator can provide documentation to the PI stating that
material exists at the USPRR if the investigator wishes to include this in the
proposal submission.
5)
Investigator Responsibilities:
a) All scientists
who receive samples and/or data from USPRR must:
i)
Email that the
requested samples arrived safely.
ii) Submit a progress report to the Curator outlining the
status of the samples and/or data no later than 18 months after receiving them.
iii) Provide data obtained by analyzing USPRR samples
within 3 years of acquiring the sample(s).
iv) Provide a final report to the Curator after 3 years. A
reprint of a published manuscript will fulfill this obligation.
v) Samples may not be transferred to or examined by other
investigators without prior approval from the Curator.
vi) All unused samples must be returned to the USPRR
within 3 years for re-archiving and future use by other investigators.
6)
Publication Policy
a) All users of
the USPRR must:
i)
Acknowledge the
USPRR in any proposal or publication using the following wording: “This research used samples and/or data
provided by the United States Polar Rock Repository (USPRR). USPRR is sponsored by the U.S. National
Science Foundation.”
ii) Acknowledge the original collector of the sample(s).
iii) Include the “United States Polar Rock Repository” as
key words provided to the journal or book publisher of a manuscript using any
USPRR samples or data.
iv) Provide to the repository library, one reprint of any
published paper that used information obtained from USPRR for the repository library.
7)
Sample Requests for Educational Use and Public Display
Guidelines
a) If there are
abundant rock samples from a geologic or stratigraphic unit in the collection,
educators may request samples for teaching.
The educator must fill out the Sample Request Form to be reviewed by the
SAC. The use of any material would be
considered a loan to the school and would have to be returned after 1
year. The school would be required to sign
a loan agreement with the USPRR.
b)Rock Samples may also be available for public display
and requests to borrow such samples should be sent to the Curator for review by
the SAC. Sample requests should include
the description, location, purpose and security of the display as well as the
duration of the display. The Curator
must also have all contact information and the name of the person responsible
for the samples in the display. All public displays must include
acknowledgement of the USPRR and the National Science Foundation. The borrowing institution would be required
to sign a loan agreement with the USPRR.
8) USPRR
Responsibilities:
a) Curator
i)
The USPRR Curator
keeps a record of all rock samples and accompanying sample information in the
repository. All samples have barcode
labels to facilitate with sample tracking. The repository sample record also
includes the names of researchers who have received samples, the reason for the
sample request and the amount of sample taken.
Sample request information will not be publicly available until 3 years
have passed from acquiring a requested sample.
ii) All sample requests will be sent to the Curator who
will assess them for completeness and for adherence to the sample request
policy. The Curator will then pass on
the sample request to the Sample Allocation Committee.
b) Sample Allocation Committee
i)
After the first
year of operation, a Sample Allocation Committee will be made to evaluate all
sample requests. This committee will be
made up of three polar geologists. The SAC will serve 3 year terms with one
person rotating on/off each year. The first SAC will serve a 3 year term with
one person rotating off each year after the first 3 years. The SAC will base their decision upon the
amount of sample material available and the difficulty of obtaining new
material. Approval of sample requests
requires a majority of the SAC. The
requester may appeal a declined request to the Curatorial Advisory Board (see
below).
c) Curatorial Advisory Board
i)
The Curatorial
Advisory Board (CAB) is a standing body that is made up of 3 members of the
polar earth science community who will serve four-year terms that overlap by
two years. Members of the CAB cannot be part of the SAC at the same time.
The Curatorial Advisory Board will be
established after the Steering Committee has finished their role. The function of the CAB is to:
(a) Provide recommendations to the Curator for repository
improvements.
(b) Make recommendations to the Ohio
State University on behalf of the USPRR.
(c) Act as an “appeals board” with the authority to make
final decisions regarding sample distribution if an appeal has been filed. If the vote is split evenly, a decision will
be made by the Division Manager of Geology and Geophysics at OPP.
Appendix A:
Curatorial Advisory Board
Rosemary Askin: Research
Scientist, 1930
Bunkhouse Drive, Jackson, WY, 83001, askin@bresnan.net
David Elliot: Professor, Department of Geological
Sciences, 275 Mendenhall, 125 South Oval Mall, Ohio State University, Columbus,
OH 43210; elliot.1@osu.edu
John Goodge: Professor, Department of Geological Sciences,
University of Minnesota, 1114 Kirby Dr., Heller Hall 223, Duluth, MN 55812, jgoodge@d.umn.edu
Curatorial
Staff
Curator: Anne
Grunow, Byrd Polar Research Center, OSU, 108 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack Rd., Columbus, OH
43210, grunow.1@osu.edu
Assistant Curator: Julie Codispoti, Byrd Polar
Research Center, OSU, 108 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack
Rd., Columbus, OH 43210, codospoti.8@osu.edu