Collection Policies

Listed below are answers to common questions received by the Invertebrate Collection staff.

Specimen Loans

Specimens from the VIMS Invertebrate Collection are available to research scientists and education centers throughout the U.S. and abroad. Our policy is to lend, donate, and exchange material freely. Each request is reviewed to determine the qualifications of the investigator, the condition of the material requested, and the nature of the request (e.g., permission to dissect or clear and stain). Loans are generally 6 to 12 months in duration. Loans made to students are issued to their major advisor. All costs of processing and shipping specimens are covered by VIMS, and detailed records of all transactions are maintained. There are no user charges for services associated with the Invertebrate Collection. To arrange a loan, please contact the curator.

Visiting the Collection

Researchers are welcome to visit the collection. Please contact the curator ahead of time to schedule a collection visit.

Collection Tours

We routinely give behind the scenes collection tours to school groups and the general public. We can tailor the length and content of the tours to meet your group’s needs. If you would like a tour of only the Invertebrate Collection, please contact the curator to schedule a time. Tours should be scheduled at least two weeks in advance and are limited to 12 people.

Specimen Donation

The VIMS Invertebrate Collection is the regional repository for estuarine and marine invertebrates of Chesapeake Bay and beyond. We continue to accept specimens for donation to the invertebrate collection in accordance with our acquisition policy. Please contact the curator to arrange for any specimen donations.

All donated specimens should be formalin fixed, frozen or dried and accompanied by detailed collection data. Donors are responsible for providing all legal documents associated with specimen collection and import/export, if applicable. The Invertebrate Collection will not accept any specimens that have not been legally acquired. We request a Deed of Transfer to accompany any donations.

Volunteer Opportunities

Numerous opportunities to volunteer in the invertebrate collection are available. Volunteers help with databasing, specimen preparation, invertebrate identification, and various other tasks. If you would like to volunteer in the invertebrate collection, please contact the curator or see the VIMS volunteer page: https://www.vims.edu/giving/volunteering/.