Inquiries regarding Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (VPL) specimens should be directed to the VPL Director:
Dr. Timothy Rowe
Director
Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, Building 6
J. J. Pickle Research Campus, R7600
10100 Burnet Road
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas 78758
Email: rowe@mail.utexas.edu | Phone: 512-232-5512 | Fax: 512-232-5518
The Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory (VPL) is a research, teaching and conservation branch of the Texas Natural Science Center (TNSC). It is not open to the public. Access is by appointment only, or through organized tours offered by TNSC.
We welcome researchers, students and educators to use our collections. However, arrangements must be made in advance to visit the VPL. Students arranging to visit VPL must also submit acknowledgement of the intended visit by their supervisors. Non-academic and commercial use of VPL collections, archives and other resources requires prior written approval by the VPL Director, in accordance with more general TNSC policies. TNSC shall judge whether a proposed use of its collections is non-commercial or academic.
Loans of specimens from the VPL collections are temporary physical transfers of objects to another professional institution, with no transfer of ownership.
Requests for specimen loans are approved by the Director of VPL. Requests for loans must be made in writing (email is sufficient). Students requesting loans must also submit acknowledgment of the loan request by their supervisors.
Loans generally are approved only to professional researchers employed by academic and non-profit institutions. Loans approved on behalf of graduate student research will be made to supervisors rather than to the students directly. Supervisors borrowing material on behalf of students must guarantee the fulfillment of VPL loan policies and conditions as set out below. Loans generally are not made to individuals or for-profit organizations. Requests to cast, prepare, repair, renumber, transfer or otherwise manipulate VPL specimens require prior written approval by the VPL Director (see below).
Unless otherwise stipulated, loans are authorized for periods of one year. Loan extensions must be requested in writing prior to loan expiration. It is the borrower's responsibility to return the specimen on time and in good condition. Subsequent loans will not be approved to any borrower in possession of an overdue loan.
Transfers of loans to third parties generally are not permitted. Specimens must be returned to VPL before they can be sent to another borrower. Any questions regarding transfers should be directed to the VPL Director.
Type specimens, specimens figured in publication, fragile specimens, or sole representatives of a taxon are not generally available for loans.
If a VPL specimen is to be placed on public display, the borrower must obtain written permission from VPL in advance. Specimens placed on display must be protected from physical access by the public. If a specimen is to be physically modified in any way for the display, this must be arranged in advance, in writing, and VPL preparatorial staff must be consulted about the proposed modifications. VPL specimens placed on public display must also receive proper acknowledgement (see below).
The cost of shipping and insurance must be arranged with the borrower in advance through written communication with the VPL Director. Loan material being returned to VPL must be packed in a manner comparable to that as received, and it must be adequate to insure the safety of the specimen. We request loans to be returned via a professional carrier (e.g., Federal Express) that provides for minute tracking (either by electronic signature or hand-signed documents at every station) from the moment it leaves the sender until it is received at the other end. In other cases we may require loans to be hand-carried, by a person approved by the VPL Director. Borrowers who violate the terms of the loan agreement or who return an object with unacceptable damage or alterations may be restricted from future use of VPL collections.
Upon receiving a loan, recipients must sign and return to VPL a form acknowledging the arrival and condition of the specimens, and that confirms the accuracy of the specimen manifest. When a loan is returned, its arrival at VPL is acknowledged by a written receipt.
VPL reserves the right to assess a loan fee in certain circumstances including, but not limited to, occasions where labor-intensive requests for loans unduly burden the normal operation of the VPL. Shipping costs must be worked out in advance for each loan request.
Specimens must be stored at the institution to which they are loaned, in climate controlled, secure rooms. The borrower agrees to conserve and protect the materials entrusted to their care, to pay for the repair of any damages to the specimens while in their care or a result of their handling, packing and shipping of the specimens. Preparation, repair and other modifications to the specimens may not be made without prior written approval of the VPL Director. Please report any specimen damage immediately to discuss the appropriate means of repair. Destructive analysis of specimens is not permitted without prior written approval by VPL.
Molding, casting, and CT scanning of VPL specimens are prohibited without prior written consent of the VPL Director. The VPL maintains an active casting and CT scanning program. We may already have casts or datasets of the specimen of interest. Alternatively, we may prefer to mold and cast, or to CT scan the specimens ourselves. Requests regarding molding and casting material should be sent to the VPL Director.
If one or more specimens from a lot bearing a single catalogue number are to be figured, included in a table, or otherwise referred to by number in a publication, and not all specimens from that lot pertain to a single individual, then the published specimens must be renumbered individually. The borrower should send a list of specimens requiring renumbering to the VPL Director, who will return a list of new numbers. Do not subdivide a lot by adding letters or other suffixes to the numbers. The borrower is asked to notify the VPL Director of any errors in specimen data or changes in identifications. This may be done by penciling the changes on the specimen label, noting them on a copy of the loan form, or listing them on a separate sheet of paper. If done on the specimen label or slip packed with the specimen, the change(s) should be signed (legibly) and dated by the person who makes them.
VPL must receive appropriate acknowledgment in any publications and presentations based on the use of materials from its collections. Presentations of items from the collections (or reproductions thereof) in exhibit, publication or other venue must bear the following credit line: From the Collections of the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, Texas Natural Science Center, The University of Texas at Austin. VPL must be given a copy of any publication (in any medium) that makes use of its material (or reproductions thereof).
Reproduction (casts, molds, photocopies, photographs, CT scanning, digital images, etc.) of objects loaned by the VPL is subject to the general rules governing reproduction of TNSC holdings. In addition, the following clauses apply to VPL specimens:
Written permission from the VPL Director is required by the borrower to make any reproductions of objects for academic non-commercial purposes.
VPL may ask that negatives or molds made be given to VPL or destroyed if a reproduction is made in limited numbers.
Permission to reproduce photographs, publications, or other material for which the VPL, TNSC or University does not hold the copyright will be granted only if the applicant demonstrates that s/he has obtained permission from the copyright holder.
The applicant will defend and hold harmless the Texas Natural Science Center and the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory against all claims, demands, costs, and expenses incurred by copyright infringement arising from the use of TNSC material.
VPL must be assured that the proposed use of items from its collections (or reproductions thereof) results in an appropriate presentation of the original item. Superimposition of text, cropping, bleeding, the addition or changing of color and other alterations are not permitted without specific prior approval of the VPL Director. Items from the collections (or reproductions thereof) must not be used for any purpose deemed offensive by the Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory, Texas Natural Science Center, or The University of Texas at Austin.
The applicant agrees not to make or allow to be made unauthorized copies of any materials provided by the VPL.
Reproduction of VPL specimens may be subject to fees (see below).
The acronym for Vertebrate Paleontology Laboratory fossil specimens is TMM. This supercedes all earlier acronyms, including UT, BEG, and UTBEG.
The acronym for fossil specimens from the Texas A&M collection (now held by VPL) is TMM-TAMU.
The acronym for Recent specimens from the VPL collection is M (e.g., TMM M-8357).
In certain circumstances, VPL does permit commercial interests to access materials in its collection and archive. A fee will be charged for all commercial usage. Requests for access must be made in writing (email is sufficient), and approved by the VPL Director. TNSC will determine which requests represent commercial use of its resources.
| Commercial Access Fees | ||
|---|---|---|
Collections use |
$200 per hour |
2hr minimum |
| Database searches |
$200 per hour |
2hr minimum |
| Reproduction of Photographs |
$250 per photo |
|
Casts of Specimens |
priced individually |
|
| Specimen Identification |
see below |
|
Locality Evaluations |
request cost estimate |
|
| Environmental Impact Assessments |
request quotation |
|
Twice a year, TNSC offers free consulting and specimen identification during Identification Day.
In certain circumstances we can make site visits to evaluate the nature of fossil vertebrates that are still in the ground. We charge $200/hour onsite, plus expenses. Written requests for site visits should be made to the VPL Director.
