Use Policies

Rocky Mountain Herbarium Use Policies

This document is also available as a PDF file.

The Use Policies of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium pertain to the three herbaria administered by the Rocky Mountain Herbarium:

1. Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM)
2. US Forest Service National Herbarium (USFS)
3. Solheim Mycological Herbarium (RMS).

For the purposes of this document, the term “Rocky Mountain Herbarium” and the acronym “RM” refer to all three herbaria, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

If you have any questions concerning the collections, herbarium library, maps, supplies, working spaces, etc., please feel free to ask a member of the herbarium staff or email us.

Location and Hours

The Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM) is located on the second and third floors of the Aven Nelson Building, University of Wyoming campus (view on map). It is open 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday, except during University closures and holidays. Summer hours vary depending on field work schedules.

There are no public displays at the herbarium. Persons wishing to access the specimens for research should contact a curator or the director before planning a visit, so that we may assist you.

Free parking (with limited spaces) is available along the east side of 9th Street on the west edge of campus, and along portions of E Ivinson Street on the south side of campus. Additional free street parking is available along some sections of the streets (but not all—pay attention to permit signs) in the blocks west of 9th Street. Information about campus parking, including hourly metered parking, parking permits, and permit-only parking lots, can be found on the university’s Transit and Parking Services web page (https://www.uwyo.edu/transportation/parking/index.html). 

Information for Visitors

• It would be greatly appreciated if all visitors sign the herbarium guest book upon arrival.
• Individuals wishing to use the herbarium should check first with an herbarium curator or director. Making prior arrangements is strongly encouraged to ensure that the herbarium will be open and staff will be available to provide assistance.
• Visitors should be given a quick orientation to herbarium policies, organization, and proper specimen handling techniques.
• Before resorting to using the herbarium, have specimens that you want to see definitely in mind. For identification purposes, do not “mull” through the folders on the chance of encountering a plant similar to the one you are studying. The herbarium is a supplement to, not a substitute for, identification manuals or floras.
• Tours of the herbarium can be given upon request. Prior arrangements are required for group tours. 

Loan Policy

The Rocky Mountain Herbarium will loan specimens to qualified institutions for scholarly research. Individuals wishing to borrow specimens must partner with an appropriate institution. The borrowing institution must meet minimum standards for security, storage environment, and handling of specimens, and assumes all responsibility for the specimens. Students must request loans through their faculty supervisor. Delinquent loans may delay the processing of new requests and/or prevent future loan requests by the individual borrower or affiliated institution.

Loans are made for one year. Extension of the loan period may be granted upon written request to the curator. No portion of the specimens on herbarium sheets may be removed ("destructive sampling") without prior approval of the curator. Returned loans should be packed carefully and sent via insured and tracked mail service. We reserve the right to request the return of loaned material at any time.

Type material, endangered taxa, specimens judged by the RM curator to be exceedingly fragile, or those which are represented by fewer than five specimens in the RM are generally not considered for loans. At least one specimen per taxon is retained by the RM at all times. However, images may be available through the RM database search, and researchers are encouraged to visit the RM website to view these specimens or visit the RM in person. Loans of individual specimens, no matter the total number of specimens for that taxon, will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Requests for permission to perform destructive sampling of RM specimens (e.g., dissections, pollen or seed removal, removal of tissues for DNA extraction, etc.,) are not granted routinely but are decided on a case-by-case basis (see Destructive/Invasive Sampling Policy below).

When used in taxonomic research, specimens should be annotated, even when agreeing with previous determination. An annotation label with an updated identification, researcher’s name, and date of annotation should be affixed to the specimen prior to return. 

Loan requests may be submitted in writing or via email and addressed to the herbarium. Loan requests should include the following information:

• Full name of requestor (and sponsor, if applicable), institutional affiliation, institutional mailing address, email, and phone number.
• Complete taxonomic information, including relevant synonymy, or for individual specimens, identifiers such as collector name and collection number, accession, or barcode. 
• Proposed activities to be conducted using the specimens.
• Justification of the need of the specimens for the proposed study.
• Experience of the researcher in handling natural history specimens.
• Summary of previous work on the taxonomic group.

Annotations

Qualified persons who find specimens with errors in identification should bring these to the attention of herbarium staff so they can be annotated. Do not re-file annotated specimens, as they must first be updated in the RM database and re-photographed.

Database Terms of Use

The data and images provided by the RM database search may be used freely by individuals and organizations for purposes of basic research, education and conservation. These data and images may not be used for commercial or for-profit purposes, nor be repackaged, resold, or redistributed in any form, without the express written consent of RM.

Image Terms of Use

The Image Reproduction Policy of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium pertains to original RM photography of herbarium specimens, analog or digital, and derivative images made from existing transparencies, negatives, prints, and electronic media in the Rocky Mountain Herbarium. Reproduction, display, or distribution of RM images, whole or in part, is permitted for purposes of basic research, education and conservation. Reproduction of the images for commercial or for-profit purposes is prohibited without explicit written permission from RM.

Photographs (analog, digital, and video formats) and scanned archive materials may be used, downloaded, reproduced, displayed, distributed, posted, or reprinted by persons affiliated with academic and/or non-profit organizations, for scholarly purposes only. In all cases of publication and public presentation, "With permission of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium" must be cited, with reference to institutional acronym and accession number when a specific specimen is indicated (e.g. RM 123456). In the case of online images, the barcode and persistent URL should be cited.

Acknowledging the Herbarium

Use of RM specimens, data, or images in publications, dissertations and theses, or other scientific reports, should be accompanied by an acknowledgement of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium as the source for the information. The RM expects to receive notification of all publications resulting from work with RM specimens, the RM database, and RM images. This helps us to document the use of specimens in the literature, and helps us to justify continued funding for the collections so that these resources remain available into the future.

RM Specimen Donation policy

The Rocky Mountain Herbarium will consider donations based on their scientific or historical merit. For example, vouchers for scientific research, legacy collections from institutions of higher education, or personal collections of professional or amateur botanists will be considered for inclusion in the RM. Specimens must include adequate data and be of research quality. All potential donations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contact the curator before making a donation. Any valuation of individual donated specimens, or larger collections, if desired, is the responsibility of the Donor.

RM Specimen Exchange policy

The Rocky Mountain Herbarium will enter into specimen exchange agreements with other recognized herbaria.  Please contact the RM Curator for additional information. 

Destructive/Invasive Sampling Policy & Authorization Form

The policy detailed below is intended to help the Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM) balance the preservation and integrity of herbarium specimens with their utilization for scientific research. As a rule, no material may be removed from specimens without prior consent of the Herbarium Curator. If you need to conduct destructive sampling of RM specimens, please read the policy statement below, complete and sign the Destructive Sampling Request Form and send the form, along with a list of specimens to be sampled and a loan request (if needed), to the Curator, Rocky Mountain Herbarium, Department 4340, 1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071, U.S.A., or email to RMHerbarium@uwyo.edu. Upon receipt and review of your request, we will contact you concerning RM’s decision regarding the request for destructive sampling. Decisions concerning destructive sampling of collections will be made on a case-by-case basis.

RM Destructive Sampling Request Form [PDF]

Permission for removal of material, when given, is contingent upon adherence to the following guidelines:

1. It is intended that destructive sampling is conducted for purposes of scientific research and the eventual preparation of a scientific manuscript.
2. Leaf material, pollen, spores, fungal tissue, bryophyte fragments, etc. may be removed from specimens only when there is adequate material available. Care must be taken not to damage the scientific value of the specimen. Whenever possible, material from fragment packets on the herbarium sheet should be sampled.
3. Pollen should be removed from no more than one flower per sheet, and the sheet must have more than three flowers except where permission is otherwise granted. The whole flower should not be damaged or removed.
4. Material may not be removed from type collections, from historical specimens, or from taxa represented in the herbarium by fewer than five collections, except in rare instances, and then only following approval by a designated staff member.
5. Material should not be removed from a herbarium sheet for a second time, if the nature of the study is the same, except where permission is otherwise granted.
6. Any DNA sequences derived from the specimen should be deposited into GenBank or EMBL.
7. For large or complicated requests of material for DNA extractions or other studies, researchers will be encouraged to visit RM to select specimens for sampling. Removal of material from specimens selected by the researcher will be made with supervision and approval by appropriate staff. Not only does a personal visit reduce the work required by Herbarium staff, it allows the investigator to make more precise selections based on specimen age and condition, and amount of material in packets or on the sheet.
8. Each specimen sampled must be annotated, indicating the nature of the study, type of material removed, the researcher’s name and institutional affiliation, and date of removal. Labels should preferably not exceed ~ 6 x 2 cm in size.
9. All policies related to RM specimens, as stated in the Rocky Mountain Herbarium Use Policies, apply to specimens used for destructive sampling.