Milwaukee Public Museum

Ms. Minerva Soucie, Burns Paiute Tribe, examining basketry from the MPM Ethnology collections.

The Anthropology Department of the Milwaukee Public Museum supports and encourages the public use of its collections and documentation for research, educational, and exhibition purposes. Any reasonable and appropriate request for access is considered. Given the significance and sensitivity of the collections, however, certain guidelines have been established to govern access, publication and/or other uses of the museum's anthropological collections and related documentation.

Availability of collections and their documentation is determined by the Anthropology staff subject to the condition of the materials, applicable state and federal laws (including copyright), donor restrictions, and consideration of issues of cultural sensitivity. Some materials, such as objects on loan, on exhibit, in process of conservation, or currently in use by other researchers, may be unavailable for study at any given point. Access is granted solely at the discretion of the supervising curator. Access to collections is granted from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm Monday through Friday excluding the lunch period from 12:00 -1:00 pm. Access will not be granted on weekends. Unsupervised access to collections areas is not permitted and the presence of young children is strongly discouraged. Access to archival materials not housed in the Anthropology Section must be arranged through the MPM Library and Archives.

Visitors are asked to make written application at least 3 weeks in advance of their visit with the curator in charge of the collections to which access is desired. This is accomplished by either filling out and submitting in full the "Researcher Application Form," available online in either MS Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats, or by sending a letter to the Anthropology Section Head describing the collection or specific objects to be studied and the nature of the research project being undertaken, the requested dates of access, and any special circumstances relating to the request. College or university students must have requests verified by a faculty member or other responsible professional. Walk-in access is not permitted, nor will such requests be considered by Anthropology Section staff. Museum Visitor Assistants can either provide the name and number of a specific Anthropology staff person with whom scheduled access can later be arranged, or the Visitor Assistant can attempt to contact the curator via telephone so that the visitor can make arrangements directly with the appropriate curator. In order to accommodate requests by other visitors, requests for access should be at least three weeks in advance of the anticipated visit. Visitors under Public Law 101-601 (NAGPRA) should direct their inquiries to the Anthropology Collections Manager (see separate NAGPRA Policies and Procedures document).

All requests for access are granted subject to curatorial review and availability of staff and workspace. Approval will be confirmed via telephone or email. Only visitors having a confirmed appointment will be granted access to collections and archives.

All MPM security procedures must be followed, and in signing the Researcher Application form visitors agree to abide by MPM policies. Smoking, eating, drinking, pencils, bags, briefcases, and coats are not allowed in and around collections areas.

The Museum can provide images of objects on request either through the Anthropology Section or the Division of Photographic Services. The Anthropology Section can provide digital images at relatively low resolution (allowing email transfer of images), while the Special Collections division of the Museum Library can provide prints and slides for some objects and for archival images, or for high-resolution digital images. Reproduction rights and fees are provided on request from the MPM Photo Archivist.

The Museum accepts requests to grant the right to use and reproduce material in its collections or for which it holds copyright, and reserves the right to determine appropriate charges for such use. Publication of any material requires written permission from the museum and any holders of the copyright where necessary. Fieldnotes and research notes made during MPM supported research and fieldwork are generally regarded as the property of the Museum, but clarification on this issue may be required in particular instances, and should be requested well in advance. All requests for use of copyrighted material must be authorized by both the supervising curator for the collection involved and the MPM Vice President of Museum Programs.