Paleontology Visits

Visiting the Collections 

The Paleontology collections are generally open to bona fide researchers who are affiliated to a recognized academic institution. Approval by Museum staff is required. Normal opening hours are weekdays, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, excluding these public holidays:

Applying to Visit

Applications to visit the collection must be made in writing at least six weeks in advance of the visit; please do not make travel arrangements to New York City until we have approved your collections visit. Every attempt will be made to accommodate your preferred visit dates but those dates are subject to staff availability. First-time visitors should make their request via a letter with an institutional letterhead. In addition, students should provide a letter of reference from their graduate or undergraduate advisor, also on institutional letterhead.

Letters of application and reference should be directed to the appropriate visitor contact for the collection in question. The request should specify the purpose of the visit and the specimens to be examined, together with the proposed dates. Visits in excess of 10 working days' duration will be assessed according to the long-term availability of workspace in the collections.

Molding and Casting Specimens During a Visit

Permission to mold specimens while visiting the collections must be approved in advance. Requests to mold specimens should be in the form of a written proposal, sent at the same time as an application to visit the collection. Please review our policies on molding and casting specimens.

Visiting Multiple Departments

Visitors requesting access to more than one department at the Museum - for example, fossil mammals (Department of Vertebrate Paleontology) and the Department of Mammalogy - should be aware that Paleontology staff can only grant access to the Paleontology collections. Requests to visit other collections should be referred directly to the relevant department's visitor contact.

Visiting the Vertebrate Paleontology Archives

Arrangements for requesting visits to the Vertebrate Paleontology Archives can be found here.
Visitors will conduct research in the reading room of the Gottesman Research Library and Learning Center; visitor access to the Vertebrate Paleontology Archives room is not permitted.
Archives relating to the Invertebrate Paleontology collections are held by the Division of Invertebrate Zoology.
Visitors interested in archival materials related to Vertebrate Paleontology are also advised to contact the Gottesman Research Library archives, which have significant holdings of documents relating to paleontology at the Museum.

Generation of 3D Data

Generation of 3D data (by CT scan or other technologies) from Museum specimens is prohibited while visiting the collections unless prior written approval is granted. Please refer to the application guidelines for 3D data.

Photography

Imaging Museum specimens is limited to scientific use only. Images may not be used for commercial purposes without prior written consent from the Museum.

Destructive Sampling and Specimen Preparation

Both procedures are prohibited without prior written approval from the Museum. Application guidelines for destructive sampling and specimen preparation.

Visitors Contacts

FARB
Carl Mehling
[email protected]

Fossil Fish
Dr. Alana Gishlick
[email protected]

Fossil Invertebrates
Bushra Hussaini
[email protected]

Fossil Mammals
Judy Galkin
[email protected]

Vertebrate Paleontology Archives and Osborn Library
Kiana Clark
[email protected]