Form 1562 Institutional Administrator's Survey

NSF Scientific Collections Survey
INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS SURVEY

INSTRUCTIONS
This survey should be completed by the official with responsibility over all collections at your
institution (e.g., Associate Director for Collections, or Head Collections Manager).
This survey can be completed online or writing your responses on the attached forms. To access
the survey online, go to [http:// xxx] and log onto the site using the [user id xxx] and the
[password xxx]. A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section is provided online, in which you
will find definitions for terms used in the survey.

COLLECTIONS INCLUDED IN THIS SURVEY
This survey is being distributed to institutions supporting object-based scientific collections that
have received Federal funding from the National Science Foundation.
“Object-based scientific collections” are defined as collections primarily acquired, maintained
and used for scientific research, such as natural and physical science specimens, living animals
and plants, archaeological and ethnographic objects, or technological objects of current or
contemporary design.
“Ancillary collections” include important materials that are associated with an object-based
scientific collection, but only if the material is directly used for scientific research, such as
archival and library materials, audio and visual media, and data that might reside in databases.

COLLECTIONS EXCLUDED FROM THIS SURVEY
Historic and artistic collections that do not function as scientific collections are excluded from

the survey. For example, a collection of wreckage from an aircraft accident would fall outside
the scope of the survey if it were part of a current investigation, maintained for historical
purposes only, or otherwise closed to access. However, this same collection would be within the
scope of the survey if it were being maintained for the use of researchers who are researching
metal fatigue, fire dynamics, failure propagation, or other related phenomena.
Library collections are also excluded unless the collection is in support of the research objects
themselves.
Collections of data (both analog and digital) or databases containing such data are excluded from
this survey unless those data collections are associated with an object-based scientific collection
and are used directly to support the conduct of scientific research, in which case they may be
treated as ancillary collections. (See “Ancillary collections” definition above).

NSF Scientific Collections Survey

STRUCTURE OF THE SURVEY
The survey is divided into 11 sections:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.

Organizational Information
Collection Characteristics
Staffing
Funding
Facilities
Ancillary Materials
Uses and Users
Accessibility of the Collections
Intellectual Property Rights
Analytic Instrumentation
Security Issues

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THE ONLINE VERSION
[TO BE DEVELOPED.]

We suggest that you print out a copy of the survey and review all the sections prior to
completing the on-line version.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact xxx [xxx @ xxx], telephone number
[xxx].

DEADLINE
In order for us to include your response with those of all other participating organizations, we
ask that you complete this survey no later than xxx.