Accession records are comprised of not only the database record for the accession, but also paperwork that needs to be filled out by the donor, and a representative of the lab.
NPL WILL NOT APPRAISE SPECIMENS FOR DONATION.
DEED OF GIFT
This form establishes the donor has the right to donate the material (ie, it was all collected legally, is owned by the donor/s and nobody else has legal claim to the material). This form also points out which IRS forms are needed in cases where the donor plans to claim the material as a charitable donation valued at or above 500.00 USD.
Form instructions:
Donor information is at the top. The primary donor should fill this out with their name and contact information.
History: Briefly describe how this material came to be the property of the donor- where was it collected? By whom? If the material is a whole collection, the history of where the collection came from should be included.
Description: We're looking for broad strokes and generalizations. Statements like "12 boxes of Paleobotony material" and "14 pcs. of rudist reef salvaged from construction site" are fine.