The MVZ accepts specimen donations from various sources, and trains students in curatorial protocols for cataloging and integrating new material into the collections. Curatorial training comes in different forms, from hands-on experience to documented tutorials for specific tasks (text and short videos). A broader museum community also contributes to documentation for Arctos database procedures through the Arctos Handbook. Students and volunteers who are working in the collections should familiarize themselves closely with these protocols and tutorials.

View a diagram of the flow of specimens to get an overview of the curatorial process.