The William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology supports research, teaching, exhibits, loans, photography, visual examination, condition assessment, and other approved uses of its collections.
Access to Museum collections is available by request and is reviewed by Museum staff before approval. The review process helps ensure that collections are used appropriately, materials are handled safely, and requests are consistent with the Museum’s stewardship responsibilities, documentation needs, staff capacity, and applicable policies.
Collections access may be requested for archaeological collections, ethnographic collections, archival and documentary materials, photographs, digital images, comparative teaching materials, or other Museum holdings. Some requests may require additional review depending on the nature of the materials, the proposed use, the condition of the collections, documentation status, cultural sensitivity, legal obligations, or other stewardship considerations.
Before You Submit a Request
Please provide as much information as possible about your project and the materials you would like to access. Requests should include:
- Your name and contact information
- Institutional affiliation and status, if applicable
- The collection, accession number, site number, or type of material requested, when known
- The purpose of the request
- Proposed date or date range for access
- Whether photography or new images are requested
- Names and qualifications of any additional visitors who may accompany you
- Any relevant project deadlines, publication plans, exhibit plans, or loan needs
Students from outside the University of Kentucky should include a letter from their project supervisor or thesis chair. Research or data collection requests should include a brief research proposal or project description.
Review and Approval
Submitting a request does not automatically guarantee access. Museum staff will review each request based on the proposed use, the collections requested, staff availability, facility access, collection condition, documentation status, and any legal, ethical, cultural, or stewardship considerations.
Museum staff may request additional information, suggest alternative materials, place conditions on access, limit photography or reproduction, or decline a request when access is not appropriate or cannot be supported.
Access Limitations and Review Restrictions
Some Museum collections may be subject to access limitations, research restrictions, or additional review before they can be made available. These limitations may relate to legal compliance, cultural sensitivity, documentation status, donor restrictions, collection condition, staff capacity, or other stewardship considerations.
As of January 1, 2020, the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology has maintained a research moratorium on Native American and Native Hawaiian human remains, associated funerary objects, unassociated funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony pertaining thereto curated at the Museum. This moratorium remains in effect for each site collection until legal compliance under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act has been achieved.
Questions about this moratorium may be directed to the Webb Museum’s NAGPRA Coordinator, Dr. Celise Chilcote-Fricker. For more information, please visit the Museum’s NAGPRA page.
Photography, Images, and Credit Line
Requests involving photography, imaging, publication, exhibits, websites, media use, or other reproduction may require additional review and approval. Permission to examine collections does not automatically include permission to publish, distribute, or reproduce images.
Unless otherwise directed, approved use of collection images should include the following credit line:
From the Collection of the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, University of Kentucky
Submit a Collections Access Request
To request access, please complete the Collections Access Request form and submit it with any required supporting materials.
Questions about collections access may be directed to the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology Archaeology Curator Lisa Guerre.