36 C.F.R. § 79.10 – Use of collections.

(a) The Federal Agency Official shall ensure that the Repository Official makes the collection available for scientific, educational and religious uses, subject to such terms and conditions as are necessary to protect and preserve the condition, research potential, religious or sacred importance, and uniqueness of the collection.
(b) Scientific and educational uses. A collection shall be made available to qualified professionals for study, loan and use for such purposes as in-house and traveling exhibits, teaching, public interpretation, scientific analysis and scholarly research. Qualified professionals would include, but not be limited to, curators, conservators, collection managers, exhibitors, researchers, scholars, archeological contractors and educators. Students may use a collection when under the direction of a qualified professional. Any resulting exhibits and publications shall acknowledge the repository as the curatorial facility and the Federal agency as the owner or administrator, as appropriate. When the collection is from Indian lands and the Indian landowner and the Indian tribe having jurisdiction over the lands wish to be identified, those individuals and the Indian tribe shall also be acknowledged. Copies of any resulting publications shall be provided to the Repository Official and the Federal Agency Official. When Indian lands are involved, copies of such publications shall also be provided to the Tribal Official and the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, if any, of the Indian tribe that owns or has jurisdiction over such lands.
(c) Religious uses. Religious remains in a collection shall be made available to persons for use in religious rituals or spiritual activities. Religious remains generally are of interest to medicine men and women, and other religious practitioners and persons from Indian tribes, Alaskan Native corporations, Native Hawaiians, and other indigenous and immigrant ethnic, social and religious groups that have aboriginal or historic ties to the lands from which the remains are recovered, and have traditionally used the remains or class of remains in religious rituals or spiritual activities.
(d) Terms and conditions.
1. (1) In accordance with section 9 of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 470hh) and section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470 w-3), the Federal Agency Official shall restrict access to associated records that contain information relating to the nature, location or character of a prehistoric or historic resource unless the Federal Agency Official determines that such disclosure would not create a risk of harm, theft or destruction to the resource or to the area or place where the resource is located.
2. (2) Section -.18(a)(2) of uniform regulations 43 CFR part 7, 36 CFR part 296, 18 CFR part 1312, and 32 CFR part 229 sets forth procedures whereby information relating to the nature, location or character of a prehistoric or historic resource may be made available to the Governor of any State. The Federal Agency Official may make information available to other persons who, following the procedures in § -.18(a)(2) of the referenced uniform regulations, demonstrate that the disclosure will not create a risk of harm, theft or destruction to the resource or to the area or place where the resource is located. Other persons generally would include, but not be limited to, archeological contractors, researchers, scholars, tribal representatives, Federal, State and local agency personnel, and other persons who are studying the resource or class or resources.
3. (3) When a collection is from Indian lands, the Federal Agency Official shall place such terms and conditions as may be requested by the Indian landowner and the Indian tribe having jurisdiction over the lands on:
  1. (i) Scientific, educational or religious uses of material remains; and
  2. (ii) Access to associated records that contain information relating to the nature, location or character of the resource.
4. (4) When a collection is from a site on public lands that the Federal Agency Official has determined is of religious or cultural importance to any Indian tribe having aboriginal or historic ties to such lands, the Federal Agency Official shall place such terms and conditions as may have been developed pursuant to § -.7 of uniform regulations 43 CFR part 7, 36 CFR part 296, 18 CFR part 1312, and 32 CFR part 229 on:
  1. (i) Scientific, educational or religious uses of material remains; and
  2. (ii) Access to associated records that contain information relating to the nature, location or character of the resource.
5. (5) The Federal Agency Official shall not allow uses that would alter, damage or destroy an object in a collection unless the Federal Agency Official determines that such use is necessary for scientific studies or public interpretation, and the potential gain in scientific or interpretive information outweighs the potential loss of the object. When possible, such use should be limited to unprovenienced, nonunique, nonfragile objects, or to a sample of objects drawn from a larger collection of similar objects.
(e) No collection (or a part thereof) shall be loaned to any person without a written agreement between the Repository Official and the borrower that specifies the terms and conditions of the loan. Appendix C to the regulations in this part contains an example of a short-term loan agreement for a federally-owned collection. At a minimum, a loan agreement shall specify:
1. (1) The collection or object being loaned;
2. (2) The purpose of the loan;
3. (3) The length of the loan;
4. (4) Any restrictions on scientific, educational or religious uses, including whether any object may be altered, damaged or destroyed;
5. (5) Except as provided in paragraph (e)(4) of this section, that the borrower shall handle the collection or object being borrowed during the term of the loan in accordance with this part so as not to damage or reduce its scientific, educational, religious or cultural value; and
6. (6) Any requirements for insuring the collection or object being borrowed for any loss, damage or destruction during transit and while in the borrower's possession.
(f) The Federal Agency Official shall ensure that the Repository Official maintains administrative records that document approved scientific, educational and religious uses of the collection.
(g) The Repository Official may charge persons who study, borrow or use a collection (or a part thereof) reasonable fees to cover costs for handling, packing, shipping and insuring material remains, for photocopying associated records, and for other related incidental costs.