Thank you for your interest in depositing your materials with NAL! Whether you have materials from a grant, from a small project, a family collection, or from a lifetime of work, we welcome all contributions.
NAL works with every depositor individually to assess the needs of their collection. There are many possibilities in terms of process, but in general all depositors will follow these basic steps:
1. Refer to our Accession & Reference Guidelines to learn more about what types of materials we collect.
2. Contact NAL staff at language.samnoblemuseum@ou.edu or 405-325-3332 to let us know to expect your materials.
3. Download our NAL Depositor Packet. Fill it out, sign it, and scan it and send it to NAL at language.samnoblemuseum@ou.edu, or by post to:
Native American Languages Collection
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History
2401 Chautauqua Ave.
Norman, OK 73072
4. Download our Depositor Metadata Sheet. Use it to record the information requested in each column for every item that you deposit with us. Notice that there are two tabs, one for item information, and one for collaborator information; please fill out both. If you have any questions, please contact us.
5. Deposit the materials at the museum along with the completed NAL metadata spreadsheet and depositor packet. Materials can be transferred via Dropbox, OneDrive (or other similar platforms), email, hard drive, flash drive, CD, post, or in person. What method is most appropriate depends on the types and amount of materials being deposited.
6. Following accession of the materials, the NALC will send you:
- A copy of the signed NAL depositor packet for your records;
- Information about how to access your deposit;
- Any requests for further information or clarification;
- Digitized copies of your materials, if applicable;
- A complimentary year-long membership to the museum!
While we accept ongoing and batch deposits, if possible we prefer materials to be deposited in a single accession. If you send us materials in batches over time, you may be asked to re-sign a depositor packet for each new batch of materials.
