Here's a summary of the responses I received from my query
about fees charged for services related to data requests - This
information was provided by a staff person at each
institution listed.
 
------------
 
Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission - Natural Heritage Program
     $45/hour - one hour minimum; ave. of 2 hours; time is logged in one-quarter hour
          increments after first hour; govt.agencies, non-profit org., students &
          researchers   provided 2 hours/month free
          + cost of topo maps if request includes mapping locations
     $90/hour for response in 24 hours
     $10,000 per year annual subscription with one time $1,000 setup fee.
     $2/page fax charge
 
FishGopher (participants include MCZ, UMMZ, FMNH, ANSP, UAIC, CU)
     via Internet - database maintained at Cornell
     no charge
     copyright restrictions apply; map plotting available only for MCZ,UMMZ, CU
 
Malacology, ANSP
     no charge - academic users
     $12/record for non-academic
 
Vascular Plant database, Herbarium, Univ. Minnesota
     unlimited time subscriptions at:
          $150/year or $15/mo - academic and govt. agencies
          $600/year or $60/mo - corporations
     Herbarium generated checklist (hard copy generated & mailed)
          $5/checklist
     no charge - general public, use from one of herbarium's terminals
 
     "My college covers the cost of hardware maintenance but expects the Herbarium to
     contribute to software assistance by a percentage of the fees we charge.  So far users
     have felt these fees have been reasonable and I have heard only one complaint..."
 
Museum of Natural History, University of Georgia
     $50/person/hr lab fee
     $250/person/day field fee
     +fees for use of supplies & equipt. based on their cost.
     no charge for non-profit companies, researchers unless request takes more than 1-2
     hours to complete
 
     "As a state supported non-profit museum, we have to base our fees not just on what it
     costs us to provide a service, but on what the going commercial rate is (we can't
     under cut the for-profit companies)."
 
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
     $25.00 flat fee for first 25 records
     $00.75 per record for next 75 records
     $00.50 per record for all subsequent records.
     $25 flat fee plus $00.10/page for copying paper records, articles, books, archives, etc.
 
California Academy of Natural Sciences - herps
     $25.00 - first 25 records
     $00.75 per record for next 75 records
     $00.50 per record for next 100 records
     $00.35 per record for all subsequent records
 
 
--
Paisley S. Cato, Ph.D.                          e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Curator of Collections                          phone:  703-666-8634
Virginia Museum of Natural History              fax:    703-632-6487
1001 Douglas Ave., Martinsville, VA 24112