LacCore is an open facility. Its ultimate goal is to support paleolimnological research efforts worldwide.

Hundreds of researchers annually visit, collaborate with, rent equipment from, or receive procedural guidance from LacCore.

Any researcher, from any institution, may (for example) bring their cores to the lab for automated multisensor logging, high-resolution imaging, description, or sampling; or bring or submit samples to the lab for analysis; or free precious refrigerator space in their own facilities by accessioning old or new cores to the repository. Researchers may also rent coring, water sampling, or other field equipment from LRC/LacCore, or collaborate with facility staff to accomplish more difficult field work. The detail and degree of this support vary widely between projects, and are adaptable to the specific needs of new projects.

There is no cost for the use of most facility instruments, including the Geotek core loggers and high-resolution digital imaging systems. Visitors typically pay only for supplies consumed; costs associated with field work and curation vary. Contact the Curator or Lab Manager to discuss your current or pending projects, or to determine exact costs for budgeting purposes. For additional examples of possibilities for support or collaboration, see the links below.

Narrative: LacCore collaboration with the Global Lake Drilling Program (pdf)
This document describes the nature of support LacCore provides to large-scale, lake drilling efforts. It contains some details that are not relevant to smaller-scale projects, but the structure of the collaboration is the same.

LRC/LacCore Brochure (2MB pdf; 8.5x11)
An overview of the facility and its offerings to the research community.

LRC/LacCore Poster (300KB pdf; legal)
A poster that details some of the common types of support provided to paleolimnological research efforts.

Standard Operating Procedures (Core Lab web page)
Links from the Core Laboratory front page have printable step-by-step instructions for most analytical procedures.

Full LacCore Policy
The policies under which the LacCore Core Facility operates are consistent with applicable NSF policies and have been formulated through discussions with NSF, the LacCore External Advisory Group, and the research community.