(Dandelion pollen grain, Taraxacum officinale) The scientific study of pollen is called palynology and can be used by forensic scientists to discover clues at crime scenes.

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Information Charter

The Information Charter sets out the standards you can expect the Natural History Museum to maintain when we request or hold personal information about you, and how you can address any concerns.

We may need to obtain personal data from you in order to deal with your request or provide services for you. Management of personal information is regulated by the Data Protection Act 1998, with which the Natural History Museum complies.

When we ask you for personal information we will:

  • explain why we need it
  • only ask for the information we actually need
  • protect it and ensure there is no unauthorised access
  • let you know if we are intending to share it with other organisations, and whether you can say no
  • not keep it for any longer than necessary
  • not use it for commercial use (eg marketing) without your permission

To help us look after your personal information properly, we ask you to:

  • give us accurate data
  • tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes, so that we can keep our records up to date
Finding out more

To find out what personal information the Museum holds about you, you will need to submit a subject access request to the Data Protection Coordinator. You can do this in several ways:

Please provide as much detail as possible to help us answer your request.

You can also contact the Data Protection Coordinator if you want to:

  • ask us to correct any mistakes
  • find out how we check the information we hold is accurate and up-to-date
  • find out what agreements we have with other organisations for sharing information
  • find out in what circumstances we can pass on your personal information without telling you, for example to prevent and detect crime or to produce anonymised statistics
  • find out what guidance is given to Museum staff about handling personal information
Making a complaint

If you are unhappy with the way the Museum has handled your information, please write to the Museum’s Data Protection Coordinator at the address above.

For independent advice about data protection, privacy and data-sharing issues, you can contact the Information Commissioner at:

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF


Phone: +44 (0)8456 306060 or +44 (0)1625 545745
Website: www.ico.gov.uk

Print version
Cartoon image of a snake disappearing through closing door

There are 27 km of specimen shelves in the Darwin Centre - the same distance as between the Museum and Junction 6 of the M1.