Specimen acquisition is usually by field collection by staff, by donation, by taxation incentive donations, by purchase, and by exchange.
When on field work, good examples of rocks and minerals are collected as examples of the rock sequences or mineral assemblages under study. Occasionally, very high quality display specimens will be found.
Many people donate specimens to the Museum to be preserved in perpetuity, for research or display. These specimens are a welcome addition, as they improve the collections' coverage of different species and extend the range of localities represented.
Some donations, particularly for very valuable specimens or collections, are arranged through a taxation incentives scheme. This is often the only way the Museum can acquire these high quality and valuable specimens.
When funds are available, specimens can be purchased, guided by a list of priorities (e.g. preference is given to Australian specimens of research and/or display quality), or to improve general collection coverage, or to fill targeted niches (e.g. for new displays or for research). Otherwise, fine quality display specimens representing good value for money will be purchased irrespective of locality, especially if it is probable that they will be unobtainable in the future.
Exchanges are conducted from time to time as staff resources and time allow. There may be duplicate specimens in the collection that could be swapped for another being offered by a collector or another institution, and both parties benefit. Many meteorite acquisitions are conducted in this way.
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