Informed Consent Form

OMB Control No. 3095-0070
Expires 12/31/2026
We are asking you to participate in this research study as a volunteer. You must be 18  or older to participate in the study. The information in this consent form is to help you decide if you want to be in this research study. Please take your time reading this form and contact the researchers to ask questions if there is anything you do not understand.

The purpose of this research study is to develop a statistical model that allows for estimating the duration of modern and contemporary textile heritage objects, considering their values, ways of use and storage conditions. This study is being conducted by researchers at the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, University of California, Los Angeles, Federal University of Pelotas and University of São Paulo. Funding for this study is being provided by the Fulbright Association (Fulbright-National Archives Heritage Science Fellowship) and the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).

If you agree to be in this study, you will complete a survey. The survey includes questions about values, ways of use and expectations regarding the conservation and duration of textile heritage objects, and should take you about 10 to 15 minutes to complete. You will be asked to answer the survey questions using an object to which you have access as a reference. You can skip questions that you do not want to answer.

Being in this study is up to you. You can stop up until you submit the survey. After you submit the survey, we cannot remove your responses because we will not know which responses came from you.

We do not know of any risks to you from being in the study that are greater than the risks you encounter in everyday life. We do not expect you to benefit from being in this study. You will not be paid for being in this study. Your participation may help us improve the management and preservation of textile heritage objects and collections at this and other heritage institutions. We hope the knowledge gained from this study will benefit others in the future.

The survey is anonymous, and no one will be able to link your responses back to you. Your responses to the survey will be coded and anonymized, and will not be linked to you in any way. Information collected for this study will be published and possibly presented at scientific meetings.

If you have questions or concerns about this study, or have experienced a research related problem, please contact Lais Feltrin Sidou at lais.sidou@ufpel.edu.br.

I have read this form, been given the chance to ask questions and have my questions answered. If I have more questions, I have been told who to contact. By completing and returning the survey, I understand that I am agreeing to be in this study. I can keep a copy of this consent information for future reference. If I do not want to be in this study, I do not need to do anything else.

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