Loan Policy

[From the UAMN Collections Management Policy]

VIII. LOANS

DEFINITION: Loans are temporary transfers of objects from one institution to another in which there is no transfer of ownership. The Museum sends and receives loans for the purposes of exhibition, research (including destructive sampling, conservation, or study), or education. UAMN will exercise the same care of objects received on loan as it does in safekeeping its own objects.

A. PURPOSE OF LOANS
Lending and borrowing objects and specimens for exhibition, research, and educational purposes is an integral part of any museum’s mission to make their collections accessible to the widest possible audience.

B. INCOMING LOANS
1.»» »RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
a.»» »All loan transactions for temporary, traveling exhibits will originate by and be the responsibility of the Director of Exhibition & Design, unless the show is being coordinated or managed by a UAMN collections department (see section XIX this document).
b.»» »All objects borrowed for research will originate by and be the responsibility of the requesting curator, in cooperation with the collections manager of the appropriate department.
c.»» »Collections managers, in consultation with curators, are responsible for preparing and maintaining all loan paperwork.
d.»» »Collections managers, in consultation with curators, are responsible for packing, unpacking, pest control, shipping, insuring, and providing condition reports for all incoming loans, except for those for temporary exhibitions (see section XIX this document).
e.»» »If a lender places unusual restrictions on a proposed loan, the curator, in consultation with the Museum Director, will approve or negotiate these conditions, and be held responsible for ensuring compliance.
2.»» »INCOMING LOAN CRITERIA
a.»» »Objects may be borrowed from other educational or non-profit institutions, or from individuals.
b.»» »All loans must be accompanied by a written Incoming Loan Agreement indicating all rights and responsibilities, including any fees. These agreements may originate or be accompanied by documents from the lending institution. However, if the terms and conditions of the incoming loan agreement places a greater burden of risk on UAMN than the standard UAMN Incoming Loan Agreement, the Director of Exhibition & Design or relevant Curator will consult with Risk Management prior to accepting the agreement.
c.»» »No permanent loans will be accepted, unless, in the case of extremely important objects, an exception is authorized by the Director of the Museum, on the recommendation of the curator or, in the case of federal collections, a Memorandum of Agreement detailing responsibilities of both parties has been signed.
d.»» »The Museum will not knowingly accept incoming loans of objects acquired or collected illegally or not in compliance with all applicable international, national, state, and local laws and regulations.
e.»» »All borrowed objects shall be reviewed by the lending institution for physical condition prior to shipping to UAMN and UAMN shall be provided with a written approval from the lending institution for packing, travel, handling, and climate change.
3.»» »INCOMING LOAN PROCEDURES
a.»» »The individual responsible for originating the loan request will contact lending institution/individual and agree upon Conditions of Loan, including the specified period of time.
b.»» »Upon receiving the loan, the borrowing department will inventory, inspect, assign temporary loan numbers (where appropriate), process according the UAMN Integrated Pest Management Policy, photograph (where appropriate), and make written notations of the findings.
c.»» »Any inconsistencies in the loan inventory or any change in condition of the borrowed objects during the loan period must be immediately reported to the lending party, and when appropriate, notify Risk Management and prepare a full condition report.
d.»» »Loans will be returned by the date agreed upon, and to the lending party identified on the loan agreement at the stated address unless an authorized agent of the lender has given notice of change of ownership or location.
e.»» »All borrowed objects will be subject to the same level of care, security, and handling as objects in the UAMN permanent collection.
f.»» »Curators will not transfer possession or alter in any way objects the Museum has received on loan without the express written approval of the lending institution.
4.»» »SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
a.»» »As required by lending institutions, the Museum will provide insurance on incoming loans for exhibit and research purposes once the loan has left the possession of the lending institution (providing wall-to-wall coverage).
i.»» »Coverage will be through the Statewide Office of Risk Management at the University of Alaska.
ii.»» »UA Risk Management will be informed in writing of an incoming loan consisting of an object, or group of objects, with a value exceeding $250,000.
iii.»» »A Certificate of Insurance may be provided by the Statewide Office of Risk Management to a lender, if requested.
b.»» »All incoming loans should have an established and proven provenance. If the provenance of a borrowed object is challenged, UAMN will seek and follow the advice of UA General Counsel.
c.»» »Objects brought in by visitors, with the approval of the appropriate curator, may be left temporarily in the custody of the curator or collections manager to identify, study, or examine either as a public service or as a possible gift, purchase, or loan. Objects left in the temporary custody of the Museum must be documented as a temporary, short-term loan, with the owner being issued a Temporary Custody Form as receipt. Only the appropriate curator or collections manager has the authority to accept an item to be left in temporary custody of a collecting department.

C. OUTGOING LOANS
1.»» »RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
a.»» »The authority to approve an outgoing loan rests with the appropriate curator.
b.»» »The collections manager, in consultation with the curator, is responsible for communicating with the requesting organization, preparing and maintaining all loan paperwork, as well as monitoring the transaction over the loan period.
c.»» »The authority to recall the loan prior to the noted end date rests with the appropriate curator or Museum Director.
d.»» »If unusual restrictions are required for a requested loan, the curator, in consultation with the Museum Director, will approve or negotiate these conditions, and be held responsible for enforcing them.
2.»» »OUTGOING LOAN CRITERIA
a.»» »The Museum lends objects to qualified institutions or non-profit organizations for scholarly research and exhibition, subject to policies and practices within each collection.
b.»» »The Museum does not grant loans of its collections to private or corporate establishments, except for educational, non-profit purposes.
c.»» »Objects requested for loan must be physically capable of withstanding packing, travel, extra handling, and climate change. Any objects not up to this standard should not be approved for loan, unless special conditions are agreed upon in the loan contract.
d.»» »Outgoing loans will be for a one year period unless otherwise specified. The loan may be renewed with the written approval of the curator prior to the return date.
e.»» »UAMN may require that an approved Facilities Report be completed, or on file, prior to the approval of an outgoing loan.
f.»» »The borrowing institution will not transfer possession, repair, clean, alter, or restore objects it has received on loan without express written approval of the appropriate curator. Exceptions to the requirement for written approval to clean or alter may vary by collection.
g.»» »Loans promoting the Museum in public buildings (airport, Governor's office, various UA administrators) are permitted, providing the objects in such loans are displayed under approved environmental and security conditions. Facilities Reports should be completed for these outgoing loans.
h.»» »Objects requested for loan by UAF or other students requires departmental faculty endorsement prior to the approval of the appropriate curator. Loans will be made to the department and not to an individual.
i.»» »The borrowing institution will assume full responsibility for any loss of or damage to the objects.
j.»» »The Museum requires that the borrower insure objects loaned for exhibition once the loan has left the possession of the UAMN (providing wall-to-wall coverage) and may request a Certificate of Insurance as proof of such. The Museum does not require that the borrower insure loans for research purposes unless a curator specifically requests such coverage.
k.»» »Objects on loan from the Museum will not be reproduced or replicated in any manner without the written permission of the curator.
l.»» »Failure to adhere to the terms of previous loans will be deemed adequate cause for denying loan requests. In such instances, alternative measures to ensure compliance, such as requiring the borrower to post a performance bond, may be considered.
3.»» »OUTGOING LOAN PROCEDURES
a.»» »The borrowing institution must contact the departmental curator and make a written request, indicating:
i.»» »the nature of the objects requested (catalog numbers, specimen types, etc.)
ii.»» »the purpose of the loan
iii.»» »the proposed start date of the loan
iv.»» »any special conditions of the requested use
v.»» »the location of the proposed activity
b.»» »The curator and collections manager will review the loan request, determining potential legal, ethical, or professional reasons why it should or should not be approved.
c.»» »The borrowing institution must agree and adhere to the Conditions of Loan, established by the lending department.
d.»» »The collections manager will prepare all paperwork, which may include:
i.»» »Outgoing Loan Agreement
ii.»» »Condition Report (with current photographs)
iii.»» »Import/Export permit
iv.»» »Invoice for loan fees
e.»» »Objects will be packed and shipped by qualified individuals and a shipping or transportation mode agreed upon by both UAMN and borrower, to the physical location indicated on the loan agreement.
f.»» »If the loan has not been returned by the date indicated on the loan agreement, the curator or collections manager will contact the borrowing institution to initiate return.
g.»» »Upon the return of borrowed material, the collections manager will unpack, inventory, assess condition, and process per the UAMN IPM policy prior to reintegrating the objects into the collections.
h.»» »The curator will close out the loan agreement upon the return of all objects.
4.»» »SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
a.»» »If a borrowing institution is unable to provide adequate insurance for the requested objects, a request for exception, along with an explanation for the reason insurance cannot be obtained, must be made in writing to the curator.» The curator will consult with Risk Management for approval to waive the insurance requirements.
b.»» »Loans that will radically alter or destroy an object (destructive sampling) may be permitted only after a separate Application for Destructive Sampling is completed and approved by the appropriate curator.
c.»» »Requests for the loan of objects held under trust or repository agreements will be approved only after careful review of the original terms of the agreement.
d.»» »All sequence data resulting from the use of tissue samples shall be registered by the borrowing institution in GenBank or a comparable archive that provides access to the data by members of the scientific community. Corresponding numbers shall be provided to the Museum.
e.»» »All specimens used for destructive sampling must be annotated indicating the name of the study, the researcher undertaking the study, location of the study, and date.
f.»» »Depending on departmental requirements, the borrower may be required to furnish the Museum with copies of the results of any destructive sampling, including but not limited to genetic sequencing, radiometric dating, stable isotope analyses, copies of reports and other publications, etc.
g.»» »Depending on departmental requirements, any portion of material loaned for destructive sampling that is not consumed may be required to be returned to the Museum.
h.»» »Any and all licenses and other rights associated with tissue samples are limited by and subject to the rights and requirements of the pertinent state, federal, or international government and agency that may be ascribed as a result of governmental sponsorship of research with UAMN and generation of collections.
i.»» »Field-generated scientific collections and associated ancillary material may require specialized knowledge (e.g. sediments, tissues, etc.) and transport to specialists for data extraction and analysis. It is the curator’s responsibility to monitor these materials and to record the returned data with the appropriate collection. Any field material accessioned prior to being sent for analysis must be accompanied by a loan agreement.
j.»» »UAMN must be credited in all publications and exhibitions associated with the loaned object, including photographs and reproductions, and must receive at least one copy of any publication. The object(s) should be identified by its catalog or accession number. The proper name of the Museum to be used in all acknowledgements is “University of Alaska Museum of the North.” In some cases, reference to the Museum’s original name may be required depending on the standards practiced in different subdisciplines.

D. COURIER POLICY
1.»» »The consideration of using a courier for outgoing loans is based on certain primary facts, which are that:
a.»» »Certain Museum objects are of a fragile nature, whether by construction or formation, size, materials used, deterioration by age or abuse, and/or require special handling or installation techniques.
b.»» »Certain Museum objects are irreplaceable, rare and unique, politically or culturally sensitive, of extreme value, or other reasons.
c.»» »Certain shipping routes may prove dangerous to fragile Museum objects because such routes expose the object to careless handling, excessive movement, changing and/or extreme temperatures, and other human and/or natural hazards.
2.»» »UAMN may, under any of the above circumstances, require that a courier accompany the outgoing loan. The courier may be selected from the staff of UAMN or from the borrowing institution.
3.»» »In the case when a courier is required, UAMN and the borrowing institution shall agree upon the terms of the courier, in advance. They may include that:
a.»» »The courier must be a museum professional who understands the condition of the object and its special requirements, is familiar with the packing, is trained in handling, and is experienced with transport procedure.
b.»» »The courier will take full responsibility for protecting the object.
c.»» »The courier will be made aware of and understand the responsibilities entrusted to him/her and of all known possible hazards which might be encountered in transit.
d.»» »The borrower and UAMN will agree on costs related to the courier, on which institution shall pay for them, and on the method of reimbursement for expenses whether foreseen or unforeseen.
e.»» »The shipment of a Museum object will not become the basis for unrelated travel or activity.
4.»» »The agreement to courier an object should be part of the loan agreement or a separate written agreement. All special requirements should be stipulated in writing at the outset.
5.»» »Specific duties of the courier may differ by Museum department and the requirements of the individual shipment. In general, UAMN shall abide by the current professional standards for couriers.