n.a directive establishing procedures for temporarily lending an archival resourceWalters 1998, 178Other program aspects lend themselves well to a shared, cooperative approach to management, such as collections housing and storage systems, exhibition and loan policies, and staff training in collections care and handling.Montana SHRAB 2004, 24Loans made to other institutions or from individuals are not often encouraged for a variety of reasons. But when an institution wishes to borrow something to complete a temporary exhibit, to research an extraordinary collection, or to preserve something that is in harm’s way, exceptions are understandable. In-coming and out-going loans should be administered with much care. A written loan policy is a legal document that places material in the temporary custody of a repository without transferring the legal title to the materials.Chute 2011, 313Before lending, an archives should have a loan policy in place approved by its governing authority. It should require that its agreement is completed and that it specifies conditions and responsibilities.ACRL/RBMS 2012Institutions should periodically review their loan policies and practices in light of evolving professional standards and their own experience in fulfilling loan requests.NEDCC 2020a, 7Although loans promote the collection and the institution, exhibition at remote sites involves additional risk. Potential dangers can be minimized, however, with an appropriate loan policy and procedures.
