CHAPTER 5: OUTGOING LOANS--Before
A. INTRODUCTION
The National Park Service enters into two types of loans, incoming and outgoing. Incoming loan transactions are considered accessions. Refer to Chapter 2, Accessions, Section C for procedures on incoming loans. The National Park Service makes outgoing loans to further its mission of preservation, education and research. Museum property sent out by a park to another park, repository, non-NPS institution or organization, or service-providing organization for exhibition, exhibit preparation, study, conservation, photography, collections management or storage, is considered an outgoing loan by the lending park. Outgoing loans are temporary assignments of custody (but not title) by the lender (NPS park or center ) to the borrower.
In order to avoid possible liability, all conditions of the outgoing loan between lender and borrower must be agreed to by a signed outgoing loan agreement prior to the initiation of the outgoing loan. Outgoing loan terms and conditions provide legal protection to both the lender and the borrower and are included in this chapter.
The National Park Service enters into two types of outgoing loans: standard outgoing loans and repository outgoing loans.
1.Standard Outgoing Loans
Objects from the park's museum collection are loaned
only for the purposes of exhibition, research, scientific
preparation, analysis, photography,conservation, or other
requested services. Loans are made to educational institutions
(e.g., NPS park museums, non-NPS museums, historical societies,
universities and other organizations); service-providing
organizations (e.g., non-NPS and NPS conservation and
analytical laboratories or exhibit preparation firms or
contractors providing these services); and other National
Park Service divisions, offices, or units. Only cataloged
objects can be loaned to institutions
for exhibit purposes. If objects loaned for research purposes are not cataloged,
they must be adequately documented through another means (i.e., field specimen
log for archeological collections). Objects loaned for conservation purposes
must be cataloged, unless the conservation treatment is necessary to assist
with the preparation of the material for identification purposes.
2.Repository Outgoing Loans
Repository outgoing loans are made for purposes of collections management (including cataloging and storage) or solely storage to non-NPS repositories ,such as universities or research institutions, to NPS centers, and occasionally to other NPS parks. Arrangements with a non-NPS repository may be covered by a cooperative agreement (see Figure 5.10), although each loan transaction should also be documented with an outgoing loan agreement. Outgoing loan agreements must be completed and signed for each transaction reviewed regularly. Outgoing loans to non-NPS repositories should be renewed every ten (10)years.
3.Procedures for Documenting Objects Sent to NPS Conservation Treatment Facilities
Objects sent to a NPS conservation treatment facility (e.g., Division of Conservation, Harpers Ferry Center) for treatment or exhibit preparation are processed as a standard outgoing loan.
Objects to be loaned to the conservation treatment facility are identified by either an Object Treatment Request (OTR), initiated by the lending park, or selected by the curator and/or a conservator from objects identified by an approved exhibit plan and a separate list prepared.
An OTR must be submitted to the NPS conservation treatment facility, through the regional curator, for objects that are not included in an exhibit plan. The lending park prepares the outgoing loan agreement unless prepared by the NPS conservation treatment facility. Objects may be shipped only when the loan agreement is signed by both responsible officials. Shipment of objects will be documented with a receipt for property initiated by the lending park and signed by the park curator and an authorized official at the NPS conservation treatment facility. As objects are returned to the park, the same procedure applies, except the receipt for property is initiated by the authorized official at the NPS conservation treatment facility.
Exhibit projects, such as those planned at Harpers Ferry Center, often include a large number of objects requiring treatment, mounting, or other exhibit preparation, and may be sent in batches to the treatment facility over a period of time. A single outgoing loan agreement may cover all the shipments needed for an entire exhibit. After the loan agreement is signed by both parties, objects may be shipped to the facility at mutually agreed upon times. Each shipment to and from the lending park and the treatment facility will be documented with receipts for property as indicated above for the OTR process.
4.Documentation of Outgoing Loans
Information needed to make an outgoing loan is contained on the Outgoing Loan Agreement (Form 10-127 Rev.; Figure 5.2). The conditions governing outgoing loans are described in the Conditions for Standard Outgoing Loans (Form 10-127a Rev.; Figure 5.4), the Conditions for Standard Outgoing Loans (NPS Conservation Treatment Facilities) (Form 10-127b; Figure 5.5), the Conditions for Repository Outgoing Loans (non-NPS) (Form 10-127c Rev.; Figure 5.6) and Conditions for Repository Outgoing Loans (NPS) (Form 10-127d Rev.; Figure 5.7). Specific conditions, such as special handling or additional insurance conditions, to be met by the borrower should be noted in the special conditions section of the outgoing loan agreement.
The superintendent must sign the outgoing loan agreement, but other staff may process the loan. The standard outgoing loan agreement is generated by the lending park. Between NPS units, the lending park will follow outgoing loan procedures. The borrowing park may use the lender's outgoing loan agreement to document the incoming loan, but must follow all other incoming documentation procedures as outlined in Chapter 2 of this handbook. In this instance, the accession number assigned to the incoming loan must be placed on the lender's outgoing loan form by the borrower when filed. The NPS repository agreement may be generated by the NPS repository but must be signed by the superintendent. All non-NPS repository loan agreements must be generated by the lending park.
The lending park or center must update the status field in ANCS. An object temporary removal slip should be completed for all standard loans. For further details on documenting and tracking loans, see Chapter 5, Section E.
Flow charts for processing loans are found in Figure 5.11, Flow Chart for Standard Outgoing Loans; and Figure 5.12, Flow Chart for Repository Outgoing Loans.
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