St. Olaf College Archives Loan Policy
Effective Date: 08-01-2019
Issuing Authority: Chief Information Officer, Libraries and IT
Program Coordinator: Lead Archivist
Last Updated: 08-01-2019
Purpose of Policy
The purpose of this policy is to define parameters for the loan of archival materials.
Policy
St. Olaf College Archives will lend materials from its collections to other departments on campus and to
select recognized institutions that share common histories and goals with St. Olaf. Materials are not
loaned to individuals. This loan policy has been established to ensure the safety and security of the
materials in the collections.
Each loan request is judged on its own merits and the final decision to loan an item is based on the
following criteria:
- The condition of the item
- The nature and length of the exhibition
- The facilities of the borrowing institution
- The anticipated need of the item for the College Archives' own research or exhibition purposes
Some materials in the collections are not available for loan, including restricted material and those
materials judged too fragile or too environmentally sensitive to travel.
General Conditions
Requests must be received at least 3 months before the planned installation date of the exhibition.
Larger requests must be submitted at least 6 months prior to the installation date. Request made with
insufficient lead time may be refused.
A formal loan agreement signed by the head of the borrowing department or institution or his/her
deputy is required.
Duration of loans is made on a case-to-case basis.
The Archives reserves the right to specify the conditions for any item as well as the right to recall an
item at any time.
Conservation or remedial treatment of any kind may not be performed without the Archives’
permission.
The source of the loan will be acknowledged both on the exhibition label for the item, and in any
exhibition catalog: Courtesy of the St. Olaf College Archives
The borrowing institution will provide secure interim storage, in terms of fire and security against
physical harm, theft, and unauthorized access, for all items. This applies to pre-installation and de-
installation.
Items should be packed in the same manner in which they arrived at the borrowing institution, and any
accompanying materials, such as identifying markers, should be returned to the Archives.
Costs
The St. Olaf College Archives does not charge fees to departments or institutions for the agreement to
lend to exhibitions. However, the Archives expects to be reimbursed in full for all of the expenses
incurred as a result of fulfilling loans.
The borrowing department or institution should be prepared to pay any and all of the costs related to
their specific loan request.
Typical costs include:
- Transportation of items
- Insurance for borrowed items, in transit, in temporary storage, and while on exhibition
- Design-specific matting, framing, or display equipment
- Photography of items for conversation purposes or in the creation of a digital facsimile
(From California Institute of the Arts Institute Archives https://library.calarts.edu/specialcollections-archives/institutearchives/policies)