Loans

Many collections housed in the United States National Herbarium (US) are available for loan. Our policy is to loan specimens for scientific study exclusively to institutions with an indexed herbarium. Specimens are also available for exhibition. More information for scientific loans is provided below. For more information concerning exhibition loans, please email our Resource Account.

LOAN REQUESTS

Loan requests should be submitted via email to our Resource Account by your herbarium director, curator, or collections manager. Such requests should include: (1) the name of the requestor or advisor for students; (2) the nature of the research project; (3) taxa or list of specimens requested; and (4) focal geographical area, if applicable.

Those requesting loans should review our Collections Database in order to select specimens for study. Please note that we do not typically lend unmounted material, species represented by fewer than five sheets, or all representative sheets of a given species. Types should not be requested unless and until they are necessary for critical study. Due to the Office of Foreign Assets Control regulations, we are unable to send specimens collected in Cuba, Iran, or North Korea internationally. Destructive sampling of loaned specimens not allowed.

LOAN CONDITIONS

Loans are made for one year unless otherwise stipulated. However, we ask that loans be returned as soon as possible; partial returns are acceptable. If you need to extend the loan period, please promptly submit a written request to our Resource Account. We reserve the right to request the return of loaned material at any time.

It is strictly prohibited to remove specimens or any derivative parts of specimens from the premises of the borrowing institution without the prior permission of both US and the proposed recipient, which must be another recognized botanical institution. Please note that due to the regulations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control, we are unable to transfer specimens collected in Cuba, Iran, or North Korea internationally.

Herbarium sheets must not be laid face downward, bent, or folded. No part of the specimen can be removed without prior permission from US. Herbarium specimens should be stored in dry, sealed cabinets to avoid insect and fungus infestation. They cannot be left on countertops or open storage for extended periods. Report any physical, insect, or fungus damage immediately to our Resource Account.

All loaned types must remain in their type folders and be returned in these folders. All other specimens may be removed from their interleaving but must be placed back in their interleaving when being returned to US. 

ANNOTATIONS

Existing notes, labels, annotations, or the like must never be removed, obscured, or altered. We would appreciate any amplification of label data obtained from duplicates on loan from other herbaria. Please supply this information on an annotation label and cite the herbarium sheet from which this data was taken. 

Before returning specimens, if the investigator is confident of the identification, a determination (or affirmation) label should be glued to the herbarium sheet above or near the original label whenever possible. Annotations should be legible and prepared with permanent ink. They should include the taxon name, the investigator's name, the institution, and the date of determination. They should be printed on archival paper. 

Do not write directly on the herbarium sheet except to indicate the different elements of a mixed collection. If a sheet contains more than one taxon, clearly delineate each mixture element and annotate each element with a separate determination slip.

Type specimens should also be annotated with the basionym, citation of the publication, and an indication of the status (e.g., holotype, isotype, syntype, paratype, etc.). Please annotate any separate fruits or bulky specimens corresponding to a herbarium voucher sheet.

LOAN RECEIPT

Please open shipments as soon as possible. Verify the number and condition of specimens and then sign, date, and return the shipping invoice to US via email. If the count is incorrect or any material is damaged, please note it on the invoice. As all loans are now itemized by sheet, please take note of any missing items. If you find a specimen not listed on the invoice, please write down the catalog, barcode, species, collector, collector number, and collecting location.

LOAN RETURNS

Specimens should be packed in a way similar to that in which they were received. Place each herbarium sheet back into its interleaving so that any fragments that may loosen during shipment can be associated with the proper specimen. A stack of specimens, no higher than 6" (1.5 dm.), should be bundled between cardboards for support. The bundles should then be packed in a sturdy shipping box to prevent movement during transit.

Include with the shipment the invoice and/or letter on your institution's letterhead stating the number of specimens being returned, the balance of any specimens still at your institution, and if this is a complete return. 

Please note that there are two different addresses for US depending on the type of shipper utilized. Before returning a loan, please verify the correct address via our Resource Account. If you are an overseas institution returning US collections, please provide tracking information. Domestic borrowers are also strongly advised to provide tracking information.

PUBLICATIONS

When citing our collections, use the standard internationally recognized acronym "US” and cite sheet numbers (not barcode numbers) to identify specimens. We would appreciate receiving any publications resulting from studies using our collections.

For any questions regarding loans, please contact our Resource Account.