Specimen Loans

Our collections database is searchable through this link. Clicking the + next to a record will open a window with additional specimen information and any available images; details for all records can also be exported as a CSV for easier viewing.  

Be aware that we have a very large collection and not everything has a digital record; our staff will do their best to answer additional inquiries regarding specimen data. 

Loans are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Requested specimens may be split into multiple consecutive loans as deemed necessary by Curator and Collections Management Staff.   

Borrowers are limited to three (3) OPEN loans at any time. If one or more of the loans are PAST DUE, no new loans will be approved until ALL specimens have been returned and all OPEN loans are satisfactorily closed.  

In the case of faculty advisers (primary borrower) of students, the faculty adviser may also request one (1) loan of specimens per student. If any student loan is PAST DUE, no new loans will be approved until ALL student loans and loans to the primary borrower have been returned and are satisfactorily closed. 

Loans are made to museum professionals and researchers with permanent or tenured appointments at academic or research institutions, or governmental organizations conducting mission-related biodiversity research.  

Students or individuals with temporary or non-tenure track appointments should arrange for a tenured faculty member or permanent staff member to request and assume responsibility for the loan. We do not make personal loans nor do we ship loans to personal or private addresses.  

Borrowers agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions outlines in the loan agreements. This includes the following: 

• Responsible for opening the package immediately upon its arrival and placing the specimens in a secure location.  
• Monitor the condition of the specimens throughout the period of the loan and properly curate the specimens to prevent damage or loss.  
• All labels included with the specimens must be kept with the specimens at all times and must be returned with the specimens. 
• Specimens must either be returned or a loan extension requested on or before the due date. 
  • Extension requests are emailed to the department registrar at PaleoRegistrar@si.edu.  
    • Borrower must confirm specimens are still in your possession and properly curated. 
    • Type specimens are lent for a maximum of three (3) months. Other material is lent for maximum of 1 year or 12 months. 
    • An extension may be denied if the borrower has any past-due loans or if a loan leaves their possession at any point. 
• All loans are made between organizations, not individuals. If you are planning to leave your current organization and have open loans, please notify PaleoRegistrar@si.edu to reconcile the loans before your departure. 

Borrowers intending to create digital assets of the USNM collections must review the protocol outline under the SEE DATA PAGE.  

Borrowers must complete an imaging agreement form if they wish to complete any photography, 3D data capture, or CT scanning of NMNH Department of Paleobiology specimens. All images and datasets of Smithsonian collections may be used only in accordance with the Smithsonian Terms of Use. Photographs and 3D datasets may not be used for commercial purposes unless explicit license is given by the Smithsonian. A copy of all raw and processed images and datasets must be provided to the Department of Paleobiology. Any questions should be directed to Holly Little, Paleobiology Informatics Manager.

Requests to use specimens for destructive analysis, sectioning, whitening/blackening or other techniques that permanently alter or damage specimens require written approval from the Curator-in-Charge of the collection.  

Any destructive analysis of a specimen requires an approved proposal to be submitted to the collections manager. Your proposal must include: 

• What is your study?  
• What exactly will be sampled? 
• What sampling methods will be used and how much sample is required? 
• Provide a justification for why this sampling is needed and an explanation of why there are no alternatives to sampling. 
• How might the data be relevant in the future? 
• An agreement to provide a copy of the data to the NMNH for our records.  

The proposal should be signed by yourself and, if you are a student, also approved signed by your advisor. 

Specimens selected for sampling, must be approved by the collections manager and Curator-in-Charge.

Loan requests are processed in the order the completed requests and associated documentation are received or confirmed from the Borrower.  

For international shipments: 

• Confirmation of availability of an acceptable return shipping method. 
• Confirmation from Borrower about import documentation needed for shipments. 
  • Borrowers at institutions in Canada must share their import document or custom broker forms before the material can be shipped.  
• EORI numbers required for shipments to institutions part of the European Union (EU).  

Smithsonian currently covers all costs associated with the outgoing packing and shipping for routine loans. The shipment is door-to-door. This is subject to availability of funds.  

Borrower is responsible for paying all packing and shipping costs related to the return of the specimen(s) to the Smithsonian. The return shipment must be door-to-door to the Smithsonian.  

For international shipments, the Borrower expected to, and must agree to, pick up the shipment at the delivery point and pay all costs associated with inspections and customs clearances. The borrower MUST ship the return door-to-door to the Smithsonian even if the shipment requires the use of a commercial customs broker.  

In publications featuring samples from the Paleobiology collections, you are required to: 

• Acknowledge the Smithsonian Institution Department of Paleobiology 
• Cite each sample used in the publication by its catalog number (although it is now considered a best practice to also include a resolvable identifier as described below) 
• Provide the Department of Paleobiology with a copy of each publication (PDF) and dataset that features samples from our collections. 

Best practices for citing samples from permanent research collections have been evolving rapidly. It is now considered much more useful for specimen citations to include a resolvable, permanent identifier that refers unambiguously to the specific sample that was used. To that end, most Paleobiology samples are now assigned three identification numbers: 

• Catalog number: The primary specimen number assigned by the department consisting of a museum prefix, a collection prefix, a number, and an optional alphanumeric suffix (e.g., USNM PAL 116542-1). Catalog numbers are unique within a given collection, but may be duplicated across collections. Specimens from the rock and mineral collections use the museum prefix NMNH; specimens from the meteorite collection use the museum prefix USNM. 
• EZID: A globally unique identifier assigned by the museum to all specimen records through the California Digital Library and resolvable through http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3b99126cb-0f87-4f5b-814b-56aca2baa4ab, where the string in bold is the specific EZID.  

When citing a sample in a paper, please include the full catalog number along with a link to the EZID. The EZID can be found on the specimen's page on the Paleobiology Collections Search. Please contact the journal you plan to publish in for specific guidance on using resolvable identifiers.